Frenchy returns to New York!

"Between Omar, Jerry and Jeff, they gave me the opportunity to come over here and play and I can't thank them enough...I'm having a blast over here...I always wanted to know what it was like to play meaningful baseball here in New York and i'm going to have the opportunity."

-Jeff Francoeur, as quoted in the Daily News

This one was a heartbreaker to read for me, personally. I'm glad Frenchy enjoyed his time with the Mets, but I wish he could've had this postseason experience with the Mets. Go get em' Frenchy!

DIRTY GOOSE OF THE WEEK! --- Luis Hernandez!

What's a dirty goose you may ask? A champ. An individual that steps it up big time in the face of adversity.

This week, it's New York Mets Second Basemen, Luis Hernandez.

After fouling a pitch off and breaking your foot, you blasted a pitch over the right field wall.

During the 36 seconds it took you to round those bases, I thought of three things.

1) Kirk Gibson

2) He would still beat Albert Haynesworth around the bases

3) He's a dirty goose!

Johan better than C.C?

If there is one title that best suits Johan Santana since his arrival to Queens in 2008, it's "Hard-luck loser." The chart to my left further shows this.

Besides total wins, Johan is literally just as good as, if not better than Cy Young hopeful, Yankees ace C.C Sabathia.

C.C may have 19 more strikeouts than Santana, but Johan has actually drawn fewer walks (54 to C.C's 62) and has a lower WHIP (1.19 TO C.C's 1.22)

Keep in mind that 10 of Johan 65 earned runs were from one tragic inning in Philadephia. Just goes to show you what a little run support can do for a guy.

(chart found on metsblog.com)

Nice Knowin Ya Frenchy!

Dear Frenchy:

You came to us last year and showed us the type of player that we hadn't seen in awhile; a player that was gritty and played hard everyday, despite having a torn thumb ligament.

You gave the clubhouse a refreshing new style of voice and leadership and I will forever be convinced that you have a cannon for a right arm.

But....

Unfortunately bro, you had the plate discipline of a 6-year old in his first year of T-Ball. I understand your desire to start, but do you really expect to play over Angel Pagan and the breakout season he's having? If not for Jay Bay being on the DL, you'd be riding the pine next to HoJo and Jerry. Even Omar knows that a guy that hits .230 off the bench isn't worth $6 million dollars next season. The last thing he needs is another bad investment.

But look at you now! You just got thrown into a pennant race with the Rangers and you'll get a chance to play in the postseason. You'll be coming off the bench, but work on taking pitches and maybe you won't be relegated to the pine for the rest of your career. After all, you're only 26.

Best of luck Frenchy! You may not have hit, but you gave it your all..and I respect that.

-JA

A Positive post about the Mets?

Call it naive, foolish or even stupid to feel anything positive about the 2010 Mets. However, each and every fan, talk show host, hog dog vendor, etc that chooses to close the books on this season is forgetting about the 1st amendment of being a fan of the New York Mets.


Ya Gotta Believe!

But what about the collapses of 2007 and 2008? What about the disaster that was 2009? As we've even seen this year; for every 9-game winning streak, the Amazins get shut down by one of the worst bullpens in the history of the game (the Diamondbacks).

Despite all of the heartache, the Mets are still very much in the pennant race. Four teams ahead of us? Who cares! There's 59 games left in the season! Make up a game every 10 games and your right there in the thick of it!

But we didn't make any moves at the deadline! We didn't get a pitcher! Do you really want to give up our future just to get a pitcher, like Cliff Lee, for 2 months?

Still not convinced? After 103 games in 1973, the Mets were 11 games under .500 and they ended up in the World Series after Tug McGraw inspired his team with a certain slogan. How many games were the 1969 Mets out of 1st after 103 games? 7.5....the same amount of games that the Mets are out of 1st in the NL East.

I know were not exactly "World Series Favorites" at the moment, but isn't it just more fun to have a little bit of faith in your team?

The 2010 Mets:Countdown style

I have sat back through through the first quarter of the Mets season and it has been nothing short of a roller coaster. The Amazins have gone from being considered a miserable excuse of a baseball team, to one of the best in baseball..that is until we made a trip to Filthadelphia. Since then, the Mets have shown a ton of fight by coming back, but seem to find themselves on the losing side of things. Regardless, their record is 19-21 and all hope is not completely gone. Here's a countdown summing up the season thus far from my eyes..David Letterman would be proud.

Drumroll please..........

#10..The number of Home Runs David Wright

will NOT hit this year

With 8 bombs already and 367 plate appearances ahead of last years pace, it's pretty safe to say that David Wright has found the power stroke that went M.I.A last year...Now if only he can manage to make a little more contact with the baseball. While he leads the league in walks, "Hurricane" David is on pace for over 230 strikeouts!

#9..The official scorer's number for Right Field..normally occupied by Jeff Francoeur

Until lately at least; Since the middle of April, Frenchy has forgotten how to hit (batting only .130 in that stretch) and his wildness at the plate has only gotten worse (if that's possible). When (or if) Beltran returns, is he even worthy of being the starting right fielder? (Pagan, anyone?) Hopefully, his homer last night is a sign of a turnaround. At least he's still got a cannon for an arm.

#8..Number of consecutive home wins in mid April during a 9-1 homestand

They were playing so well that even Mike Francesa was talking nice about them. Everything clicked for this ballclub and the Mets sat atop the NL East by the homestand's end; the obvious highlight of the season until that damn weekend in Filthadelphia.

#7...the number of weeks ago that Ike Davis and Chris Carter should have been named to the roster in the first place...

Yes, I understand that Ike needed time to develop..but did he really? Between his hitting and his acrobatics by the Mets Dugout, the kid's been nothing short of a stud. Chris "The Animal" Carter has been fighting for a chance his entire career and his 8Hrs in Spring Training earned him that shot. Instead, the Mets went with has beens like Mike Jacobs and Frank Catalanotto...In his first ab, Carter hit a game tying double..was Jacobs gonna do that?

#6.. Oliver Perez's e.r.a..

12 million doesn't quite get you what it used to. Ollie has looked nothing short of terrible and he now finds himself throwing out the bullpen. (Now making him the worst arm in the pen, considering how solid they've been this year) Why? because he was too selfish to accept a minor league assignment. Why? because he knows he'll get lit up like a Christmas tree down there and the Mets will have no choice but to release him. So instead, Oliie will take up a roster spot that he doesn't deserve until the powers that be realize it's time to cut their losses..

#5..Wins by Mike Pelfrey this year..

Big Pelf is proving that he is a capable starting pitcher to have behind Johan with a 5-1 record and a 3.02 e.r.a...oh yea, he has a save too. For the month of April, he looked like Cy Young and he's pitching with that confidence that he had back in 2008..

#4..Months that Carlos Beltran will miss due to injury when it's all said and done

Remember this guy? ( I thought the red cross sign was slightly symbolic here) "The Jose Reyes of 2010", Nobody really seems to know when he's ever coming back. Fortunately, Angel Pagan is proving to be a solid force in the lineup. Unfortunately, Jerry Manuel had to waste time by experimenting with Gry Matthews Jr.. Can someone please tell me why this guy's still in the major leagues?

#3..Spot in the lineup that Jose Reyes was left in WAY too long..

Coming back after being out for practically over a year, Jose was clearly trying to do too much too soon in this spot. I thought it was a great move at first because if he got on base, the cleanup hitter would get more fastballs to hit. That plan only works, however, when Reyes got on base. With Reyes hitting around .220, Manuel should have moved him back to the leadoff spot much sooner. What'd Jose do in his first game back at the top of the order? 2 for 5. It's only a matter of time before we see plenty of "Reyes Runs".

#2..Number of consecutive walkoffs by our catchers..

Bengie who? Roooooood Ba-Ra-Jas has done more than his share not only with his defense, but with his team-leading 9 Home Runs. Henry Blanco, who just looks like a badass with his mullet and tattoos is the quintessential backup. Two veterans who flat out know how to do their job.

#1...Total number of Jason Bay Homers so far this season..

The power bat in our lineup is on pace for 5 Home Runs this season..Although he is also on pace to have 16 Triples, it'd be nice to see a little pop out of a guy that belted 36 bombs last year

Jason Bay...The Newest King of Queens

The Mets finally signed themselves a left fielder in the form of Jason Bay...

For 4 yrs and 66 million, the amazins have signed themselves a legitimate threat for the middle of their lineup...

I know there are several critics out there that question the man's defensive abilities, but from what I have seen...he's capable of running down a fly ball and he's not exactly Johnny Damon when it comes to arm strength...

Any questions about how his Home Run numbers going down in Citi Field? Bay did just fine in the equally cavernous PNC Park back in his Pirate Days and his pull swing will make that 330 mark in left field seem like a breeze compared to that Green Monster up in Ba' ston...

Matt Holliday would have been a nice pickup as well, but with all the injury problems the Mets have faced, it's awfully hard to commit 7 years to anybody...besides, Bay is the gritty kind of gamer the Mets need in order to turn things around...

If/when the mets sign Benjie Molina, it will give them an awfully solid lineup from top to bottom....Citi Field is not the hitter's nightmare that everyone thinks it is as the opposing teams didn't seem to have too much trouble going yard...

With Bay, a healthy Beltran, some protection and return to normalcy from David Wright as well as a healthy Reyes...Delgado possibly?...you're bound to hit more homers than a lineup that has Angel Pagan, Fernando Tatis and Anderson Hernandez...

R.I.P 2009 Mets

At least they won the last game of the season this year....

Who would have thought that a year that began with World Series aspirations would end with 70 wins?

A season of agony ended with Nelson Figueroa giving what was undoubtedly the best pitching preformance by a Mets starter all season: a complete game 4-hit shutout that ended the season on a high note and with hopes of a successful 2010...Someone please tell me why this guy doesn't have a roster spot set in stone?

On May 29th, the Mets had a record of 27-20 and had a half game lead atop the N.L East...The team that was picked by Sports Illustrated to win the World Series this year finished the season with an abysmal record of 43 wins and 72 losses...

Never did we truly get to see what would have truly been a lights out bullpen consisting of Wagner, Putz and KRod....We only managed a 5.22 e.ra in 32 games from an injury-plagued J.J, 2 appearances from Wags before he was shipped up to Boston and a +7.00 e.r.a from KRod after the all-star break...

Our hitting core of Reyes, Wright, Beltran and Delgado was replaced with reserves such as Angel Pagan, Fernando Tatis and Anderson Hernandez...An injury that was deemed as "day-to-day" sidelined our sparkplug, Jose Reyes for the year...as did a hip injury to Delgado: someone we may never again see in the orange and blue..A bone bruise diminished what could have been an MVP type season for Beltran and David Wright, who seemingly forgot he was a 30 HR hitter, was left to carry the load until even he was drilled in the head with a fastball....The lineup went from having 3 30+ HR hitters to Daniel Murphy leading the team with 12 as well as the likes of Tatis and Cory Sullivan in the cleanup and 5 hole....

We never got to see what the starting pitching could have done if healthy...Big Pelf, after a 4-0 start finished the year 6-12 and would shine until he would lose his focus and balk all day... Ollie showed that he was not worth a penny of the $12 million he was earning by going 3-4 with a pathetic 6.82 e.r.a.....John Maine only lasted 15 starts all year...We saw flashes of potential with Jon Niese and Fernando Nieve until they went down with freak injuries..and then there's Johan, who sadly was trying to do all he could to stay on the field, even though he himself, was injured and had to shut it down for the year...

A season that could have ended with the hoist of a World Series trophy was replaced with a roster that was similar to one you'd see in AAA...complete with dropped pop-ups, baserunning blunders and lack of hustle....i've never seen a team lose games the way this team managed to...

There were however, some bright spots...Although the left-field experiment failed miserably, Daniel Murphy proved me that he has the type of skill that the Mets could absolutely use to move forward...I know there are critics that say that you can't have a guy like Murph starting if you're trying to win it all...but one must remember that the kid just played his first full season...his numbers are similar to the first year of a first basemen u Yankee fans will know...Tino Martinez

Murphy: .266 avg 12hr 63rbi

Martinez:.257 avg 16hr 66rbi

Angel Pagan proved to me, with his .306 avg that he could be one of the league's premier 4th outfielders. Luis Castillo proved to me that he still has something left in the tank and Josh Thole proved to me that he deserves a shot at becoming the starting catcher next season...Jeff Francoeur was so much of an upgrade over Ryan Church that it's not even funny....in 75 games he hit .311 with 10hr and 41rbi and his gritty style of play is exactly what the Mets need...he was the breath of fresh air out of this whole season....



Tim Redding, in his last 8 starts, had a solid 2.97 e.r.a and showed that Omar wasn't THAT dumb for signing him to a $2.5 million dollar contract...Pat Misch showed flashes of brilliance..especially in his last 2 starts that Omar shouldn't ignore going into next year...



I could stay up all night going over everyone, but over the coming weeks you guys will see a "stay or go" column featuring every player on the Mets roster....



For now...we Mets fans will rejoice to the fact that our nightmare is finally over and it's about time we can start looking forward to what hopes to be a brighter future in Flushing....

The white flag waves high...

Now it's actually getting a tad out of hand...

In the matter of 36 hours, the Mets have traded away a former closer and have deemed not 1...not 2...but 3 Mets out for the season!!!

The knockout blow? The remaining beam of hope, Johan Santana was shut down for elbow discomfort that he has allegedly had since the All-Star break?! Tell me something here Mets front office...if your clearly out of a pennant race, why are you risking the status of a man you have almost $140 million invested in?

J.J Putz was scheduled for a rehab start yesterday and was pulled because he suffered a setback...is it me or am I the only person that can go a lifetime without hearing the word "setback" ever again?

J.J was around long enough to have a piece of dubble bubble out in the bullpen and with that 9.6 million dollar option it's doubtful we ever see him in the orange and blue ever again...so much for that killer bullpen we were supposed to have huh? One word to describe it? Kaputz!!!

And in the "nobody gives a rat's ass" section, Ollie Perez is has officially been placed on the DL for the remainder of the season; something he should have been kept on since April...Now if only they can figure out a way to keep him on for the next 2 years or so....

This now brings the casuality list up to 13 Mets...13 #%%'n Mets on the Disabled list!...this doesn't include Francoeur's torn thumb ligament and Sheffield's ability to have a back spasm walking to first base.....that's about $75 million of our payroll..how many teams don't have a payroll of $75 million?!?

I attended last Thursday's game that ended up being the sandman's first game back since last September and I must say..the ovation he received was nothing short of deafening...

It only took Wags 16 pitches to whiff 2 and hit 96 on the heater...he left the mound and tipped his cap to the crowd...looking satisfied that he didn't seem to lose a step...

Although Billy deserves to close and play on a contender, it's very sad to see him go...Wags just brings a different vibe to the table...a vibe that includes grit...determination and guts....since Castillo dropped that ball at Yankee Stadium, K-Rod has been nothing short of garbage and every outing has been a heart attack...Yes Wagner is 38 and K-Rod is locked up for another 2 years, but did we get rid of the wrong closer?? I just don't see K-Rod making it here..hopefully i'm wrong

Rewinding back to clubhouse cancers, I'd like to take a moment and call out Gary Sheffield for unfortunately acting...like Gary Sheffield...At age 40 did he really expect an extension? Instead of going out and playing hard, he pulls himself out of the lineup...During monday's matinee against the Philthies..it was evident he was dogging it when he dropped a fly ball and horribly misplayed two more balls in left...Instead of the threats, why don't you actually follow through with your own words and quit....When Fernando Tatis is your cleanup hitter, i'm sure the Mets can manage without you...

Bottom line is that this season is lost beyond belief...never have I ever seen a team so decimated with injuries...Hopefully, the injury bug only lasts throgh 2009 and that by before the 2010 season, we can manage to fire our training staff and get actual trainers that know how to judge an injury....

Until then, Mets fans will be suffering through Cory Sullivan in the #5 hole and Lance Broadway tearing it up in the pitching staff...At least football season is near right?

By next week, Mr. Met will be activated to pitch and hit 3rd in the lineup...

D-Wright latest Met to catch injury bug...in the noggin?

I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later.....


Add #5 to the list of Mets causalities after taking a Matt Cain 94 MPH fastball off of the side of his helmet..

Wright laid motionless for a couple minutes before he was able to walk off the field on his own power....it was determined that he did indeed suffer a concussion and it is unknown when the star 3rd basemen of the Mets will return.....


SUPREME KUDOS goes out to Johan Santana, who is by far the true warrior of this baseball team...Johan exemplified how a pitcher defends his players by throwing not only at Pablo Sandoval, but also at Bengie Molina..It is true that Santana has his big-time contract now, but it never took away his grit and determination as a player. Retaliating is an old-school way of baseball; an unwritten rule that teammates stick together and battle for each other through thick and thin and Santana flat out did what had to be done...


FINGER OF SHAME to Matt Cain...Although he looked remorseful after hitting Wright, he failed miserably in showing regret in not one, but two scenarios yesterday....


Let's start off when Cain exited the game...After being showered in boos the entire afternoon, Cain tilted his hat off his head and appeared to sarcastically tip his hat to the crowd...


In a post-game interview, he claimed to be merely "fixing his hat"...when asked if the boos got to him, Cain replied "it's New York"....either this guy thinks Mets fans are stupid..or he really has no remorse for doing what he did..maybe both?


I guarantee you this faithful readers, Matt Cain will eventually get what he has coming to him. It may not be until next season, but a team does not forget moments like what occurred yesterday. It' s only a matter of time before he is introduced to a lil chin music.


Until then, I think Mets fans may have a pitcher to flat out hate for the first time since this jackass....



In the meantime, the Mets are slipping more and more out of playoff contention by the day...


With 46 games to go in the 2009 season, the Amazins find themselves sitting 10 games back in the wild-card race with 7 teams they would have to leapfrog in order to do what seems like to be the impossible....


There are rumblings in Flushing about the impending returns of "The Sandman" Billy Wagner and Carlos Beltran..but at this point, is it worth rushing Beltran back to play in what now officially appears to be a lost season?


If the man wants to play, i'm not saying no...but this sports blogger is now saying that it just might be too little...too late


As a Mets fan, I am stubborn and refuse to stop believing...but I also need to be realistic.Each component of the Mets' hitting core (Wright, Reyes, Beltran, Delgado) are now currently sitting on the sidelines....similar to how it's looking like the Mets are going to be watching baseball in October...

Barely breathing...but believing!

ATTENTION TO ALL METS FANS.. IT IS TIME TO OFFICIALLY CALL THE SEASON TO AN END. UNTIL NEXT SEASON MY METROPOLITAN FANS! : “They suck. It’s like being in love with an alcoholic. It’s like, you constantly defend her, and people are like, ‘Dude, your alcoholic friend is a mess,’ and you’re like, ‘Nah, you don’t know her like I do.’”

-Mets fan and comedian Jim Breuer

This Mets fan is still in denial....

Injury after injury and disappointment after disappointment, the Mets continue to battle it out...

After yet another devastating loss last night, one could see the pain in the eyes of each and every Metropolitan; especially after another one of their own went down by falling down the dugout steps. Johan went 8 strong only to have K-Rod blow it in the 9th. Shortly after, Pujols proceeded to hit a dagger into the hearts of Mets fans everywhere with his 5th Grand Slam....of the year.

Somehow, the Mets found it in them today to keep swinging....

Despite having Jon Niese AND Gary Sheffield leave the game with injuries, the Mets continue to show that no matter how far out of it they are that they are fighting until the very end...and winning convincingly by a score of 9-0

After being treated like he was throwing batting practice, Nelson Figueroa came back out this afternoon and stepped it up throwing 4 1/3 scoreless innings...not to mention he hit his first career triple.

The bats are starting to come alive....Angel Pagan is looking more and more like a legit starting OF each and every game...Alex Cora has hit in 8 straight games and David Wright is doing all he can to keep himself away from the injury bug..and hitting the lights out of the baseball (21 hits in his last 15 games).

As many setbacks as this team has had and continue to have, they still have the attitude that they can still come back and do this thing. Who knows when Reyes and Beltran will ever return to the lineup? With his latest setback, it's looking more and more like he's out for the year..Beltran's lookin to get back within weeks...is it worth it?

The Mets are heading west for a four-game stint with the lowly Padres and three more with the D-Backs. Following those games is a crucial 4-game set with the Giants back at Citi...As out of it as they appear, a string of wins can bring them right back to .500. If they can be at .500 come September, a run can be legitimate...Call me overly optimistic, but baseball has a funny way of operating....If they remain within reach...why not bring the boys back to make a run at it?

It is much too soon to talk about next season when there is still 55 games to go...The great thing about baseball is that you can take the worst situation and put it behind you the very next day...

They currently sit 8.5 back of the wild-card leading Rockies, but the way this team is fighting it's awfully hard to give up on them just yet...

Did the 1973 Mets give up when they were 48-59 and 11.5 games back of the division? Last time I checked, they won the National League Pennant....How about the 1969 Miracle Mets when they were 8.5 back after 107 games? Ya Gotta Believe!

Connect four!

Behind a second consecutive solid outing by Big Pelf, the Mets won their 4th straight game by defeating the Rockies 4-0 and moving within 5.5 games of the wild card held by Colorado.

Pelf went 6 1/3 strong scattering 7 hits and striking out 5 while the pen went their 3rd straight game without giving up a run.

Francoeur continues to rake by again adding to his RBI total. Mets fans got a bit of a scare when he was hit in the hand by a pitch, but he appears to be alright. Castillo received an early Christmas gift from Home plate ump Larry Vanover when he was called safe at home in the 8th.

It seems that as of late, the Mets are doing all of the little things right. This is, by far, the most relaxed I have seen this team since May before everybody and their mother got placed on the D.L

The Mets will go for 5 straight tomorrow and the man they call Johan gets the ball! With the exception of God and maybe Roy Halladay is there anyone else you'd rather have on the mound?

Is it time to take the brown paper bag off of your head?

Never fear Mets fans! The bats...and this team may not be dead in the water just yet...





After exploding for 22 runs while taking 2 of 3 from the 'Stros this weekend, the Metsies showed a flare for the dramatic last night when DPT (Double Play Tatis) came up and served the Rockies (my personal favorite sandwich) a Grand Salami that may potentially be the blast that finally changes the club's momentum.



For the first time in over 2 months, the Mets have put together a 3-game winning streak and with 64 games left, trailing 6.5 games in the wild card doesn't exactly seem all that far out of reach anymore.....



Luis Castillo is enjoying his best season as a Met as has hit .339 since the infamous dropped pop-up.....Jeff Francoeur has hit .327 with 3 HR and 15 RBI in only 13 games as a Met (By the by Churchy's line... .200 1HR 4 RBI since the trade). While Church has done garbage down in Hotlanta, Francoeur is showing game by game that he is indeed a gamer as well as an absolute steal from the Braves


Oh yea...David Wright finally hit a home run in the month of July.


With the exception of the catchers, Manuel has left his lineup intact from game to game and given players such as Danny Murphy a chance to play consistently. Who would have thought at all that at any point this season our cleanup hitter would be executing clutch bunts???

The bottom line is this....what I saw in that dugout last night was something I haven't seen in a long time...passion. Not only were the players estatic when Tatis went deep, the fans made Citi Field rock like it hasn't been rocked often enough this season. (Not that they have had anything to exactly cheer about).

More importantly, the win came amongst a slew of controversy between Omar Minaya, Adam Rubin and the recently unemployed Tony Bernezard....more on those guys in the inaugural Jackasses of the week column that will make its debut this Friday!

Let's be real here...i'm not saying to clear your entire month of October to watch the Mets...all i'm saying is that the next 64 games will be nothing short of interesting...in the immortal words of WWE commentator Jim Ross..business may very well be about to pick up!

kudos to newsday for the photo

Josh bleepin Willingham!

Josh Willingham blasted his 12th career HR against the Mets and Craig Stammen went a strong 7 1/3 IP to defeat the Mets 3-1 and take 2 out of 3 from the Metropolitans..who must be feeling a bit deflated at this point

Big Pelf turned in a solid outing going 7 and only surrendering 3 runs..However, the Mets bats were silent once again....

The lone run by the Metsies was scored on a throwing error following an Angel Pagan 3-bagger.

Fun fact.....Cory Sullivan went 0-4 in Left last night meaning that Mets left-fielders have gone 0-22 since Sheff went down....brutal

The Mets get a well-deserved off day today and return friday in Houston when its the ace in the hole, Johan Santana taking on former Met Mike Hampton...

Lets hope this day off does them a smidge of good....if your looking for some good news out of all this...hey..at least the Philthies finally lost!!!

Another Met biting the dust?

Gary Sheffield sat out his fourth straight game last night with a cramp in his hammy.

Jerry Manuel said in a pre-game news conference that if the situation didn't progress by friday that Shef would be the placed on the DL..raising the staggering number of Mets on the DL to 10!

What got me, however, was the reason given for the continuous cramping...it was said that it is due to a lack of electrolyte imbalance...lack of electrolytes?? give the man a gatorade!!

Ya gotta love the way the Mets brass handle their injured players...

Lannanized!

Long Island native and Nationals ace John Lannan scattered 7 hits over 9 innings for his first career complete game shutout in a 4-0 victory over the Metsies.

For the 9th time this season and the 5th time in the last 13 games, the Mets were held scoreless in a sight that has become all too familiar for Mets fans.

Ollie was..well..he was Ollie...4 runs and 4 hits over 6 with 6 walks. In his last 17 innings he has walked 17 batters...there are little leaguers with better control.

Francoeur had another solid night at the plate going 2-4, but that was overshadowed by a dropped fly ball out in right field...another sight that has become all too familiar

Since Sheffield has been out, those that have replaced him in left have hit a combined 0-18...yikes....DPT (otherwise known as double play Tatis) was the latest LF to go for an 0-fer..

AROUND THE NL EAST...

The Philthies won their 10th straight in the 13th last night after a Jayson Werth walk-off and Derek Lowe looked dominant for the Braves in an 8-1 win...The Mets currently sit at 44-49 and their ship is sinking fast as they are now 10 games back in their own division...yet a doable 6.5 back in the race for the wild card

Big Pelf goes for the Mets tonite...here's hoping against another 5th inning impolsion

The Happy Recap 7/20/2009 METS 6...Nationals 2

photo from nytimes.com

The momentum the Mets had after winning the final 2 games of a series with the Reds before the all-star break disappeared after losing 3 of the last four games to the Atlanta Braves.

What better way to get off a schnide than playing the 26-65 Washington Nationals?

The Mets broke out the lumber early when they scored 5 runs in the first two innings against rookie pitcher J.D Martin en route to a 6-2 victory over the lowly Nats. Fun fact...the Mets never seem to EVER do well against rookie pitchers

You had the feeling that tonight was gonna go in the Mets favor when Pagan tapped a ball down the third base line that refused to roll foul. He later scored on the first of 2 Danny Murphy rbis.

Livan went seven strong to get win #6 on the year after two god awful outings...if only he could pitch against the nats and marlins all season..As a matter of fact..itd be nice to play those guys all season too...unless its the last week in Sept...

Francoeur continued to produce at the dish and blasted his 1st HR as a Met in the 9th to go along with an RBI Double...In 7 games, Frenchy is hitting .345 with a jack and 7 RBI with the Metropolitans.

It looked like trouble in the 8th when the Nats were threatening and big Adam Dunn stepped up to the plate..only to ground into a nicely turned DP by Danny Murphy...who is playing first these days like his name is Keith Hernandez.

At this point..ill take any kind of a win..even if its those pesky nats..big Ollie pitches tomorrow against John Lannan..which means either 7 inn and 10k or 5 inn with 110 pitches and 7 walks..gotta love how consistent he is.

Chruch for Francoeur...the great debate

photo from cbssports.com

Many Mets fans I have talked to about this deal have been 50/50 on the recent trade between the Mets and Braves for each other's respective starting right fielders.

If you ask this guy, however, I am all for it and this is why...

For starters, a change of any shape or form absolutely needed to be made just for the sake of switching things up. The Braves had essentially given up on Francoeur after a pair of inconsistent seasons and Churchy has spent a majority of the year in Jerry Manuel's doghouse (whether either of them actually admit it or not.

But lets face the fact Mets fans, Francoeur is only 25 years of age and already has 4 years of major league experience under his belt. Yes, he was sent to AA last year, but the previous 2 seasons before that Frenchy produced 2 100+ RBI seasons and played in all 162 games..something Church has had a tough time doing.

Francoeur brings with him to Citi Field a solid defensive presence that is sorely needed in the comedic Mets outfield as well as a personality that is more than fitting for the big apple.

Since Francoeur has donned the #12 for the Mets he has hit .280 with 5 RBI in his first 6 games while Church has hit .176 with 1 run driven in....it is only a measly 6 games, but it makes you open your eyes a bit.

Along with Francoeur's age comes his upside of turning around his career while Church is already 30 with a plethora of injuries on his resume. Jeff is also signed through the 2011 season. He may have a wild free swing like Vlady..but hey..Hojo can work on that..can he?

Don't get me wrong, I am not a hater on Ryan Church. When healthy, he was an effective player for the Mets..but since last year at this time he really hasn't done a whole lot...When he returned from his second concussion on Aug 22 of last year...Church hit a measly .219 (25-114) with 2 HR and 13 RBI

SINCE 8/22/2008

Jeff Francoeur..259 AVG (118-455) 6HR 56RBI

Ryan Church ..251 AVG (93-370) 4HR 36RBI

kudos to baseball-reference.com for the stats...

Statistically, the stats appear similar..but it appears the Mets went for durability and upside.

For both players..perhaps a change of scenery is all they need...

The state of the Mets

This has become a sight all to familiar for fans of the New York Metropolitans.

With last night's 7-1 trashing courtesy of the Atlanta Braves, the Mets find themselves sitting 9 games back of the first place Philthies (10 back in the loss column) With a record of 43-48, the Amazins also find themselves looking at 8 other National League teams that are above them in the race for the elusive Wild Card...Several members of the NY media are ready to start waving the white flag.

As a lifelong fan of this franchise, it is hard to not feel like there is absolutely nothing to beleive in with this group of AAA imposters. However, at the same time, it is awfully hard in my eyes to count this team out when it is only the 20th day of July..

Call it being an optimist, being nieve, what have you...but this team just finished a brutal stretch of games against the likes of the Dodgers, Philthies, Yankees and Braves...Coming up are 3 games against the pesky, yet extremely beatable Nats, Astros and Rockies. They may be short-handed, but this team has shown, albeit in small doses, that they are still capable of competing.

Yes 3 of their major players are gone for an extended period of time, but the Mets only need to tread water and remain in the race..then hopefully come mid August we can see the return of 3 dynamic pieces of the lineup as well as the returns of Putz, Maine and yes.. "The original Sandman" Billy Wagner.

Of course..this is all easier said than done..until then..keep believing Mets fans..