The John Delcos New York Mets Report Featuring Mets' commentary, analysis and news.

Johan Santana (9–5, 3.08 ERA) starts for the Mets. Santana, who threw seven shutout innings against Milwaukee in April, has a 4.79 ERA on the road this season. Santana, however, hasn’t pitched consistently well since the San Francisco game.

Mike Burns (0–1, 3.72 ERA) goes for the Brewers.

Another twist in tonight’s line-up has Fernando Tatis at second base.

The line-up:

Alex Cora, SS
Fernando Tatis, 2B
David Wright, 3B
Gary Sheffield, LF
Ryan Church, RF
Nick Evans, 1B
Fernando Martinez, CF
Omir Santos, C
Johan Santana, LP

Posted under New York Mets 2008-09

After being swept by the Yankees the Mets are in Milwaukee tonight to begin a series against the Brewers. It won’t get any easier.

And, it is going to stay rough for a long time because Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado aren’t back any time soon, and Carlos Beltran could be out a little longer. They simply don’t have any chips to deal.

It’s up to the people here now, and they aren’t getting it done.

Posted under New York Mets 2008-09

Sorry about last night. Computer access was down. Trying it again.

Well, so much for the good feelings generated the beating the Cardinals. The Yankees have had their way this weekend with the Mets, who only have four hits in the two games. With the way Chien Ming Wang has been pitching for the Yankees, one would hope they would get at least that many tonight. Then again, four hits tonight won’t cut it either.

Livan Hernandez (5-2, 4.05 ERA) starts tonight for the Mets, but despite his good pitching they’ve lost four of his past five starts, In his last ten start, he is 4-1 with a 3.17 ERA, averaging over 6 innings in each game.

If he can’t do it tonight, the Mets will drop to .500, not the way they want to start their next trip.

Ryan Church isn’t feeling well and won’t play tonight. Here’s the patchwork line-up:

Daniel Murphy, 1B
Alex Cora, SS
David Wright, 3B
Gary Sheffield, LF
Fernando Tatis, RF
Fernando Martinez, CF
Brian Schneider, C
Luis Castillo, 2B
Livan Hernandez, RP

Posted under New York Mets 2008-09

The Mets follow up their first series win in weeks with a three-game series against the Yankees at Citi Field, with Mike Pelfrey going against CC Sabathia.

Pelfrey (5–2, 4.74 ERA) pitched five innings against the Yankees last season and allowed eight hits and four runs. The key with Pelfrey is to get ahead in the count. With a first-pitch strike opponents are batting just .193 against him; they are .387 when he falls behind.

Another thing with Pelfrey is to avoid the big inning. He has a tendency to give up runs in bunches and unravel. He has been unable to minimize the damage.

Sabathia (6–4, 3.71 ERA) left his last start in the second inning with a sore left bicep. He has gone 5-1 over his last nine starts.

An interesting line-up change has Ryan Church in center and Fernando Tatis in right. Gary Sheffield is back and in left.

Here’s the batting order:

Luis Castillo, 2B
Alex Cora, SS
David Wright, 3B
Gary Sheffield, LF
Fernando Tatis, RF
Ryan Church, CF
Nick Evans, 1B
Omir Santos, C
Mike Pelfrey, RP

Posted under New York Mets 2008-09

See how easy this game is when you score double-digit runs and don’t give up any? They can’t all be like last night. Johan Santana attempts to get back on track this afternoon against St. Louis.

Here’s today’s line-up:

Alex Cora, SS
Luis Castillo, 2B
David Wright, 3B
Ryan Church, RF
Fernando Tatis, LF
Fernando Martinez, CF
Nick Evans, 1B
Omir Santos, C
Johan Santana, LP

Posted under New York Mets 2008-09

Here’s how bad things are for the Mets’ offense: Ryan Church is the clean-up hitter. Yup, you read correctly. Gary Sheffield is out again after taking a cortisone injection in his knee. He believes he’ll be available this weekend against the Yankees. We shall see.

Fernando Nieve (2–0, 1.84) starts for the Mets after back-to-back quality starts. Can he keep riding the wave?

Here’s tonight’s line-up:

Alex Cora, SS
Luis Castillo, 2B
David Wright, 3B
Ryan Church, RF
Fernando Tatis, LF
Fernando Martinez, CF
Nick Evans, 1B
Brian Schneider, C
Fernando Nieve, RP

Posted under New York Mets 2008-09

Of all the players on the Mets’ disabled list, who do you believe they miss the most? Tell me who and why: Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, Oliver Perez, John Maine, JJ Putz.

Posted under New York Mets 2008-09

All those good feelings harnessed with Monday’s victory have been washed away by the rain. Getting two hits against Joel Pineiro will do that to a team. For a team not getting consistently good pitching, the Mets can’t afford to waste a strong performance such as the one Livan Hernandez gave them last night.

Three-fourths of the core is gone, and the last one standing – David Wright – is hitting, but without power. Consistent run production is lacking and there’s little help on the horizon. Gary Sheffield hasn’t played in three days, and that they are relying on his aching 40-year-old legs doesn’t do much on the optimism meter.

It was Pineiro last night. He was stifling and the Mets did little to work the count. Not that it would have mattered anyway because he was usually ahead.

The Mets must now play for one run whenever they get the chance, and they don’t get many. Bunt, hit-and-run, steal, hit behind the runner, take the extra base, work the count. Now, more than ever, the must play fundamental offense because they don’t have the eraser that can wipe it all clean with one swing.

As well as they played Monday, they still could have lost. It wouldn’t be surprising to see them lose tonight and even tomorrow with Johan Santana, who hasn’t been a sure thing since the San Francisco game a half-dozen or so starts ago.

The Mets have been extremely fortunate to be only 2.5 games behind the Phillies with how they have played this month. They could easily be seven or eight behind if the Phillies could win at home.

I get this gnawing feeling about the Mets, the same one I got the last two years, that they have this warped belief they can turn it on at will once they get all their parts back. It doesn’t work that way.

These are the Mets’ cards and they have to play them. They have to play as if there’s no help coming, because, after all, we don’t know if there is.

Posted under New York Mets 2008-09

“We have to play in the fashion we did last night,” said Mets manager Jerry Manuel of how his team pieced together an impressive victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Mets played alert, aggressive baseball to back the strong pitching performance of Tim Redding. Tonight they’ll throw Livan Hernandez (5-1) at the Cardinals. Hernandez, as much as anybody, is responsible for the Mets only being 1.5 games behind the Phillies in the NL East.

It’s hard to believe the Mets are that close considering how they’ll played this month.

Here’s tonight’s line-up:

Alex Cora, SS
Daniel Murphy, 1B
David Wright, 3B
Fernando Tatis, LF
Ryan Church, RF
Omir Santos, C
Fernando Martinez, CF
Luis Castillo, 2B
Livan Hernandez, RP

Posted under New York Mets 2008-09

When a player says he’s hurting and worried you can pretty much count on a trip to the DL. Such is the case with Carlos Beltran, who had a MRI today on his barking knee. The news isn’t good and word is Beltran will go on the DL and Fernando Martinez will be recalled.

Beltran had been playing through the pain, but after Sunday’s loss to Tampa Bay, said: “I don’t feel I can play a lot of games the way it felt today. I’m a little bit worried, to be honest, because the way it was today, it was painful.”

Don’t forget, this is a guy who played with a fractured face. He’s played through pain before.

Beltran was initially injured his right knee in Los Angeles in mid-May. He served as the DH in the Boston series at Fenway, but missed two games against Washington, May 26-27. Beltran was diagnosed with a bone bruise and a cortisone injection seemed to work until now.

The Mets optioned Ken Takahashi to Triple-A Buffalo and will recall lefty Pat Misch.

Here’s tonight’s line-up for the game against the Cardinals, again, weather permitting:

Alex Cora, SS
Daniel Murphy, 1B
David Wright, 3B
Fernando Tatis, LF
Ryan Church, RF
Omir Santos, C
Jeremy Reed, CF
Luis Castillo, 2B
Tim Redding, RP

Only Murphy, Wright and Church were in the Opening Day line-up. That Tatis, who hasn’t been hitting lately is at clean-up is a sobering thought. Albert Pujols has more homers than the entire Mets’ batting order. Hell, even if Beltran were in there Pujols would probably have more.

Posted under New York Mets 2008-09