For the first time in nearly a year, the Mets will have Jose Reyes back on the top of the lineup. The Mets were 51-75 during the time Reyes was out with a severe hamstring injury.
“Nobody wants to get hurt,” Reyes said. “I’m happy to be back and playing baseball. It was tough being away.”
Gone, at least for today, is the thought of Reyes batting third. Maybe later this summer, but for now the Mets are just happy to have him back at shortstop.
Another story line this afternoon is Oliver Perez’s first start since last August. Perez, who underwent knee surgery in the offseason, came into camp in excellent condition. So far, during spring training it has not translated into success.
The Mets are coming off a well-rounded 8-2 victory last night over Washington, a game which featured a strong start by Mike Pelfrey and four homers.
hopefully jose brings energy to the team. certaily if he is healthy he will be a distraction on the bases and a wiz in the field. if we had ike we would have a decent infield.
i hope things go well for ollie and we can get above 500 again.
hey! it’s the home whites. what happened to them yesterday?
nice inning. he threw strikes
dave (1-4): That was a superb inning by Perez. He worked quickly and kept the ball down. He also hit the corners a couple of times. When he works in an up tempo he’s far more effective.-JD
wow. he got him
I do like the pinstriped uniforms in the off-white.-JD
john
i didnt realize tempo was so important to him
why does it take 5 games for sybil to put francoeur 5th? he is hot right now and the reject cleanup hitter is not.
dave (8): Yeah, watch him. He’s better when he works quickly. When he’s deliberate and slow he tends to overthrow and think too much about his mechanics.-JD
dave (9): I don’t know. Francoeur is blistering the ball now. I think too much is made of having to slot a lefty between Bay and Francoeur or between Wright and Bay. We know who should be the 3-4-5 hitters. I don’t know why it is so difficult. … BTW, I like the Sybil references.-JD
and the catcher comes out
Two on …. well, not any more. I was about to say watch Perez react when guys get on. That’s when he gets in trouble.-JD
john
I started the sybil name a few weeks ago. that is who he is. he even admits as much in interviews.
as for jacobs, he is not a strong enough hitter to make a difference. he was released. why does sybil not know that?
and ollie gets in trouble. can he get back on track?
So what if he struck out the side. That he got ahead 0-2 before giving up the triple isn’t a positive.-JD
SECOND INNING: Yeah, the Mets definitely won the Church trade.-JD
so i guess that righty lefty thing works out well.
david/jason/jeff with jose leading off.
that should be the lineup. if jeff gets cold you can slide him down some.
good. we got a run after bases loaded no out.
and ollie makes it even.
it is a simple game. see the ball. hit the ball.
Good inning for the Mets. Good at-bat by Blanco. Think Reyes is a little anxious. That’s understandable.-JD
yeah. i saw that. it looked like he wanted a 3 run homer on the first pitch.
you can tell they are giving their company answer. a big hedge in the answer from both those guys on should the mets go and get a starter.
how old is ollie? they are saying he lost zip on his fastball?
dave (22): I noticed that. I think they’ll need another arm, and probably sooner than later.-JD
dave (23): Perez is 28. It’s not how fast he can throw, but how much movement is on the pitch. Movement and location are more important than velocity.-JD
Wayne Hagin made a great point after Ollie’s run-scoring single: That Ian Desmond grew up in Sarasota, Florida, but never wanted to be as tall as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Honestly, I had never considered that myself. It’s one of those things that makes Wayne’s commentary so thought-provoking. We are truly blessed to have him.
THIRD INNING: That Cora played injured last year is why he was brought back.-JD
Tiffany (26): Your sarcasm is priceless.-JD
Two on, no outs. Here’s a chance for a big inning.-JD
Lucky … lucky.-JD
john(25)
i always thought that a big part of ollies game was just power. yes he had some nasty pitches, but he would just rear back and gas you.
So much for that big inning.-JD
bad luck on frenchies swing got them nothing.
dave (31): When he’s really throwing the ball well his fastball moves and darts within the strikezone.-JD
FOURTH INNING: Which he’s not doing now. Four RBI by the No. 8 hitter. -JD
i am listening to the Nats broadcast of the game.
last night: accused Pelf of having foreign substance on his hand to get a better grip.
today: said that if Jose hit one in the gap he would probably pull up and hurt his hamstring and then…
carpenter says: is it strange for someone that young to have a thyroid issue
ron dibble: if he goes up to canada to have his blood spun, no.
i have never heard worse commentary than i have these last two games. it is truly atrocious.
by the way, John, good to see you’re still doing this.
abbey (36): Thanks Abbey. Glad to see you’re still following me. Those are some pretty radical comments. Don’t expect anything less from a guy like Dibble.-JD
Rob Dibble once got punched out by a guy who grew up in Greenwich.
And that half-inning the coin flipped good.
Better than a roulette wheel is trying to guess what a Perez inning will be.
FIFTH INNING: So far, a good and bad start by Ollie. He’s shown what he has to do to pitch well. He’s also shown what he usually does when he gets in trouble.-JD
Tiffany (38): Don’t imagine what Dibble said. But knowing him he deserved it.-JD
It was Tim Teufel, whom Dibble hit between the numbers.
They just mentioned Tejada. He was optioned out to make room for Reyes. Word is Castillo will be better and back at second tomorrow.-JD
Tiffany (42): I remember that game. Started a brawl.-JD
When Dibble loses his job with the Gnats in a year or two, where does he end up? Professional wrestling?
Matthews swung at garbage there. Not a good at-bat.-JD
Dan (45): As an announcer or a wrestler?-JD
yes, way to go tatis. dibble and carpenter both need to be sent somewhere far away – i can’t convey to y’all how painful this is..
Not a good at-bat by Blanco, either. Despite the gift.-JD
abbey (48): Can you get WFAN on your computer? If I remember correctly, you’re in Virginia. Is that right?-JD
(50) Don’t do it, Delcos — as bad as Carpenter and Dibble are, Wayne Hagin’s observations are arguably worse.
JD – yes I’m in VA. i have the MLB.TV premier package so i usually choose my feed but the video is blacked out because of my location.
i listened to the end of the game last night on the FAN. i wanted a visual on Reyes today. Ha, gotta see it to believe it i guess.
nice pick by d. wright.
Blanco playing? Give us Barajas!
Should have capitalized on the gift but we got one back. Now our ace bullpen will slam the door and our rejuvenated offense will rise up and squash the Gnats.
Any reason why Jim Riggleman keeps getting managerial jobs? He did win the 1998 wild card with the Mets collapse of losing the last five games. But every baseball generation has to have a Jimmie Dykes, Don Zimmer, John McNamara or Jim Riggleman who keeps getting jobs for no discernible reason
Dan (53): Some guys network better than others, I suppose. It’s not like he’s Tony La Russa.-JD
(53) I was just happy they didn’t hire Bobby V.
SIXTH INNING: This is Perez’s last inning regardless.-JD
oh. jose!
that’s a shame for jose.
Rusty Reyes. You’ve seen it both in the plate and on the field. Reyes did say last night that he had some nerves.-JD
What did Jose do? I’d love to hear how your descriptions of what you saw compare to the word picture painted by Wayne Hagin.
Let’s see..it’s a Yankee game on FOX today. That means that next week is Red Sox game, right?
Reminds me of at work last night one Yankee fan was in full Steinbrennerian meltdown “We stink…Vasquez is terribe!”. He couldn’t enjoy last October because he was too busy hyperventilating over Eli Manning.
(60) bob carpenter called it “a line-drive muff”
Tiffany (60): He seemed a little slow is sticking his glove out (about shoulder height). On a line drive. The ball could have knuckled or tailed on him. But, he didn’t get if front of the ball.-JD
Just had a Tatis flashback.-JD
Hagin said that it appeared that Reyes was wearing an invisible glove, that the ball went straight through his glove. Based on what he said, it sounded like a wardrobe malfunction, although he didn’t describe the height or location of the liner. The big takeaway was that Reyes’ glove was invisible.
(61) the NYM play STL next week on fox – pretty sure.
question for y’all – remember last wednesday when tatis went for home from third on a wild pitch? david wright made no signal to Tatis whether to stay or go – should he have taken heat for that?
I see where Igarashi is wearing No. 18. Straw is going into the Mets’ Hall of Fame this summer. Does he deserve to have his number retired? He is an all-time Met, afterall.-JD
Earlier in the inning, he said, “And the pitch to plate is bounced. Looking at the out-of-town scoreboard, the Cubs…”
What’s the visual the listener should get from that? How was the pitch bounced — like a bowling ball or a bounce pass? Was it a breaking ball? Did the catcher have to smother it? Did it bounce in front of the plate? At least we know the Cubs are tied up, though.
Great advice by Blanco: throw that 3-2 pitch in the dirt and have Taveras swing a it for strike three.
abbey (66): Good question. I’d say no because Tatis reacted on instinct. By the time Wright would have looked back, then signaled, Tatis would have been over halfway down the line, … The third base coach didn’t say anything. It was all Tatis.-JD
Tiffany (68): Or, the visual could have been the ball was bounced off the out of town scoreboard.-JD
Dan (69): Gotta have a plan.-JD
abbey(66) if he didnt do anything, yes. it is his responsibility to signal. however in looking at the replay tatis just went too far and hesitated and was caught. i dont know if anyone could help.
You can talk about Tatis and you can talk about Baker, but I’ve never seen a pitcher get to the plate as quickly as Veras did on that play.
jose needed some more time in port st. lucie?
I don’t know, I was yelling “Go!” like hell when Tatis was heading home. I am used to seeing the batter react also – as that Nat just did, throwing up his arms for the runner from third to stop. D. Wright seemed to move out of his path but nothing more. I didn’t blame Tatis or Wright. I think you’re right on Tiffany, it was a great defensive play.
abbey (75): They are convinced he is healthy enough. He might have needed some more time in Triple-A to get his skills sharper.-JD
Why is it on the ESPN3 KHL games, they only show Ak Bars? Are they the only Russian hockey team with a TV camera? And why do I have the computer watching it?
abbey (77): Tiffany is right. It took a perfect defensive play to get Tatis.-JD
Dan (78): I don’t have an answer for you. I’m not even sure I get the questions.-JD
Bay is going to come through here. I was not excited about getting him, but he has looked good!
cheap strike
…or not.
abbey (81): I confess, I wanted them to get pitching instead. But, I like Bay. Always have. I think he’ll have a good year. .280-30-100.-JD
that’s an excuse. david just cant throw across the field
dave (85): It was a lazy throw by Wright.-JD
EIGHTH INNING: If I’m the Nationals I don’t pinch-run for Dunn. You might need his bat later.-JD
that’s true. this game is boring
Wild pitch by Pedro could be big. The way the Mets are hitting today, two runs is a lot.-JD
(88) yeah..for some reason i bought into all that talk about electricity & the reyes return. anyone watching the masters?
If Pedro wants to be an eighth inning guy, he needs to get out a RH like Pudge.-JD
I never like IBB to load the bases with less than two outs.
abbey (90): It has been a yawner, hasn’t it?-JD
yeah but no DP without IBB
Which goes to show that Jerry Manuel is a better strategist than me.
houdini
Dan (95): So, you’re the one he’s better than.-JD
i guess Luis is feeling better.
JD, I almost made that same joke. too easy
abbey (98): He should be back tomorrow starting at second.-JD
abbey (99): I know. But, you take your layups when you can.-JD
luis even looks gimpy standing on the bag, nevermind running.
Putting down the sacrifice bunt so Frank Catalanto can get the big hit.
If I was great at talking out of both sides of my mouth and denying what I said earlier, I’d have an afternoon show on WFAN.
abbey (102): If he has to come around and can’t run, he shouldn’t be there. Maybe they should have DL’d him.-JD
was mr. clippard ever a marlin or am i making that up?
Dan (103): Yeah, gotta love a plan.-JD
Shut out for three innings by Yankee reject Tyler Clippard???
abbey (106): Not the Marlins, but the Yankees.-JD
NINTH INNING: Third appearance by Mejia. Third different situation.-JD
yes! reyes hopefully electrified us with that play.
abbey (111): Was a sweet play. Like to see a triple in the gap.-JD
NINTH INNING: Reyes singles. Can you feel something?-JD
would love to see a walkoff hit here with david and jose celebrating at the plate.
This is why they got Bay. For right here.-JD
john(110)
yes. almost all fastballs too
Bay was completely overmatched there. Up to their hottest hitter. Ten Mets have struck out today. Didn’t realize it was that many.-JD
So Mike Jacobs has gone from clean up hitter to last position player sitting on the bench in five games?
wow
he walked him and frenchy didnt go down swinging.
Dan (118): Funny how that works. And it is a righty pitcher.-JD
dan(118)
yes. because you need to keep the 1b in reserve just in case.
damn.
ooh. ooh.
nice ending to the game
cable signal froze and missed the catch! AARRGGHHH!!
so we are back under 500 again.
oh well.
(124) it wasn’t fun to see.
Wow!!!! Willie Harris does it again. He owns the Mets.-JD
dan(124)
i have time warner. i get that a lot. i understand time warner is not good. have to start writing.
perhaps i will change to fios.
abbey (122): An appropriate thing to say.-JD
i hope y’all enjoy the rest of your afternoon. talk with you guys soon, it was a pleasure.
A Mets loss like many in the last three years. Erratic coin flip by Perez. Four rbis from the 8th place hitter on the other team. 10 strikeouts, 7 in three innings by Clippard. There was a graphic the Mets RISP this year is .233, that will go down after Bay and Barajas made out.
FINAL: Nationals 4, Mets 3
RECORD: 2-3
THUMBNAIL ANALYSIS: We saw both the good and bad Oliver Perez. He had flashes of dominance, but he also walked four, with two of the runners scoring. Overall, he worked into the sixth and gave up four runs. Acceptable for most games. Offensively, the Mets were 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position. That was a weakness last year and has factored prominently in all three losses.-JD
Thanks folks for spending your afternoon with me. Talk to you again soon. Best, JD
john
i like your end of game summaries.
keep that.
dave (134): Thanks. I will.-JD
so el duque is up next.
will he shut us out?
Sorry I missed all of this – will try to post some tomorrow.