31 posts tagged “philadelphia phillies”
I keep reading and hearing about it.
A Yankees vs. Phillies World Series is the ultimate nightmare for Mets fans. It's like choosing between cancer and AIDS. Both suck, and no matter who wins, you still lose.
Well, that's true and yet, not.
First of all, as a Mets (and Angels) fan living in Los Angeles, I can assure you that a Yankees vs. Dodgers World Series would be the ultimate nightmare for me. Thankfully that didn't happen.
Second of all, if you're a New York Mets fan, you do not root for the New York Yankees.
Ever!
Never ever never ever never ever under any fucking circumstances!!!!! You do not pick and choose depending on which team the Yankees are playing. NEVER!!!!!!!
I understand Met fans who don't want to root for the Philadelphia Phillies, a team that has emerged as the new rivals in the NL East and could end up repeating as World Series champions.
But the Atlanta Braves were the Mets' main rivals for many many years, and even played the Yankees in the World Series twice. Losing to them in both 1996 and 1999. If you were a Met fan, YOU STILL ROOTED FOR THE BRAVES TO BEAT THE YANKEES BECAUSE THEY ARE THE FUCKING YANKEES!!!
This is where some people may be confused. Why do Met fans HAVE to hate the Yankees?
- Because of the obnoxious arrogance displayed by both their longtime fans and their legions of bandwagon boobs and douchebags who feel that they are absolutely entitled to always win.
- Because of the sheer absurdity of "26 rings!!! 26 rings!!!" When the reality is, they have 7 rings since 1962, the first year of the Mets' existence. 7 is still a lot more than 2, but it's not 26. The last thing we need is "27 rings!!! 27 rings!!!" or... 8 since 1962.
- Because they are a team whose latest dynasty (1996, 1998-2000) was built upon performance enhancing-drugs, and the Mets LOST to that roided-up team in the 2000 World Series.
- Because Alex Rodriguez is another steroid-using lying cheating prick who is in love with both Kate Hudson and Derek Jeter's ass.
- Because of the lunacy of the "aura and mystique" horseshit.
- Because of the fucking Steinbrenners.
- Because in New York City, the media will always treat the Yankees as numero uno because they've been around since 1903, and as a result, have a longer history. Why should any Met fan be happy about that?
- Because while I don't believe that the Yankees "buy championships" as no team can do so, they definitely do attempt to buy postseason berths. What makes that unfortunate is that many Met fans believe their team has to follow suit and continually lead the NL in highest payroll, instead of constructing the best team period.
- Because Roger Clemens intentionally beaned Mike Piazza, and later threw a bat at him, you fucking forgetful fruits!
- Because the Yankees and their fans represent all that is wrong with baseball, and they are known as the "Evil Empire" for many reasons, some of which I've already mentioned.
If you are a true Met fan, you already know most of these things. You know that while another Phillies World Series championship is not exactly preferable, it's certainly and unquestionably the lesser of two evils.
Still can't root for the Phillies? Ok fine...
Root for meteors to hit both ballparks. Root for terrorism. Root for the swine flu to infect both clubs and make the games impossible to play. Root for Pilot Sully Sullenberger to make an emergency landing on Derek Jeter instead of the Kate Hudson river.
Only phony baloney bullshit fair-weathered faggot Met fans who have no real understanding or concept of Met fandom root for the Yankees.
But first, a quick rundown of the LCS predictions I made and how they turned out.
AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
My prediction: Yankees in 7 games.
Reality: Yankees in 6 games.
I really wanted to be wrong about this, and believe that the Angels were going to continue to win in the same fashion they did against Boston. Except in Game 1 of the ALCS, the Angels made unimaginable errors such as Erick Aybar and Chone Figgins admiring a Hideki Matsui infield pop-up, but not bothering to catch it. Or Torii Hunter misplaying a base hit in centerfield and the ball getting away from him. It was like watching the Mets.
The Angels should have won Game 2, but Angels closer Brian Fuentes couldn't protect the 3-2 lead in the 9th when he served up an 0-2 fastball to Alex Rodriguez that should've been up and away, but was over the plate enough for A-Rod to hit it over the fence past a jumping Bobby Abreu. That game was won by the Yankees in the 13th inning by a final score of 4-3 when the Angels infield made more errors, blowing the game.
That was the key game in the series, because the Angels had to escape New York with a split, and could not. They won a thrilling Game 3 in Anaheim, got destroyed in Game 4, and won another thrilling game to send the series back to the Bronx before crumbling at the hands of Andy Pettite, Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera in Game 6.
The Yankees don't lose at home. More on that in a bit...
NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies
My prediction: Philadelphia in 6 games.
Reality: Philadelphia in 5 games.
Like with the ALCS, I predicted the right team, but one less game needed to win. At least my LCS predictions were far more accurate than the LDS ones. Yikes.
An interesting series highlighted by a Game 2 pitching duel between Pedro Martinez and Vicente Padilla in which Pedro pitched 7 shutout innings on 2 hits, and Padilla pitched 7.1 IP giving up only a Ryan Howard home run. But that game was ultimately lost by the Philadelphia bullpen. It was also the only game in the series that the Dodgers won. Once the series shifted to Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies crushed the Dodgers in Game 3 by a 11-0 final. THey mounted a miraculous comeback in Game 4 off Dodger closer Jonathan Broxton when Jimmy Rollins hit a 2-out 2-run double to win the game in dramatic walkoff fashion. And in Game 5, the domination of the Dodgers continued when the Phillies trounced them by a 10-4 final.
The Phillies' offense was firing on all cylinders at home, and they only lost one home game in the postseason, which was to Colorado.
WORLD SERIES
New York Yankees vs. Philadelphia Phillies
So here we are. Two high-powered offenses, two ace pitchers in CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee, two dominant closers who haven't blown a save in the postseason.
The media likes to break these matchups down by position, and starting pitcher vs. starting pitcher and so forth. Let's face it. The two teams are extremely evenly matched, which should make for a superb World Series.
To me, this series is going to be about home field advantage. There hasn't been a World Series that went more than 5 games since the 2003 version when the Marlins beat the Yankees in 6, and despite the All-Star game continually giving the American League home field advantage since the AL keeps winning, that hasn't mattered too much either.
This year, I think it's all about that. The Yankees do not lose at home in the postseason, and went 57-24 in their ballpark during the regular season. The Phillies DO lose in their own ballpark at times, which I think is going to be the ultimate difference maker here.
If the Phillies can somehow win a game at Yankee Stadium, then they may have a chance of winning. But I simply don't see them winning there in the postseason. As with all of my Yankee predictions, I hope I am wrong, but...
My prediction: New York Yankees in 6 games.
Round 1 of the 2009 MLB Playoffs has completed, and I did not do very well in my predictions, which you can point and laugh at here.
Of course, predictions are just that. Results you expect to occur, hopefully with some rhyme and reason to back it all up. Whether they actually become reality or not, is a whole nother story.
So first, a little wrap-up of the ALDS and NLDS before moving onto the ALCS and NLDS.
AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES:
New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins
My prediction: Yankees in 3 games.
Reality: Yankees in 3 games
The only prediction that I got right, and I suspect that a lot of people got right too. The Twins weren't good enough to compete with the Bombers, and even during the games that they might have actually taken from the Yanks, they couldn't win. Game 2 was the ultimate in that case, with the Phil Cuzzi blown call in leftfield taking center stage, but the Twins had numerous opportunities to score in that game and never did.
Closer Joe Nathan continued his terrible postseason by giving up a game-tying HR in the bottom of the 9th of Game 2 to A-Rod, and also gave up 2 hits to the Yankees in the 9th inning of Game 3. Those hits led to 2 Yankee runs which were charged to other Twins relievers, but Nathan couldn't stop the Yankees from scoring. As great as Joe Nathan is during the regular season, he's been quite awful in the postseason, posting a 7.88 ERA.
AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES:
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. Boston Red Sox
I definitely figured this series was going to be a lot more competitive than it turned out. Although I was correct in that the Dodgers needed to survive by hitting off of St. Louis' shaky bullpen. I didn't however, expect Matt Holliday to drop the ball in Game 2, and then Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin to be unable to get any of the additional batters out despite having 2 outs. That game was a heartbreaker if you're a St. Louis fan, or a Dodgers despiser like me.
My prediction: Boston in 4 games.
Reality: Angels in 3 games.
Never so happy to be so wrong on both counts.
The Angels were supposed to be shut down by Jon Lester and Josh Beckett. Instead, it was the pitching of the Angels in the first two games that shut down the Red Sox. Lackey in Game 1, Weaver in Game 2. The Angels' gave up 1 run to Boston in the first two games.
Game 3 was probably the best game of the entire Division Series, because of the unlikeliest of unlikely comebacks against Boston's closer Jonathan Papelbon leading the Angels to a 3-game sweep over their nemesis. I could write more about it here, but my liveblog of the game says it all.
Reality: Philadelphia in 4 games.
Right number of games, wrong team.
The bottom line in this series was Cliff Lee, the Phillies bullpen not blowing things, especially Brad Lidge notching 2 saves in the series. That, plus the Phillies' offense out-hitting and out-running the Rockies, and the inability of Rockies closer Huston Street to stave off the Phillies' comeback in Game 4.
Never so happy to be so wrong on both counts.
The Angels were supposed to be shut down by Jon Lester and Josh Beckett. Instead, it was the pitching of the Angels in the first two games that shut down the Red Sox. Lackey in Game 1, Weaver in Game 2. The Angels' gave up 1 run to Boston in the first two games.
Game 3 was probably the best game of the entire Division Series, because of the unlikeliest of unlikely comebacks against Boston's closer Jonathan Papelbon leading the Angels to a 3-game sweep over their nemesis. I could write more about it here, but my liveblog of the game says it all.
NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies
My prediction: Colorado in 4 games.Reality: Philadelphia in 4 games.
Right number of games, wrong team.
The bottom line in this series was Cliff Lee, the Phillies bullpen not blowing things, especially Brad Lidge notching 2 saves in the series. That, plus the Phillies' offense out-hitting and out-running the Rockies, and the inability of Rockies closer Huston Street to stave off the Phillies' comeback in Game 4.
NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
My prediction: St. Louis in 5 games.Reality: Dodgers in 3 games.
I definitely figured this series was going to be a lot more competitive than it turned out. Although I was correct in that the Dodgers needed to survive by hitting off of St. Louis' shaky bullpen. I didn't however, expect Matt Holliday to drop the ball in Game 2, and then Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin to be unable to get any of the additional batters out despite having 2 outs. That game was a heartbreaker if you're a St. Louis fan, or a Dodgers despiser like me.
Game 3 was the pitching performance of Vicente Padilla's lifetime, as he shut down the Cardinals over 7 strong innings of 4-hit ball. The Dodgers did not have any problems hitting Joel Pineiro though, en route to a surprising sweep of the Cardinals. It's not that the Dodgers didn't have a chance against St. Louis, but no one expected the Cards to fold the way they did.
The Dodgers pitching was also brilliant in the series, giving up 6 runs over 3 games.
So with the ALCS and NLCS set, we have a rematch of last year's NLCS between Philadelphia and Los Angeles, and a highly anticipated 7-game series matchup between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. No wild cards this season.
AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
History favors the Angels here, as they beat the Yankees in both the 2002 and 2005 ALDS. Both times, the Yankees were the favorite. Does history matter this time? After all, Boston owned the Angels in the past.
The main difference that everyone keeps talking about between the Angels and Yankees, is the bullpen. The Yankees have Mariano Rivera, the Angels have the inconsistent Brian Fuentes. But the Yankees had Rivera in 2002 and 2005 too. And while the Angels had better bullpens in those seasons, they still managed to attack Yankee pitching before Rivera could make an impact. For all of the negatives in the Angels bullpen one can lob, they've been outstanding in the postseason thus far. Plus, the postseason Angels bullpen is slightly different from the regular season version, using 2 fairly successful starters (Ervin Santana and Matt Palmer) in middle relief, along with Darren Oliver, Jason Bulger, Kevin Jepsen and Brian Fuentes.
The Yankees definitely have the sluggers with A-Rod, Tex, Posada, Matsui, with Mr. October/November Derek Jeter always a pest in the postseason against every team he plays against. But the Angels' also have some firepower of their own in Torii Hunter and Kendry Morales. Plus Vlad is always still a power threat, even if he's not the same player he used to be. Still, this is the one undeniable advantage the Yankees' offense has over the Angels. Especially now that A-Rod has been able to hit in the postseason for once as a New York Yankee. Damn you Kate Hudson!
Starting pitching is a big factor in this matchup, with CC Sabathia expected to pitch Games 1, 4 and 7 if needed. CC is a fantastic pitcher without question, but his numbers against the Angels over his career (5-7, 4.72 ERA) are not favorable. Nor has be been successful against them this season, going 0-2 with a 6.08 ERA in 2 starts against Anaheim. Sabathia has also not proven to be the best postseason pitcher, with Game 1 of the ALDS against Minnesota being the first sign that Sabathia can actually pitch well in October. Whether he can do the same against Anaheim remains to be seen.
Everyone is predicting the Yankees in a long series, and unfortunately, I'm inclined to agree. Less so because of the bullpen, moreso because of the Yankees' offense. The Angels may end up running the bases all day, but with the Yankees getting home field advantage in their band box, I see this series ever so slightly tipping the Yankee's way.
I really really really really hope I am wrong again, but...
My prediction: Yankees in 7 games.
NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies
This is also a very interesting matchup. A rematch of the 2008 NLCS that Philadelphia won in 5 games. This year, Philadelphia's pitching is weaker overall, but they do have a bonafide ace in Cliff Lee, who was phenomenal against the Rockies in the NLDS.
The Dodgers have probably the best top-to-bottom bullpen of the remaining 4 teams, and that includes the Yankees. But the Phillies have an extremely potent offense, capable of rattling the Dodger's starters, none of which, except perhaps Clayton Kershaw, should have any significant dominant effect on Philadelphia. The resurgence of Brad Lidge as the Phillies closer, at least based on the NLDS, can't go unnoticed, even if it was only 2 games.
Still, if Phillie starters after Cliff Lee can't be effective in the NLCS, they are going to be in trouble. Cole Hamels is going to pitch Game 1, and he's gotta find his 2008 form somehow after suffering a very mediocre 2009 season. Pedro Martinez is slated to pitch Game 2 at Dodger Stadium, although he has been scarce during the last couple of weeks after suffering a stiff neck problem towards the end of the season.
They say that in the postseason, great pitching beats great hitting. But I don't see the Dodgers having great pitching this time. There's no way in hell that Vicente Padilla makes lightning strikes twice in the postseason, is there? I see the Philadelphia offense being able to handle the Dodgers as they did last year, even with the questions surrounding their pitching staff beyond Cliff Lee.
My prediction: Philadelphia in 6 games.
It's the most...wonderful tiiiiime of the year!!!!
October baseball baby, and while the Mets ain't in it, the Angels are. So, there's some joy in Mudville.
The 8 teams are set for the Division Series, so imma gonna break it down...
AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES:
New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins
Yo Kanye, imma let you finish, but the Twins are playing Game 1 of the ALDS less than 24 hours after winning the greatest tiebreaker game of all time. OF ALL TIME!!!! Their bullpen is certainly going to be tired, even if the players say they're ready to play after celebrating the AL Central win.
The Twins went 0-7 against the Yankees during the regular season, AND they're likely going to be worn down. Since 2002, the Twins have gone 3-22 when playing in Yankee Stadium. 2-2 in postseason games there. The odds don't look good for Minnesota. The one positive? The 18-4 streak they're riding into the playoffs.
Sure, they might feel better and rejuvenated by Game 2, but in a short series, that could be too late. Add to that the Yankees have Sabathia, Burnett, and the postseason-experienced Andy Pettite in the short series against a relatively unimpressive Twins rotation of Brian Duensing, Carl Pavano, Nick Blackburn and Scott Baker. And then there's that Mariano Rivera, who is still just as unstoppable as he's ever been. Twins closer Joe Nathan has not fared nearly as well against the Yankees over his career.
When these two teams have met in the ALDS before in 2003 and 2004, the Yankees won both series in 4 games.
It won't take them that long this time around.
My prediction: Yankees in 3 games.
AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES:
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. Boston Red Sox
These teams have met in the postseason 4 times so far. 1986, 2004, 2007, 2008. Boston won all of them, and in the last 3 ALDS, the Angels only won one game against Boston. History is certainly not on the side of the Angels.
The Angels have a very potent offense, but the Red Sox have even more potent pitching. The Angels' bullpen is not what it used to be in years past anchored by Frankie Rodriguez. It's not that Brian Fuentes isn't a competent closer, but he has been up and down all year, and the rest of that bullpen is even less reliable. The Angels' bullpen posted a 4.49 ERA during the regular season, the highest of the 4 AL teams in the postseason.
Is this the year the Angels can finally shake the Boston monkey off their back with their own rally monkey? Unfortunately, as much as I want to see that happen, I don't think it will.
My prediction: Boston in 4 games.
NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies
A rematch of the 2007 NLDS between these two teams where the Rockies swept the Phillies in 3 games as they rode a September hot streak straight into the World Series. That is, until they faced Boston, and got swept in 4.
Colorado is once again riding a hot streak into the postseason,
The defending 2008 World Series champions are not as good as they used to be, most notably in their bullpen. The once-perfect Philadelphia closer Brad Lidge has been anything but this season, saving 31 games while blowing 11. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel is probably going to have to play closer-by-committee/situation between Lidge and Ryan Madson.
But even the Phillies starting pitching isn't as strong as it was a year ago. Jamie Moyer is injured and out for the postseason. Pedro Martinez is questionable, Cole Hamels regressed this year. The Phillies are going to have rely on the pitching of Cliff Lee to get them through this postseason, although he's not looked good on the mound over the last two months, posting a 5.53 ERA in September-October.
The Phillies are going to have rely on their offense to get them past Colorado. Except the Rockies are quite underrated, with a postseason starting rotation of Ubaldo Jimenez, Aaron Cook, Jason Hammel and Jason Marquis if necessary. With Huston Street anchoring the Rockies' bullpen, the Rockies are a more well-balanced team for the postseason than the Phillies are.
Of course, anything can happen in these best-of-5's.
My prediction: Colorado in 4 games.
NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
This is an NLDS rematch of 2004, when the Cardinals won in 4 games. It was the Dodgers first postseason game victory since 1988. The Dodgers fared far better in the 2008 postseason, but not enough to get to the World Series.
It's often said that pitching and defense is what a team needs to win in the postseason. The St. Louis Cardinals not only have the pitching and defense, but the offense too, anchored by Albert Pujols.
The Cardinals have Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter and Joel Pineiro. The Dodgers have Randy Wolf, Clayton Kershaw and Vicente Padilla. The Cardinals' biggest weakness is in a 7-game series where they have to go to a 4th starter, and there's a significant dropoff in quality after their big 3. But that's not to worry about here.
The Dodgers have a superior bullpen to the Cardinals, with Jonathan Broxton and George Sherrill leading the charge. It's the best bullpen in the majors with a 3.14 bullpen ERA. They do have the depth after 6 innings, but can they defeat St. Louis' starting pitching? Manny Ramirez has had an abysmal September, and while other Dodgers like Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp have picked up the slack, they're going to need Manny to revert back to his postseason performance in 2008 where he hit .520 with 4 HRs in the NLDS and NLCS.
If the Dodgers are to survive against the Cardinals, the best shot they have is against St. Louis' iffy middle relief.
My prediction: St. Louis in 5 games.
Part 1 - Seven games up
2009 Tigers:
With a 7-game lead atop the AL Central on September 6, 2009, the Detroit Tigers were in the driver's seat with 26 games remaining in the regular season.
Over those 26 games, the Minnesota Twins went 18-8. The Detroit Tigers went 11-15. 7 of those 26 games were played between the two teams. Minnesota won 4 of them.
2007 Mets:
With a 7-game lead atop the NL East on September 12, 2007, the New York Mets were also in the driver's seat, with 17 games remaining in the regular season.
Over those final 17 games, the Philadelphia Phillies went 13-4. The New York Mets went 5-12. 3 of those final 17 games were played between the two teams. Philadelphia swept the three games from the Mets at Shea Stadium.
While both the 2009 Detroit Tigers and the 2007 New York Mets had a 7-game lead in September over the team in 2nd place, the Mets blew those 7 games in a shorter amount of time. They tied for first with Philadelphia in just 14 games. They fell out of first place in the 15th game, tied for first again with Philadelphia on the 16th game, and lost the final game of the season while Philadelphia won theirs.
Part 1 Conclusion - The 2007 Mets' collapse was worse.
----------------------------------------------------
Part 2 - Final game of the season
2009 Tigers:
A tiebreaker game was forced when both the 2009 Twins and 2009 Tigers finished the regular season with a record of 86-76.
Game 163 of the regular season for each of the teams was won by the Minnesota Twins in 12 innings by a final score of 6-5, in what was a fantastic baseball game, and certainly the best "tiebreaker" game in baseball history.
The Detroit Tigers failed to hold the lead on 2 different occasions in the game
2007 Mets:
The Mets were tied for first place with the Phillies going into game 162 of the season, and would face the Florida Marlins. The Mets had gone 11-6 against Florida over the course of the season.
The final game between the two teams on September 30, 2007 was basically won by Florida in the 1st inning of the game when the Fish scored 7 runs off Tom Glavine. The Mets only mustered 1 run during the entire game, and that was off a Dontrelle Willis wild pitch.
The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Washington Nationals by a final of 6-1, and won the NL East.
Had the Mets been able to at least put up a fight in their final game the way the Tigers did in the AL Central tiebreaker game, perhaps this would be more even. Sometimes it's not that you lose, but how you lose. But the Mets dropped game 162 in such abysmal fashion against a team they usually beat, there can only be one conclusion here.
Part 2 Conclusion - The 2007 Mets' collapse was worse.
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Part 3 - The final four
2009 Tigers:
With 4 games to play and a 3-game lead over Minnesota, the Detroit Tigers went 1-3 over those final 4 games, losing one of them to the Twins.
The Minnesota Twins went 4-0 over those games, including a 3-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals in which they scored 28 runs to the Royals' 15.
The Tigers completed their own collapse by losing the tiebreaker game against Minnesota.
2007 Mets:
With 4 games to play in the season, the Mets were up by 1 game over Philadelphia. They went 1-3 over their final 4 games. Philadelphia went 3-1 over their final 4 games.
No team in MLB history has ever had lost a 3-game division lead in the final 4 games of the season. The loss of the tiebreaker game was the icing on the shit cake.
Part 3 Conclusion - The 2009 Tigers' collapse was worse.
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Part 4 - Expectations
2009 Tigers:
The 2008 Tigers finished 78-84, last place in the AL Central.
Because of their terrible finish that season, they were not expected to win the AL Central in 2009. The fact that they had been in 1st place so much of the season was a shock to many baseball fans and media alike.
2007 Mets:
The 2006 Mets were the defending NL East champions, and for the 5th consecutive season in 2007, led the NL in highest team salary payroll. The idea that this club would not at the very least make the playoffs, did not even exist in the beginning of the season. That made the collapse that much tougher to stomach.
Part 4 Conclusion - The 2007 Mets' collapse was worse.
Final Conclusion - While both teams collapsed in their own "special ways," the 2007 Mets' collapse was worse.
One last point...
If you were one of the many Met fans who believed that Willie Randolph should have been fired as Mets manager after the 2007 season, then logically you HAVE to advocate that Jim Leyland be fired as manager of the Detroit Tigers.
The season is almost over, save for that 163rd game between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins to determine the winner of the AL Central, but otherwise, it's time for the 2009 season awards.
American League MVP:
Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins. The only AL player with an OPS over 1.000. The Twins have played meaningful games all season long, much of that due to Mauer. The Twins have been able to weather the loss of Justin Morneau in September because of Mauer's production. Oh yeah, he also lead the AL in OBP and SLG, keeping low strikeout numbers. Mauer has had a phenomenal season, and the idea that other players (Teixeira, Jeter, Morales) should somehow be in the running for this award, is frankly ludicrous.
National League MVP:
Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals. The ultimate no-brainer. Pujols is the best offensive player in baseball by a mile. No one else is even in the race here.
American League Cy Young Award:
Zack Greinke of the Kansas City Royals. This was the year that Zack Greinke arrived. He posted a 16-8 record on a team as bad as the Kansas City Royals, and posted a league-leading 2.16 ERA. Only Justin Verlander has had more strikeouts (269) over the course of the season compared to Greinke's 242. But Greinke gave up 9 fewer HRs, and his overall numbers are too fantastic to ignore. CC Sabathia ended up with 19-8 record but a much higher ERA of 3.37. The only other serious contender for this award, and perhaps he wins it in other seasons, was King Felix Hernandez of the Mariners. But Greinke's numbers were still superior.
National League Cy Young Award:
Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants. This is probably the award most worthy of debate, as you could easily make strong arguments for Adam Wainwright or Chris Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals. To me, Lincecum gets the nod because of the dominance in strikeouts, the 2nd-lowest ERA just behind Carpenter, and the 1.05 WHIP, also 2nd behind Carpenter. So if you're asking why not Chris Carpenter instead of Lincecum, it's the extremely low K numbers (144) and that Carpenter didn't reach the 200-innings mark. Wainwright is lauded because of his 19-8 record and very good numbers, but his other numbers don't compete with Lincecum.
American League Rookie of the Year:
Andrew Bailey of the Oakland A's. For all of the talk revolving around Rick Porcello of the Tigers, Jeff Niemann of the Tampa Bay Rays, Ricky Romero of the Toronto Blue Jays, and Gordon Beckham of the Chicago White Sox, the reality is that Bailey should get the award because of his dominance at a position not easy to dominate at. Porcello, Niemann and Romero are all very good rookie pitchers but none of them had ERAs below 3. Niemann's was the lowest at 3.94. That's not award-winning in my eyes. Gordon Beckham has posted decent numbers at 3B for the White Sox, but nothing mindblowing.
What IS mindblowing, is that Andrew Bailey has been the unsung closer for the Oakland A's in his rookie year. He notched 26 saves while blowing only 4. More impressive is that his overall numbers matched Mariano Rivera, or even beat them. Bailey led all closers in strikeouts (91) and WHIP (0.88), and had the 2nd lowest ERA (1.84) behind Mo (1.76). It's extremely rare for rookies to have such impressive numbers in the closer role, which really should cement the award for Bailey. At least, if you're rational.
National League Rookie of the Year:
J.A. Happ of the Philadelphia Phillies. There's a lot of competition for this award in a relatively unspectacular year for National League rookies. Certainly players like Casey McGehee of the Brewers and Chris Coghlan of the Florida Marlins are in the conversation, but among starting pitchers, Happ came out of nowhere to post a 12-4 record with a 2.93 ERA for the Phillies. That's best among the Philadelphia rotation, including Cole Hamels.
American League Manager of the Year:
J.A. Happ of the Philadelphia Phillies. There's a lot of competition for this award in a relatively unspectacular year for National League rookies. Certainly players like Casey McGehee of the Brewers and Chris Coghlan of the Florida Marlins are in the conversation, but among starting pitchers, Happ came out of nowhere to post a 12-4 record with a 2.93 ERA for the Phillies. That's best among the Philadelphia rotation, including Cole Hamels.
American League Manager of the Year:
Mike Scioscia of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Angels could've had a very legitimate reason to fail this season. With the death of Nick Adenhart in early April, and the numerous injuries suffered to the team, had the 2009 Angels failed to win the AL West, it would've been excusable. But the Angels persevered, used Adenhart's death as motivation, and weathered the storm of injuries to the club to win their third consecutive AL West title. What's more is that so many players (except Jose Guillen) truly love playing for Scioscia. The idea that Joe Girardi deserves the award is kinda silly considering the talent the Yankees have.
National League Manager of the Year:
Jim Tracy of the Colorado Rockies. Under former manager Clint Hurdle, the Rockies went 18-28 and were already 14 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. They even were 12 games under .500 in early June. Once bench coach Jim Tracy took the reigns on May 29, the club went 74-42 and nearly unseated the Dodgers atop the NL West while holding off the San Francisco Giants. They still won the NL Wild Card, got in the postseason when no one predicted them to even compete this season.
National League Manager of the Year:
Jim Tracy of the Colorado Rockies. Under former manager Clint Hurdle, the Rockies went 18-28 and were already 14 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. They even were 12 games under .500 in early June. Once bench coach Jim Tracy took the reigns on May 29, the club went 74-42 and nearly unseated the Dodgers atop the NL West while holding off the San Francisco Giants. They still won the NL Wild Card, got in the postseason when no one predicted them to even compete this season.
After losing the first game of the doubleheader earlier today by a final score of 5-4, the Mets look for a split of the doubleheader as well as a split of this 4-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies. This is the final game between the two teams of the season, which is likely why it was scheduled as ESPN's Sunday Night game. ESPN of course, can't be thrilled that this game has zero postseason implications, but that's what happens when you schedule certain things prior to the season.
Depending upon the result of this game, the Mets will have finished their season series against the Phillies with a final record of either 7-11, or 6-12.
Game 2 of the matchup pits Tim Redding (2-5) 5.78 ERA against Pedro Martinez (4-0) 3.64 ERA in 6 starts. Pedro's worst start of the season came on August 23 against the Mets in which he gave up 4 ER in 6 IP, but still got the W due to Philly's offense handing him a 9-7 victory.
What's been extremely impressive this season with Pedro is that he has only walked 4 batters in 29.2 IP. With 27 K over that timespan, Pedro has exceeded all reasonable expectations so far. But can his arm make it into October?
--------------------------------------------------------------------
(All times Pacific)
Top of 1st Inning:
5:09pm: Luis Castillo slaps a liner into left-center field for a leadoff single. ESPN announcers Joe Morgan, Jon Miller and Steve Phillips argue about the description of Castillo's hit. Is it a flare? A slap? A solid hit?
5:12pm: Cory Sullivan flies out to CF Shane Victorino. Castillo cannot advance. 1 out.
5:14pm: David Wright strikes out swinging at a high and outside fastball. 2 outs.
5:15pm: Steve Phillips points out what most rational people already know. No team could survive the number of injuries the Mets have had to their major players (Reyes, Beltran, Delgado) and still compete. Of the big 3 injuries, only Beltran has returned, and it's too late. Many other players have also gone down with injury as we well know (ie: Johan Santana, Alex Cora, Oliver Perez, Fernando Nieve, Jonathon Niese, etc.)
5:16pm: Carlos Beltran walks. Luis Castillo moves to 2nd base.
5:19pm: Daniel Murphy strikes out swinging at a wicked curveball from Pedro Martinez. 3 outs.
Bottom of 1st Inning:
5:23pm: Tim Redding gives up a leadoff walk to Jimmy Rollins on a 3-1 count.
5:25pm: Shane Victorino lines a single into leftfield. Jimmy Rollins moves to 2nd base on the hit.
5:30pm: Chase Utley smashes a long flyball off the top of the LF wall just beyond the reach of Fernando Tatis for a long long single since Jimmy Rollins thought the ball might be caught by Tatis and held up at 2nd base before scoring. Carlos Beltran retrieved the ball in left-center. Shane Victorino moves up to 2nd base on the play. 1-0 Phillies.
5:33pm: Ryan Howard hits a soft liner right at 2B Luis Castillo for the out. Castillo shuffles the ball to Anderson Hernandez at 2nd base hoping to double off Shane Victorino but he's back safe. 1 out.
5:36pm: Raul Ibanez hits a high flyball to CF Carlos Beltran. 2 outs.
5:41pm: Jayson Werth strikes out swinging at a 3-2 curveball and Tim Redding escapes the jam giving up only 1 earned run, although it took him 33 pitches to get through the inning. 3 outs.
Top of 2nd Inning:
5:44pm: Fernando Tatis never took the bat off his shoulder in this AB, watching 5 pitches go by, 3 of them for strikes. 1 out.
5:45pm: Brian Schneider ropes a first-pitch into rightfield for a single.
5:46pm: ESPN cameras are showing Tatis in the Mets tunnel with trainer Ray Ramirez checking out his left hand/arm which he may have injured in the 1st inning when he leaped into the wall on Utley's long single that just missed clearing the fence. He may be out for the rest of the game.
5:47pm: Anderson Hernandez lines a single past 1B Ryan Howard into rightfield. Brian Schneider makes it to 3rd base on the hit.
5:48pm: Tim Redding lays down a sac bunt to the 1st base side of the diamond. The ball is fielded by Pedro Martinez who throws down to Chase Utley covering 1st base for the out. 1-4. 2 outs. Anderson Hernandez moves to 2nd base on the sac bunt.
5:49pm: Luis Castillo gets drilled in the right elbow by a Pedro Martinez pitch and he's hopping around in immense pain before falling to the ground. Mets trainers along with manager Jerry Manuel are out to check on Luis.
5:51pm: While Castillo tries to recover, we're shown a stat that the Mets have had players spend 1,007 days on the DL, more than any other team in baseball by a wide margin. Luis Castillo is ok, and finally gets to 1B. The bases are loaded with 2 outs for Daniel Murphy.
5:53pm: Daniel Murphy flies out to LF Raul Ibanez. 3 outs.
Bottom of 2nd Inning:
5:56pm: Jeremy Reed is in LF to replace Fernando Tatis.
5:57pm: Pedro Feliz pounds the ball onto the left-centerfield warning track for a leadoff double. ESPN announcers Jon Miller and Joe Morgan think Tim Redding got screwed by the home plate ump on the previous pitch that should've been called a strike instead of a ball. They're right.
5:59pm: Redding attempts a pickoff of Feliz at 2B but no dice.
6:00pm: Carlos Ruiz hits a weak grounder to 3B David Wright who makes a clean throw to 1B Daniel Murphy for the out. Feliz does not advance on the play. 5-3. 1 out.
6:01pm: Pedro Martinez grounds out to SS Anderson Hernandez, 6-3. Feliz moves to 3rd base on the play. 2 outs.
6:03pm: Jimmy Rollins flies out to LF Jeremy Reed. 3 outs.
Top of 3rd Inning:
6:05pm: David Wright is at the plate against Pedro Martinez for the first time ever. Well, that would make sense considering they've been teammates since 2005 up until this year, and David was on the DL the last time Pedro faced the Mets on August 23.
6:06pm: Pedro wins that battle getting Wright swinging at a full count 91 MPH fastball that is tipped but caught by catcher Carlos Ruiz. 1 out.
6:08pm: Carlos Beltran grounds out hard right to 1B Ryan Howard, who runs to the bag himself to get the out. 2 outs.
6:09pm: Daniel Murphy flies out to SS Jimmy Rollins in short leftfield. 3 up, 3 down.
Bottom of 3rd Inning:
6:12pm: Shane Victorino hits a weak chopper back to the mound. Tim Redding fields it and throws to Murphy at 1B for the out. 1-3. 1 out.
6:14pm: Chase Utley strikes out swinging at the high heat. 2 outs.
6:17pm: Tim Redding gets Ryan Howard to strike out swinging at the high heat on a full count. 3 outs.
Top of 4th Inning:
6:20pm: Jon Miller reports that the injury to Fernando Tatis was a sprained index finger on his left hand.
6:21pm: Jeremy Reed strikes out swinging at a fastball. 1 out.
6:22pm: Brian Schneider hits a hard grounder right to 1B Ryan Howard. He takes the ball to the bag for the out. 2 outs.
6:24pm: Anderson Hernandez flies out to SS Jimmy Rollins in shallow leftfield. 3 outs. Pedro is starting to cruise along in this game with 5 Ks in 4 IP.
Bottom of 4th Inning:
6:27pm: Raul Ibanez skies out to CF Carlos Beltran in right-centerfield. 1 out.
6:29pm: Jayson Werth smokes a ball right into the mitt of SS Anderson Hernandez. 2 outs.
6:30pm: Pedro Feliz grounds out to 3B David Wright. 5-3. 3 outs. That was 9 pitches for Redding, who has definitely settled in. Problem is, so has Pedro, and Tim Redding is usually garbage after 5 IP.
Top of 5th Inning:
6:33pm: Tim Redding grounds out to SS Jimmy Rollins. 6-3. 1 out. That makes 8 Met batters in a row retired by Pedro Martinez.
6:34pm: Luis Castillo is up with a little padding above his right elbow. However, he lines out to 2B Chase Utley. 2 outs.
6:35pm: Cory Sullivan tries to check his swing at a low pitch but he makes contact. The ball goes right back to Pedro Martinez on the ground, he throws to first. 1-3. 3 outs.
Bottom of 5th Inning:
6:39pm: Carlos Ruiz hits a shot to deep rightfield but it's tracked down by RF Cory Sullivan. 1 out.
6:41pm: Pedro Martinez lines out to Cory Sullivan in short rightfield. 2 outs.
6:43pm: Jimmy Rollins hits a popup on the infield which comes back towards the pitching mound. 1B Daniel Murphy makes the catch. 3 outs.
Top of 6th Inning:
6:46pm: David Wright belts a shot into deep left-center which he thinks may go out of the ballpark, but it hits off the wall and he has to speed up out of his home run trot and slide into 2nd for a double ahead of the throw.
6:51pm: Carlos Beltran strikes out swinging at an outside changeup. 1 out.
6:55pm: Daniel Murphy lines a 3-2 fastball right down the 1B line but it's JUUUST foul.
6:56pm: Daniel Murphy flies out to RF Jayson Werth. Wright can't advance on the play. 2 outs.
6:57pm: Jeremy Reed flies out to CF Shane Victorino. 3 outs.
Bottom of 6th Inning:
7:00pm: Tim Redding has thrown 88 pitches through 5 innings. This will likely be his final inning.
7:01pm: Shane Victorino flies out to CF Carlos Beltran. 1 out.
7:02pm: Chase Utley belts the ball to the centerfield warning track but Carlos Beltran catches it without a problem at around 390 feet. 2 outs.
7:05pm: Ryan Howard takes a full count walk. He, along with Jimmy Rollins, have never had a hit against Tim Redding.
7:06pm: Raul Ibanez grounds out to 2B Luis Castillo. 4-3. 3 outs. Gotta give a lot of credit to Tim Redding for his performance tonight. I wonder if Jerry will let him go some more?
Top of 7th Inning:
7:09pm: Pedro is definitely still pitching for the Phillies, considering the 4-hit shutout he's throwing along with 6 strikeouts and 1 walk.
7:10pm: Brian Schneider grounds out to 1B Ryan Howard who takes it himself. 1 out. Just saw that Tim Redding has thrown 103 pitches through 6 innings. Add to that the pitcher spot coming up, he'll definitely be pinch-hit for.
7:11pm: Anderson Hernandez lines a shot into left-centerfield that is cut off by LF Raul Ibanez which prevents Hernandez from stretching that out into a double.
7:12pm: Lefty hitting Josh Thole is in to pinch-hit for Tim Redding. This will be the first meeting between rookie Thole and veteran Pedro Martinez. Righty arm Sean Green is warming up in the Mets bullpen.
7:13pm: Josh Thole lines out to LF Raul Ibanez. 2 outs.
7:15pm: Sensing this is Pedro's final inning, the Philadelphia phaithful are giving him a huge cheer as he tries to get Luis Castillo out on the 2-2 count. Apparently the fans are also doing the wave. So I don't know which they're cheering for.
7:17pm: On the next pitch, Anderson Hernandez takes off for 2nd base. The throw from Ruiz bounces and hits Hernandez in the back, but the harder collision is from Utley's left hip knocking him in the head. Hernandez seems to be okay though.
7:18pm: Luis Castillo takes a 3-2 inside 92 MPH fastball for a walk.
7:19pm: Cory Sullivan flies out to LF Raul Ibanez. 3 outs. What a performance from Pedro Martinez. FUCK!
Bottom of 7th Inning:
7:23pm: Sean Green is pitching in relief of Tim Redding. Redding went 6 IP giving up 1 run on 3 hits, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts.
7:25pm: A ball gets away from Sean Green which hits Jayson Werth on the right leg. Clearly unintentional. The Phillies trainer is checking with Werth at first base to make sure his wheels are ok. He jogs up and down the line a bit to make sure, and he's good to go.
7:27pm: Pedro Feliz hits the first pitch he sees from Sean Green to 3B David Wright who starts the 5-4-3 double play. 2 outs.
7:28pm: Carlos Ruiz also hits the first pitch he sees from Sean Green but that goes right back to SS Anderson Hernandez. 6-3. 3 outs.
Top of 8th Inning:
7:30pm: Pedro is still pitching in the 8th inning. This is his longest outing of the season, having thrown 107 pitches in 7 innings. Hopefully this decision by Charlie Manuel will prove to be foolish, but somehow with the Mets, I doubt it.
7:32pm: David Wright strikes out swinging at an outside fastball which Wright laid off of the previous pitch. Both were outside. 1 out.
7:33pm: Steve Phillips thinks sending him out for the 8th was a mistake because he could mess up his arm in the process. Morgan and Miller seem to agree. It's the issue of gaining the win today in the short-term, potentially sacrificing Pedro and his brittle arm in the long-term. Time will tell.
7:34pm: Carlos Beltran grounds out to 2B Chase Utley on the full count curveball. 2 outs. 119 pitches thrown by Martinez in this game.
7:35pm: A huge "LET'S GO PEDRO" chant breaks out among the fans.
7:36pm: Pedro gets ahead of Daniel Murphy 1-2. The fans rise to their feet. There's no way in hell Pedro Martinez pitches the 9th inning... or is there?
7:37pm: The last time Pedro went 8 innings in a start was against the Diamondbacks on May 30, 2006 while pitching with the Mets.
7:38pm: Daniel Murphy rips a fastball into the rightfield corner for a double. And that's going to be it for Pedro Martinez as Phillies manager Charlie Manuel walks to the mound to take him out of the game after 128 pitches.
7:39pm: Well, he's not taking him out after all. And the fans go nuts. Jon Miller made a reference to Grady Little in the 2003 postseason and how the decision to keep him in against the Yankees came back to bite the Red Sox in the ALCS.
7:40pm: An 0-1 pitch to Jeremy Reed bounces in the dirt and gets away just a little from catcher Carlos Ruiz, but Daniel Murphy breaks for 3rd base. Ruiz throws down to Pedro Feliz and Murphy is out trying to steal 3rd. 3 outs. I understand the need to score runs, but that ball needed to get a lot further from Ruiz for Murphy to attempt that steal.
Bottom of 8th Inning:
7:44pm: Pedro Martinez threw 130 pitches in 8 innings. He's DEFINITELY done. The most pitches in a start he's thrown since May 1, 2001.
7:45pm: Lefty Matt Stairs was announced as a pinch-hitter to begin the inning. This prompted Mets manager Jerry Manuel to make a pitching change and go with lefty Pedro Feliciano instead. The Phillies counter by swapping out Matt Stairs with righty hitter Ben Francisco.
7:47pm: Pedro Feliciano throws a slider right down the heart of the plate for strike 3. Ben Francisco dares to question that pitch? Is he joking? 1 out.
7:48pm: Jimmy Rollins hits a weak grounder to SS Anderson Hernandez. 6-3. 2 outs.
7:50pm: Shane Victorino pops out to Daniel Murphy in short rightfield. 3 outs.
Top of 9th Inning:
7:51pm: Ryan Madson comes in from the bullpen to close out the 1-0 game for Philadelphia. But we know the Mets CAN beat him, if they can't beat Pedro.
7:53pm: Jeremy Reed grounds out to 1B Ryan Howard who bobbles the ball, catches it, then throws onto Ryan Madson at 1B to make the out. 3-1. 1 out.
7:55pm: Brian Schneider belts a high fastball in the zone into right-centerfield for a single. Wilson Valdez is brought into pinch-run for Brian Schneider. Omir Santos would go behind the plate if the Mets tie or go ahead.
7:57pm: Jeff Francoeur is pinch-hitting for Anderson Hernandez.
7:58pm: Jeff Francoeur strikes out swinging at a high heat fastball on an 0-2 count. Ugh. 2 outs.
7:59pm: Angel Pagan is in to pinch-hit for Pedro Feliciano.
8:00pm: Angel Pagan lines out to 3B Pedro Feliz. 3 outs. Game over.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Phillies win 1-0 thanks to Pedro Martinez blanking the Mets through 8 innings and 130 pitches. Pedro gave up 3 hits, 1 walk while striking out 7 along the way. Ryan Madson gets his 8th save.
Tim Redding is the hard-luck loser going to 2-6, although he pitched extremely well for the Mets today, giving up 1 run on 3 hits, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts through 6 innings.
So the Mets fall to 6-12 against the Phillies in 2009, and 63-81 overall.
I believe that was the last nationally televised Mets game of 2009, which means I won't get to see them play again this year. That's probably beneficial for my sanity.
However, the Angels are going to be in the postseason, so there will be some ray of light in all of this.
I've been somewhat neglectful again of updating this blog on a consistent basis. The reason? Real life interferes.
But hopefully I'll find a little more time between all the sports action going on with the Mets and Angels, and other baseball playoff matchups, college football season now underway, and the NHL season starting in October.
So, with that out of the way, let's briefly talk about the New York Mets.
Through 143 games played, the Mets are 63-80. There are 19 games remaining in the season, so the chances of going 81-81 are virtually impossible unless the club goes 18-1. Now it's a matter of 70 wins instead of 81. Can they get there?
Back on August 6, I predicted that the Mets were going to end up with a final record of 77-85. However, even that seems unlikely unless they can go 14-5 to finish out the season. Possible, still not very probable, especially considering how the club has played over the past month.
Now, at best, the Mets are in the role of potentially playing spoilers to the rest of the NL East as they'll be playing Atlanta, Florida and Washington the rest of the way. None of them are in a strong position to take the NL Wild Card away from either the Colorado Rockies or Los Angeles Dodgers, although mathematically, Atlanta and Florida are still in the hunt.
As for 2010, there's going to be a LOT of talk going into the offseason as to what this Mets organization needs to do in order to rebound. The desperate need for a power-hitting leftfielder. How will the team fill holes at catcher, 1B, and the starting rotation? Will the bullpen undergo another overhaul outside of Frankie and Feliciano? That will all be covered in due time.
Right now, the Met players that are still healthy simply need to focus upon doing the best they can on the field. For many of them, this is an audition for a spot in the majors come 2010, never mind the Mets.
On July 7, I wrote that the Mets 2009 season was pretty much over, as far as any chances the team had at making the postseason. And to illustrate that, I made a series of predictions as to how the team would fare over the rest of July.
Written July 7:
The Mets have their next 6 at home going into the All-Star Break. 3 against the Dodgers, owners of the best record in baseball, and the Cincinnati Reds. Figure the Mets go 3-3 over that span, losing the series to the Dodgers, winning the series against the Reds.
Correct.
Written July 7:
After the All-Star break, the Mets go on the road for 4 against Atlanta, 3 against Washington, 3 against Houston. If this were truly the 2009 Mets with all their healthy starters in the lineup, it would not be absurd to expect them to win 8-9 of those 10 games.
But without those starting players in the lineup and the team's inability to score runs at a consistent pace, the more likely outcome of that 10-game roadtrip is 4-6.
Correct.
Written July 7:
The Mets will finish up July with a 4-game set at home against the Colorado Rockies, and a 4-game set that extends into August (1 game in July) against the dying Arizona Diamondbacks. Over those 5 games, I'll give the Mets a 3-2 record.
Correct.
Written July 7:
Taking into account all the series remaining in the month, that would bring the Mets to a July finish of 12-14, and a total record of 49-53 through 102 games played.
100% correct. Now that I'm done patting myself on the back, the problem is, being right isn't good here because the Mets are still in this problematic situation of having to win 40+ games over the next two months.
Written July 7:
In a perfect world, you get back all your healthy players PLUS Billy Wagner in the bullpen by August 1, 2009. Maybe you already have some of then back already. But the Mets would then need to go around 39-14 over the rest of the season, and pray that other teams in the NL East encounter troubles of their own. While that's not impossible, it's certainly not very probable. Keep in mind that this is also assuming that the team doesn't suffer any additional injuries to major players.
Since I wrote that, none of the major names have returned, and several others have joined the ranks of the injured including Gary Sheffield and Fernando Nieve.
In fact, we're now learning that it's likely none of the major players will return until late August, with question marks still surrounding the returns of John Maine, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes. It seems that the only major players who have a fairly certain chance of returning to the ballclub are Billy Wagner and JJ Putz. Shoring up the bullpen is certainly a positive if your team is in the race, trying to make it into the postseason. Except this team isn't.
On August 1, the Mets stand 10.5 games behind the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies, and 6.5 behind the Wild Card spot. There are 6 other teams in front of the Mets in the Wild Card race.
There's no realistic scenario in which the Mets can somehow get into the postseason unless all of the other teams ahead of them lose, and the Mets end up on a 2-month tear. Without the major players, this is exceedingly unlikely if not impossible.
That takes us to the July 31 trade deadline in which the Mets made no trades. But how could they? Mets GM Omar Minaya has to know that they couldn't REALLY be buyers, despite his public statements during July that they would be, and that any potential players they could sell, were already injured. Under normal circumstances, the Mets could easily have traded either JJ Putz or Billy Wagner to a contending team before the July 31 trade deadline, had either of them been healthy. Alas, both are still rehabbing their arms. They're not exactly much use to anyone at the MLB level right now.
For all of the rumors about Roy Halladay, and the belief that the Mets, Angels, Dodgers, Red Sox, Yankees, along with 15 other teams, just HAD to get him, the Blue Jays didn't trade him to anyone. But sticking with the Mets for a second, they would've had to further deplete their already-bare farm system in order to obtain Roy Halladay for a year and a half, plus try and work out a new contract with Doc for after 2010 which would likely cost a team more money than Johan Santana got in 2008.
It's not that moving prospects is a bad thing, it's that you need to pull the trigger at the right time under the right circumstances on the right people. And in this case, none of those came to light for the Mets.
There seems to be a large number of baseball fans who believe that if you don't make a significant move by the July 31 deadline, that you are either dead in the postseason, or won't make it. We've seen countless examples to the contrary over the years, but that doesn't prevent fans from exhibiting their irrational knee-jerk responses when they don't get their way.
The Mets need to look towards 2010, and figure out what players are going to be on the ballclub then, and what holes they need to fill. What will they do with 1B? Are they going to stick with Daniel Murphy there over the long-term or perhaps re-sign Carlos Delgado to another season if he can come back and still play in 2009?
What will the Mets do at catcher? Do they go into 2010 with Santos and Cancel as the backstops, and let Brian Schneider go? Or are there other legitimate options the club has either in the minors or via free agency?
What will they do with the perennially problematic corner outfield spots? The Mets desperately need a full-time leftfielder. Will that be Fernando Martinez? What about Jeff Francoeur? Do you give him a new contract to play RF?
There are a lot of questions to be answered over the next two months, and only by playing the games will we find them out.
But one question which already has an answer is, "Will the Mets make the 2009 postseason?"
"No."
Every year, MLB begins their All-Star game balloting near the end of April, which is far too early. I advocate for voting only after June 1, as you simply cannot elect players to the All-Star game based on less than one month of baseball.
This usually leads to uninformed voting by the baseball fans as it pertains to which players are elected as starters. While most players elected as starters are deserving, that's not always the case. Luckily the players and managers get to choose the pitchers and reserves.
Now that it's June 27, definitely late in the game, here's my rundown of the All-Star ballots and current voting totals:
American League: (vote totals as of June 21)
| 1st Base | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| RANK | PLAYER NAME | AL TEAM | TOTAL VOTES |
| 1. | Mark Teixeira | Yankees | 1,561,292 |
| 2. | Kevin Youkilis | Red Sox | 1,525,660 |
| 3. | Justin Morneau | Twins | 1,275,694 |
| 4. | Miguel Cabrera | Tigers | 944,855 |
| 5. | Chris Davis | Rangers | 632,895 |
Interesting numbers overall. Miguel Cabrera should probably be higher up in the vote totals than Kevin Youkilis, but any of these 4 choices are very respectable picks. Seattle's Russell Branyan is having a remarkable year and isn't in the top 5. He's certainly more deserving than Chris Davis. Tampa's Carlos Pena is a home run machine but his BA is too low.
My pick: Mark Teixeira (Yankees). Defense matters too, and Mark is the best defensive 1B in the game.
| 2nd Base | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| RANK | PLAYER NAME | AL TEAM | TOTAL VOTES |
| 1. | Ian Kinsler | Rangers | 1,791,177 |
| 2. | Dustin Pedroia | Red Sox | 1,732,787 |
| 3. | Robinson Cano | Yankees | 1,062,863 |
| 4. | Aaron Hill | Blue Jays | 775,200 |
| 5. | Placido Polanco | Tigers | 660,693 |
Tampa's Ben Zobrist is not on the list at all, probably because he wasn't on the original ballot. Since he's taken over for the injured-for-the-season Akinori Iwamura, Zobrist is having a phenomenal season and is just as deserving as anyone.
Robinson Cano doesn't deserve the nod this year. He's good, but not an All-Star in 2009. There's ZERO justification for Placido Polanco being in the top 5.
My pick: Ben Zobrist (Tampa Bay) as a write-in. I would also be fine with picking Aaron Hill or Ian Kinsler.
| 3rd Base | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| RANK | PLAYER NAME | AL TEAM | TOTAL VOTES |
| 1. | Evan Longoria | Rays | 2,488,076 |
| 2. | Alex Rodriguez | Yankees | 1,165,243 |
| 3. | Michael Young | Rangers | 933,630 |
| 4. | Mike Lowell | Red Sox | 890,138 |
| 5. | Brandon Inge | Tigers | 535,226 |
So back to reality... A-Rod isn't hitting at a level worthy of election and he missed 6 weeks of the season. For him to be #2 on this list is a complete joke.
My Vote: Evan Longoria (Tampa Bay). I'm not even sure you can justify voting for anyone else above Longoria as a starter. Plenty of other good options for reserves (Figgins, Rolen, Lowell, Young) but Longoria is clearly heads and shoulders the best pick.
| Shortstop | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| RANK | PLAYER NAME | AL TEAM | TOTAL VOTES |
| 1. | Derek Jeter | Yankees | 2,563,093 |
| 2. | Jason Bartlett | Rays | 1,148,988 |
| 3. | Elvis Andrus | Rangers | 844,349 |
| 4. | Marco Scutaro | Blue Jays | 684,883 |
| 5. | Jed Lowrie | Red Sox | 459,732 |
Elvis Andrus is really mediocre, while Toronto's Marco Scutaro is being overlooked. Jed Lowrie is clearly a joke pick by the Boston fans.
My Pick: Jason Bartlett (Tampa Bay). Can't ignore the numbers, but I can't say Jeter is a bad option for once.
| Catcher | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| RANK | PLAYER NAME | AL TEAM | TOTAL VOTES |
| 1. | Joe Mauer | Twins | 2,298,544 |
| 2. | Jason Varitek | Red Sox | 1,108,054 |
| 3. | Jorge Posada | Yankees | 947,887 |
| 4. | Jarrod Saltalamacchia | Rangers | 827,063 |
| 5. | Victor Martinez | Indians | 754,571 |
This should really be a two-player race, period. Any other options are complete jokes, especially Jason Varitek. Oh those hilarious Boston fans, always trying to elect goof picks to the game.
There are only two options here. Joe Mauer, and Victor Martinez. There's no rationale for anyone else.
My Pick: Joe Mauer (Minnesota). The premiere catcher in baseball. While both Mauer and Martinez have 14 HRs as of today, Mauer has done it with a lot less ABs and is hitting JUUUUUST a smidge under .400.
| RANK | PLAYER NAME | AL TEAM | TOTAL VOTES |
| 1. | Jason Bay | Red Sox | 2,077,504 |
| 2. | Ichiro Suzuki | Mariners | 1,455,266 |
| 3. | Josh Hamilton | Rangers | 1,385,212 |
| 4. | Torii Hunter | Angels | 1,186,097 |
| 5. | Carl Crawford | Rays | 1,172,241 |
| 6. | Jacoby Ellsbury | Red Sox | 1,051,270 |
| 7. | Johnny Damon | Yankees | 1,021,394 |
| 8. | Ken Griffey Jr. | Mariners | 1,009,584 |
| 9. | Nelson Cruz | Rangers | 956,294 |
| 10. | Adam Jones | Orioles | 894,664 |
| 11. | J.D. Drew | Red Sox | 818,459 |
| 12. | Nick Markakis | Orioles | 756,316 |
| 13. | Curtis Granderson | Tigers | 641,102 |
| 14. | Grady Sizemore | Indians | 626,014 |
| 15. | Bobby Abreu | Angels | 614,244 |
First, examining the fan voting so far... Josh Hamilton wasn't exactly having a great year to begin with, has been on the DL twice, and that's where he is currently. Even if he makes it to the team, I don't think he's healthy enough to play.
How Ken Griffey Jr. can be on this list, well, fans are fucking dumb. Granted it's only #8, but Chicago's Jermaine Dye doesn't even make the list?
My picks: Jason Bay (Boston), Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle), Torii Hunter (Los Angeles) Since Hamilton won't play, it looks like my top choices will actually be in line with the fan totals.
Now, to the pitching staffs, which are not chosen by the fans, but I'll list my 12 picks anyways.
Starting Pitchers:
Zack Greinke (Kansas City) - STARTER
Roy Halladay (Toronto)
Edwin Jackson (Detroit)
Kevin Millwood (Texas)
Jered Weaver (Los Angeles)
Jered Weaver (Los Angeles)
Felix Hernandez (Seattle)
Relief Pitchers:
Jonathan Papelbon (Boston)
Mariano Rivera (New York)
Joe Nathan (Minnesota)
David Aardsma (Seattle)
George Sherrill (Baltimore)
Brian Fuentes (Los Angeles)
Brian Fuentes (Los Angeles)
National League: (vote totals as of June 22)
| 1st Base | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| RANK | PLAYER NAME | NL TEAM | TOTAL VOTES |
| 1. | Albert Pujols | Cardinals | 2,934,794 |
| 2. | Ryan Howard | Phillies | 1,393,546 |
| 3. | Prince Fielder | Brewers | 1,155,529 |
| 4. | Adrian Gonzalez | Padres | 894,600 |
| 5. | Lance Berkman | Astros | 512,879 |
If you vote for anyone other than Albert Pujols, you should probably be punched in the face until you are dead. But if you MUST vote for someone other than Prince Albert, then the only real other options are Prince Fielder and Adrian Gonzales. Ryan Howard whiffs far too often and doesn't have the BA to warrant the vote.
My Pick: Albert Pujols (St. Louis). DUH!
| 2nd Base | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| RANK | PLAYER NAME | NL TEAM | TOTAL VOTES |
| 1. | Chase Utley | Phillies | 2,922,796 |
| 2. | Orlando Hudson | Dodgers | 1,082,248 |
| 3. | Rickie Weeks | Brewers | 832,870 |
| 4. | Skip Schumaker | Cardinals | 729,722 |
| 5. | Dan Uggla | Marlins | 475,372 |
However, the one person not making the top 5 who probably should, is Pittsburgh's Freddy Sanchez. especially since Rickie Weeks is out for the year. Skip Schumaker is obviously getting a hometown vote, but he's not really deserving. Dan Uggla has become a feast-or-famine power guy. So his HR totals are up with Utley's, but the rest of his hitting is not.
My pick: Chase Utley (Philadelphia)
| 3rd Base | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| RANK | PLAYER NAME | NL TEAM | TOTAL VOTES |
| 1. | David Wright | Mets | 1,698,366 |
| 2. | Ryan Zimmerman | Nationals | 1,148,054 |
| 3. | Chipper Jones | Braves | 1,104,485 |
| 4. | Pedro Feliz | Phillies | 954,945 |
| 5. | Bill Hall | Brewers | 842,295 |
It's tough to pick against David Wright here, as he leads the entire NL in BA, and also leads all 3B in stolen bases. His power numbers are down, his strikeout numbers are up.
Probably the most surprising thing about the current vote tallies for this position is that there are a bunch of players deserving of votes who aren't in the top 5. Casey Blake of the Dodgers, Mark Reynolds of Arizona, Pablo Sandoval of San Francisco. It's probably not a coincidence that all 3 of them are in the NL West, but all 3 are certainly more deserving of a spot than Bill Hall or Pedro Feliz.
My pick: David Wright (New York)
| Shortstop | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| RANK | PLAYER NAME | NL TEAM | TOTAL VOTES |
| 1. | Hanley Ramirez | Marlins | 1,648,482 |
| 2. | Jimmy Rollins | Phillies | 1,494,466 |
| 3. | J.J. Hardy | Brewers | 1,051,309 |
| 4. | Miguel Tejada | Astros | 834,754 |
| 5. | Jose Reyes | Mets | 754,579 |
You can't justify voting for Jose Reyes anymore since he's been on the DL for a good portion of the season and no one knows when he's coming back. It definitely won't be in time for the All-Star game.
Nor can you justify voting for Jimmy Rollins here, who is having an abysmal season hitting .211 as of today. The fact that he's getting any votes is truly sad. JJ Hardy is just as bad. Washington's Cristian Guzman should be in the top 5 instead.
This vote really comes down to two players. Hanley Ramirez, and Miguel Tejada.
My Pick: Hanley Ramirez (Florida). The power numbers are overwhelming, although Tejada should certainly make the team as a reserve.
| Catcher | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| RANK | PLAYER NAME | NL TEAM | TOTAL VOTES |
| 1. | Yadier Molina | Cardinals | 1,496,285 |
| 2. | Brian McCann | Braves | 1,180,312 |
| 3. | Ivan Rodriguez | Astros | 1,002,882 |
| 4. | Jason Kendall | Brewers | 995,633 |
| 5. | Carlos Ruiz | Phillies | 980,164 |
My pick: Brian McCann (Atlanta)
| Outfield | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| RANK | PLAYER NAME | NL TEAM | TOTAL VOTES |
| 1. | Raul Ibanez | Phillies | 2,465,539 |
| 2. | Ryan Braun | Brewers | 2,178,144 |
| 3. | Carlos Beltran | Mets | 1,779,344 |
| 4. | Alfonso Soriano | Cubs | 1,639,664 |
| 5. | Shane Victorino | Phillies | 1,371,362 |
| 6. | Manny Ramirez | Dodgers | 1,162,507 |
| 7. | Mike Cameron | Brewers | 1,140,167 |
| 8. | Rick Ankiel | Cardinals | 1,011,527 |
| 9. | Jayson Werth | Phillies | 1,008,256 |
| 10. | Corey Hart | Brewers | 959,614 |
| 11. | Ryan Ludwick | Cardinals | 950,662 |
| 12. | Adam Dunn | Nationals | 742,515 |
| 13. | Matt Kemp | Dodgers | 673,979 |
| 14. | Andre Ethier | Dodgers | 642,983 |
| 15. | Justin Upton | D-backs | 594,185 |
This is interesting. While Carlos Beltran should definitely make the All-Star team, he's not going to be healthy enough to play, as he went on the DL just a week ago.
Raul Ibanez is also on the DL but he'll be back shortly. He's a no-brainer as far as the voting goes. Ryan Braun is an excellent second choice, so now who would the third best option be? Definitely not Alfonso Soriano. If I'm strictly picking a backup CF, either Michael Bourne of the Houston Astros or Shane Victorino of the Philadelphia Phillies would be my choices. Matt Kemp of the Dodgers isn't a bad pick for CF but he does whiff a lot.
However, I'm looking to elect the best 3 outfielders, period. And somehow my third pick isn't even in the top 15, which is completely absurd considering who DID make the list and shouldn't have.
My picks: Raul Ibanez (Philadelphia), Ryan Braun (Milwaukee), Brad Hawpe (Colorado).
And now to the 12 pitching choices, though again, it's not up to the fans.
Starting Pitchers:
Tim Lincecum (San Francisco) - STARTER
Dan Haren (Arizona)
Matt Cain (San Francisco)
Javier Vasquez (Atlanta)
Josh Johnson (Florida)
Yovani Gallardo (Milwaukee)
Relief Pitchers:
Frankie Rodriguez (New York)
Heath Bell (San Diego)
Trevor Hoffman (Milwaukee)
Ryan Franklin (St. Louis)
Jonathan Broxton (Los Angeles)
Jonathan Broxton (Los Angeles)
Francisco Cordero (Cincinnati)
Now, it should be said that a lot can change in a week from now. Players can get injured. Someone may end up being more well-deserving that was overlooked, so I may do another ballot in a week from now if things change drastically.
