Kuzul

The Mets lost 2-1 Sunday to the Pittsburgh Pirates with Johan pitching another eight strong innings, and having nothing to show for it. 

This season, it seems the Mets have been invisible anytime Santana takes the mound.  So, I crunched the numbers a bit to see how much of a tough-luck loser Santana has been this year.

Here are some facts about Santana and the Mets when he starts:

As you can see, Santana has not gotten any help this year when he has stepped on the mound.  It is almost like the Mets do not have as much urgency to score runs when Santana is pitching because they know he will pitch well. 

Santana has been a top 10 pitcher in MLB this season, but the Mets have been the worst offense in baseball when Johan starts.

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PITTSBURGH: The last time the Mets swept a road series against a National League team of three or more games was September 2008. It’s hard to believe, but that’s a fact.

Today, the Mets can end the drought by beating the Pirates. With Johan Santana on the mound against Pittsburgh, you’d think there’s no way the Mets can lose.

Hopefully, that’s the case, as the Mets try to pick up more ground in the NL Wild Card chase.

It may be a long shot, but the Mets last night cut the deficit to 7.5 games behind the Phillies. If they can sweep the Pirates and perhaps cut it to 6.5 before returning home, the dream may be well in reach.

Santana has thrown back-to-back complete games, although his last one came in a losing effort.

So far in four starts this month, Santana has had either two types of effort. Twice, he’s allowed four runs and nine hits, and twice he’s allowed no runs and four or five hits.

The former was the effort he made in his last start on Tuesday against the Astros. He got burned by two Hunter Pence home runs, one being a three-run shot in the first inning.

He then put up six scoreless innings from the second through the seventh, before allowing a go-ahead homer to Pence in the eighth. It was a start in which he couldn’t find himself early, dominated in between, and tired late.

Even with the four earned runs allowed, Santana kept his ERA below three at 2.97. He may not need to throw a complete-game this time around.

With last night’s rain-shortened six-inning game, the Mets didn’t have to use their bullpen. On Friday night, the Mets only had to use Bobby Parnell after Mike Pelfrey’s eight-inning performance. Therefore, if need be, Santana has a fresh crop of relievers behind him.

He will be matched by Pirates left-hander Zach Duke. The 27-year-old burst on to the seen in 2005 when he made 14 starts for Pittsburgh. In those starts, he went 8-2 with an incredible ERA of 1.81. He was never the same after that.

In his five seasons since then, Duke’s lowest ERA has been 4.06 last season, but with 16 losses. He has a career record that’s 25 games below .500 at 42-67. This season, he’s having a career-worst season.

Duke’s problems have always been limiting hits. In 2006 he allowed 255 hits in 215.1 innings. His problems aren’t any different this season. In 120 innings pitched, he’s allowed 157 hits.

He had a bad start his last time out against the Marlins on Tuesday. In 5.2 innings, he allowed five runs on nine hits. His season ERA is 5.33.

The Mets meanwhile, have been hitting like they haven’t in ages. It may be against the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates, but they have scored 12 runs in this series in two games.

Last night, they scored five runs in five innings, and who knows how many they would’ve gotten hadn’t it been cut short.

In all likelihood Jerry Manuel will continue to bat Chris Carter cleanup and keep the lineup as is until his luck runs out. Only problem is, Duke is a lefty and Manuel may want to play Jeff Francoeur instead.

If he decides to play a right-handed lineup, expect to see Ike Davis sitting. Henry Blanco will do the catching.

The Mets have the advantage with Santana against an easy-hitting Duke. Can they actually get a sweep? It would be hard to imagine how they wouldn’t.

Johan Santana vs. Pittsburgh (career)
2-1, 1.88 ERA, 28.2 IP, 18 hits, 5 BB, 22 SO

Zach Duke vs. New York (career)
3-1, 3.20 ERA, 39.1 IP, 43 hits, 5 BB, 20 SO

2010 season series (New York vs. Pittsburgh)

Aug. 20: New York 7, Pittsburgh 2
*Aug. 21: New York 5, Pittsburgh 1
Mets lead series 2-0

*Rain-shortened, six-inning game

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Check out Sammy’s video preview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9xHB81eJjg&feature=youtube_gdata

NEW YORK—The last time the Philadelphia Phillies came to Citi Field, they left without scoring a run. No, not just the last game they played—the entire series they played back in May.

As you all should know, the Mets, for the first time in their history, from May 25-27 shut a team out all three games of a series.

It was a time when the Mets were trying to resurrect their season, and the Phillies were looking for their offense.

Now, two-and-a-half months later, the Mets and Phillies meet at Citi Field headed in opposite directions. While the Phillies have found themselves since, the Mets have dug a deep hole to try and climb out of.

The Mets did win their home series against the Rockies, perhaps due to the youthful energy, but time is running out with 48 games left to play.

These two teams played an important series in Philadelphia last weekend, and the Phillies won two of three. Now, the Mets must enter this series with the same sense of urgency. If they don’t win the series, they can pretty much end hopes of a 1973-type comeback.

Before his last start, the Mets would think they’re in great shape to start the series, but R.A. Dickey pitched his worst game as a Met against these Phillies on Sunday.

In only three innings, Dickey allowed six runs (four earned) on eight hits and two home runs.

The Mets put together a solid rally against ace Roy Halladay, but fell one short, falling 6-5.

There was a thought that the Mets may have brought Dickey back on one day of rest, but they instead have given him a full four.

Even with the season-worst start, Dickey’s ERA is still a stellar 2.65. Dickey didn’t have a good knuckleball, and the Phillies were getting to him early in counts, smacking around hard hit after hard hit. He’ll have to change the program tonight, and maybe Citi Field will work to his benefit.

Pitching for the Phillies will be Cole Hamels, whose last start came against the Mets on Saturday. He pitched a heck of a game in seven innings of work.

He allowed one run on six hits, while striking out 11. He didn’t walk a batter, either, but the effort was all for naught. The one run he allowed was a seventh inning home run to Jeff Francoeur, as Hamels was defeated by Johan Santana.

The Mets will continue on tonight without their star closer, Francisco Rodriguez. After getting charged with third-degree assault on Wednesday night, K-Rod was placed on the restricted list for two days without pay.

It didn’t matter in yesterday’s win, as Santana went the distance. As a knuckleballer pitching on normal rest after having thrown only 60 pitches in his last start, Dickey is capable of doing the same if he’s effective.

The Mets lineup will look a little different tonight. David Wright will return after getting yesterday off, following a four-strikeout performance.

Against the left-handed Hamels, expect Jeff Francoeur in right field and Henry Blanco behind the plate. Perhaps Ike Davis will sit in place of Mike Hessman, but that’s not a given.

The Mets, with yesterday’s shutout of the Rockies, notched their Major League-best 17th of the season.

Four of them have come against the Phillies, including all three games played between the teams at Citi Field. The Mets will hope for more shutout magic behind R.A. Dickey tonight.

Player moves:
RHP Francisco Rodriguez placed on restricted list for two days (violation)
RHP Ryota Igarashi recalled from Triple-A Buffalo

R.A. Dickey vs. Philadelphia this season (Two starts)

1-1, 4.00 ERA, 9 IP, 15 H, 4 BB, 7 SO

Cole Hamels vs. New York this season (Two starts)

0-2, 2.03 ERA, 13.1 IP, 15 H, 1 BB, 14 SO

2010 season series (New York vs. Philadelphia)
April 30: New York 9, Philadelphia 1
May 1: Philadelphia 10, New York 0
May 2: Philadelphia 11, New York 5

May 25: New York 8, Philadelphia 0
May 26: New York 5, Philadelphia 0
May 27: New York 3, Philadelphia 0

August 6: Philadelphia 7, New York 5
August 7: New York 1, Philadelphia 0
August 8: Philadelphia 6, New York 5

Mets lead series, 5-4.

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What Johan Santana did today for the New York Mets was nothing short of amazing, and this is a franchise that knows from amazing.

Much the same way he pitched a gem when the Mets needed a win at the end of the 2008 season, Santana came up huge a day after the Mets saw another eighth-inning lead disappear, only to have their closer, Francisco Rodriguez, arrested for assaulting his father-in-law near the clubhouse after the game.

Do we have a Flushing Zoo on our hands?

Thursday afternoon’s game was an afterthought for many in the media, who took the K-Rod incident and the blown game Wednesday to sharpen their knives and call for the heads of Jerry Manuel, Jeff Wilpon, Fred Wilpon, Omar Minaya, and just about everyone connected with this team short of Mr. Met and the Cowbell Man.

Meanwhile, Santana (who has his own personal issues to worry about) took the ball and went to work. Set-up man? Closer? He didn’t need them. In a game where the Mets desperately needed a win, to win a series and to get back to .500 and keep alive whatever hopes they have of staying in the playoff hunt, Santana did it all. Nine innings, four hits, two walks, 10 strikeouts, 115 pitches. No runs.

It was the Mets’ 17th shutout of the season. Again, as I said yesterday, that a team with 17 shutouts is only .500 tells you all you need to know about how bad the offense has been, especially lately.

But it wasn’t just Johan. Coincidentally, Carlos Beltran went 3-for-3 and had an RBI sac fly. Jose Reyes had two hits and scored a run. And, wouldn’t you know it, the Mets won. Think those factors had anything to do with it?

It was a tremendous win. Beltran showed signs of life. But the big story was K-Rod, who is on the restricted list for two days and could likely be suspended by the team as well.

If there wasn’t blood in the water, it’s crimson now. If people weren’t burying the Mets before, they’re piling on the dirt in spades.

I expect it from the media. Objectivity is a quaint relic these days. It’s all about opinions, second-guessing, bluster and bombast, and who can yell louder than the next guy. It’s about pushing people’s buttons and polls and number of page views and blog comments.

What bugs me the most is how many Mets fans seem to revel in the bad news. It seems that if the Mets aren’t good—and when I say “good,” I mean unquestionably good—these kinds of fans would prefer the Mets to be horrible, so they can freely rage at the organization and its players. Quick to bury them, to dump them, to call for people’s jobs and demand trades.

If the Mets are somewhere in between, like they are now (.500 is the definition of in between), these fans can’t handle it. We can’t revel in the team’s superiority, but the team isn’t awful, either, and with 48 games left, there’s still a chance they can make a run…

Nah…let’s just bury them. It’s simpler that way.

To me, these people aren’t fans. They’re critics. They’re cranks.

I follow the Mets and watch their games to enjoy them. If the team is bad, it’s bad. If it’s great, it’s great. If it’s somewhere in the middle, I watch and root for them to get in the race. I cheer for my team. I boo the opposition.

I can’t see how fans who are so quick to bury and belittle and tear apart this team—their team—get any joy out of being a Mets fan. There’s no belief. No hope against hope. Just miserable people wallowing in their misery. They should all hang out together with Joe Benigno with T-shirts emblazoned with their credo: “Oh, the pain!”

I’m a realist. I understand that it’s a tall order for the Mets to rally back and make a playoff run. This team has holes that management refused to fill. It’s far from perfect. They need a bunch of guys to collectively get their acts together, and soon.

But the Phillies and the Rockies and other teams in recent years have shown that you can make up games in a hurry. Seventeen shutouts gives me hope. Santana gives me hope. The possibility of Reyes, David Wright, Beltran, Angel Pagan, Ike Davis, Josh Thole and (hopefully) Jason Bay finding their groove at the plate together gives me hope.

Quick story: I was a freshman at Boston University when the Mets won it all in 1986. I remember watching Game Six in a friend’s dorm room with a bunch of people, and when Boston took the lead late, the Sox fans—real and bandwagoneers—took off for Kenmore Square to celebrate.

I stayed and watched with my pal Tim, a Sox fan. He anticipated Boston’s first World Series in 69 years. I had nothing but hope.

What a feeling it was to stand outside the elevator doors on our floor later in the evening, after the Mets rallied to win, waiting until those doors opened, to see everyone who ran out to celebrate slinking back. Oh, how good it felt to stick it to those who thought it was over.

That’s kind of how I feel now. It may not happen, but how good will it feel if the Mets somehow do put it together and make the playoffs? To stick it to everyone who said they were done?

Santana isn’t giving up anytime soon. Neither am I.

As for whether we have a Flushing Zoo, you’ll recall there was a Bronx Zoo, where the manager hated the team’s star player, where the star and the captain hated each other, where the owner made as many headlines as the team. That team won two World Series.

I’ve always liked the zoo.

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Forget the countless injuries to Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes.

Or the fact that Bobby Bonilla, who last played with the team in 2000, is reportedly on the payroll.

Those are just minor problems compared to what the New York Mets truly face.

On the field, things appear grim.

Despite Major League Baseball’s fifth-highest payroll, the Mets look to be missing out on the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

For two consecutive years (2007-2008), the Florida Marlins eliminated New York from fall ball down the stretch. 

Florida, with one of the lowest payrolls on a yearly basis, finished second in the NL East last year despite $110 million less to spend. 

In 2007, the Mets suffered one of the worst all-time collapses, leading the National League East by seven games with 17 days left, only to lose out to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Over-the-mill veterans like Carlos Delgado and Pedro Martinez signed with the team, but got it no closer to October. 

Beltran, a franchise-caliber player to many teams, surprised the organization by getting knee surgery in mid-January.

That sure spells trust.

Off the field, the Mets haven’t been model citizens.

General Manager Omar Minaya was questioned around the league in 2008 for his handling of the firing of manager Willie Randolph, pitching coach Rick Peterson, and first-base coach Tom Nieto.

Minaya waited for the trio to arrive back at a Los Angeles hotel following a 9-6 victory over the Angels. 

Vice President of Player Development Tony Bernazard stuck around for too long despite news that he challenged Double-A players to fight him.

He also supposedly got into quarrels with closer Francisco Rodriguez and others. Ruffling feathers, not developing missing farm talent, became his forte.

And now the players find themselves in trouble.

Just this week, ace Johan Santana had a civil lawsuit filed against him in Lee County, Fla. involving a charge of rape. The woman also says that she became pregnant as a result of the attack, but had a miscarriage.

Meanwhile, closer Francisco Rodriguez was arraigned in a courthouse in Queens County, N.Y. because of third-degree assault against his father-in-law.

On Wednesday night, Rodriguez reportedly struck inside the family lounge at Citi Field.

At this rate, it’s an easy call for fans to root even harder for New York’s other team, which is in first place and gets called the Evil Empire.

Heck, maybe all this time Lady Gaga knew something everyone else didn’t: 

The New York Mets need immediate help as they continue down the wrong path.

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Please be sure to check out Mets Paradise and our forum for everything Mets!

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I was watching this team play baseball yesterday in what was a must-win game for the Mets. They knew how big these next six games were going to be. They needed to show in last night’s game that they were ready to do anything to win and that they would not go down without a fight. But they didn’t do that.

At times this season the Mets have looked like a team that battles back or fights to stay in the game. But something has happened to that team, and whatever they had at the beginning of the year is gone. It happened around the time Mike Pelfrey started to fall apart, and around the time Carlos Beltran and Luis Castillo came back.

I don’t think Beltran and Castillo are clubhouse poisons who made this team go into a tail spin. They haven’t played great, but still that’s no excuse for why the rest of the team has struggled so much. It could have been that when these two guys came back, the team just shifted into a different gear. The players figured, now that we have them back, they can take some of the load off of us. It doesn’t really make sense, but a lot of things the Mets have done this year haven’t made sense.

I came to the sad realization a couple days ago that this team isn’t going anywhere. The Mets don’t have what it take to make the playoffs with the type of attitude they have right now. I’m not the only one who thinks this either. In a recent poll on Mets Paradise, 85 percent of the voters believed the Mets will not make the playoffs.

This doesn’t mean that I’m going to stop watching them or stop attending games. This is my team, and if it is going down, I’m going down with it. I love the Mets, and that wouldn’t change whether they were in the World Series or in last place.

**Read the rest…**

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The Mets finished their six-game home stand against the Diamondbacks yesterday on Mets Hall of Fame Day and got embarrassed. Facing a last-place club, the Mets didn’t just lose, they got smoked, 14-1.

It had seemed as if it was going to be a special day. After the four members of the Mets 1986 championship team were honored, Jon Niese hadn’t allowed a hit through 3.1 innings. That’s where everything would cave in, and the Mets would lose the series again to Arizona.

The Mets lost five of six to the Diamondbacks and are on their last legs, starting tonight. Believe it or not, things have gotten so bad for the Mets that they’re actually closer in the division than in the Wild Card race.

They trail the Braves by 6.5 games in the NL East and trail the Giants by 7.5 games in the NL Wild Card. They are also tied for third place in the division with the Marlins. So therefore, this road trip will be the final chance for the Mets to breathe in 2010.

It’s a road trip that will take the Mets to Atlanta and Philadelphia, the top two teams in the NL East.

Considering what the Mets did on their last road trip, losing nine of 11 including a trip to lowly Arizona, it would be hard to imagine the Mets faring well on this road trip.

Logic would say the Mets are in for a 1-5, and no better than 2-4 trip, which isn’t good at this point. A trip of that magnitude would put a kibosh on the Mets plans for 2010.

The good thing for the Mets is they will have their ace, Johan Santana, start tonight’s opener. The two bad things for the Mets are Santana didn’t pitch well in his last start and they have to face Tim Hudson, who has been outstanding this season.

Nothing gets easier from this point on. The Mets can no longer take anything for granted, including games that haven’t been played yet against the Astros and Pirates.

The thing that stood out in the Mets 2-9 road trip was the fact that both wins were games Johan Santana started.

The Mets have to cross their fingers that Santana’s last start was a blip on the radar. After a dominant five-start month of July, Santana wilted in the first inning against the Cardinals on Wednesday.

He allowed six first-inning runs and set career-highs to forget on two accounts. The six-run first was the most runs he’d ever allowed in the first inning of a game, and he allowed a career-high 13 hits in total, spanning over 5.2 innings. It was a game the Mets would rally to tie, 7-7, before falling in 13 innings.

On the mound for the Braves will be Tim Hudson, and man has he been fabulous this season. He has gone 11-5 while pitching to a 2.40 ERA in 21 starts. In 142.2 innings pitched, he’s only allowed 111 hits.

Over his last two starts against the Padres and Nationals, he has dominated, winning both games while allowing one run.

The Braves are a team that will have a different look than the last time the Mets faced them. They added center fielder Rick Ankiel and reliever Kyle Farnsworth to their club, and second baseman Martin Prado is on the disabled list with a fractured right pinkie.

The Mets will have Carlos Beltran back in the starting lineup, and should have all the regulars in except for Jason Bay, who’s still on the disabled list with a concussion.

It’ll be a tough challenge for the Mets beginning tonight in Atlanta, as they try to stay in the race a little longer.

Johan Santana vs. Atlanta this season (two starts)
1-0, 1.29 ERA, 14 IP, 10 hits, 5 BB, 9 SO

Tim Hudson vs. New York (July 10)
Win, 7 IP, 0 ER, 4 hits, 2 BB, 3 SO

2010 season series (New York vs. Atlanta)

April 23: New York 5, Atlanta 2
April 24: New York 3, Atlanta 1
*April 25: New York 1, Atlanta 0

May 17: New York 3, Atlanta 2
May 18: Atlanta 3, New York 2

July 9: Atlanta 4, New York 2
July 10: Atlanta 4, New York 0
July 11: New York 3, Atlanta 0

Mets lead series 5-3

*-Denotes rain-shortened five-inning game

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Let me just preface this by saying that pitchers, as a whole, are much more difficult to predict than hitters, at least as far as the rest of their career goes. Pitchers are much more susceptible to random, career altering injuries, discovering new pitches, and other unusual events; therefore, there is a much greater element of randomness.

Also, the Hall of Fame seems much more unclear on what constitutes a Hall of Fame pitcher, outside of 300 wins. The last starter elected by the Baseball Writers Association (essentially, what you think of when you think of the election process) was Nolan Ryan, back in 1999.

Before him, the last choices were Don Sutton, Phil Niekro, Steve Carlton, and Tom Seaver. You may notice two things about that group. First, every one of them has 300 wins. In fact, the Baseball Writers haven’t elected a non-300 game winner since Ferguson Jenkins (only 284 wins) back in 1991; whether this says something about the Hall’s electors or the quality of pitching in that time, I can’t say.

Second, every one of the aforementioned pitchers started their career in the 1960s. Yes, apparently, it has been over four decades since any Hall of Fame starter began his career.

This doesn’t even account for the erratic process they use to elect relievers; there is no obvious milestone, or, really, any sort of standard (if you’re looking for a good example of such oddities, look up one of Joe Posnanski’s articles comparing Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter and Dan Quisenberry).

Nevertheless, I want to cover every position for the the future of the Hall of Fame; and so, I begin with my first round of pitchers.

(Note: I used Baseball-Reference for WAR throughout the article. Fangraphs calculates pitching WAR a different way, and uses a more standard scale, but they only have numbers from 1980 on. Feel free to check it out if you’re interested, though.)

(Another note: There are a lot of pitchers. Surprising, I know. So, I broke them up by division; this article will be on the AL and NL East pitchers, with ones for the Central and West to follow.)

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MLB: New York Mets, July record of 9-17, overall record of 53-52, third place in NL East, seven games back

Position Player of the Month: Outfielder, Angel Pagan

In a month in which the Mets plummeted down the standings, Angel Pagan was one of the lone bright spots on an otherwise anemic offense. The switch hitter managed to get on base even during the roughest of patches for the Mets and has continued to hit will with runners in scoring position.

During July, Pagan hit .337 with five home runs and nine stolen bases. His .402 OBP was all the more impressive. He showed Mets management that he had no business losing out on playing time despite the return of Carlos Beltran. With health has come production from Pagan.

Pitcher of the Month: Left-handed pitcher, Johan Santana

After a great July, Johan Santana appears to have returned to form. In six starts, he posted a 3-0 record, giving up just 10 runs in 43 innings of work. His walk totals were down slightly from June and he has clearly regained the command that fans have grown to expect. Five of his six starts were of the quality variety, including a complete game shutout against the Reds.

Santana got rocked in his last outing of the month, but had been nearly flawless in July up until that point. He’ll be looking to bounce back from that start to post his second consecutive excellent month of pitching.

AAA Buffalo Bisons, July record of 13-14, overall record of 54-53, third place in INT North, 8.5 games back

Position Player of the Month: Outfielder, Lucas Duda

Just like last month, Duda has proven to make an outstanding adjustment to AAA pitching, and has continued his hard hitting. In 26 games in July for Buffalo, Duda amassed 31 hits while posting a .313 batting average. He crushed nine home runs and drove in 25 runs.

He’s looking like a reliable middle-of-the-order type hitter who has plenty of pop and can drive in runners regularly. Again, his plate discipline will need some work, but he continues to be shooting in the right direction.

Pitcher of the Month: Left-handed pitcher, Pat Misch

Misch also repeats as pitcher of the month for the Bisons, putting up stronger numbers in July than June. In six July starts, Misch went 3-1 with a 2.74 ERA and 35 strikeouts. The command is there. He walked just six during the month and appeared in the AAA All-Star Game.

If the Mets are ever in need of another reliable southpaw arm on the big league club, Misch will no doubt be the next name on the call-up list.

AA Binghamton Mets, July record of 12-18, overall record of 54-55, fourth place in EAS Eastern Division, 11 games back

Position Player of the Month: Outfielder, Kirk Nieuwenhuis

After having some severe ups and downs, Nieuwenhuis has really gotten back into shape after pounding the ball in July. His plate discipline is emerging. He did strike out 24 times, but he drew 13 walks in July. He smacked six homers and drove in 17 runs while batting .328 and swiping two bases. His 38 hits are equally impressive.

The Mets clearly value him highly, especially after they turned down a trade in which they would have sent him to Toronto for lefty setup man Scott Downs.

Pitcher of the Month: Right-handed pitcher, Josh Stinson

His ERA seems inflated in July in comparison to his record, but he gets run support. His high walk totals have contributed to some of his struggles, but nonetheless, Stinson knows how to pitch out of trouble and turn in some wins.

In five July starts, he put together a 4-0 record despite a 5.19 ERA. He struck out 19 batters in 26 innings pitched. Despite all the runs he gave up in July, he didn’t allow a single home run.

He really just has to clean up his command before he gets more consideration from scouts.

A Adv. St. Lucie Mets, July record of 14-15, overall record of 18-19 (second half), third place in FSL South, 1.5 games back

Position Player of the Month: Shortstop, Wilmer Flores

One of the Mets’ top prospects at his level, Flores seems to adjust quickly to each level after every call-up. Moving up to St. Lucie has only seen Flores continue to post consistent hitting numbers.

In 29 games in July, he hit a solid .279 with three home runs, 18 runs knocked, 34 hits, and 13 runs. A righty batter, he is also mashing against left-handed pitching, batting over .400 against southpaws.

This kind of all-around game will assist him in rising the ranks very quickly in the Mets farm system. 

Pitcher of the Month: Right-handed pitcher, Erik Turgeon

On a team of struggling starters, relief pitchers have been given a chance to stick it out at St. Lucie. Turgeon is a young righty arm and is developing his stuff in a late inning role for the Mets.

He converted on four save opportunities in July and posted a 2.87 ERA in 12 appearances while striking out 14 and walking only six. Turgeon throws pretty hard and will stand out even more if he can put up larger save totals.

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Roy Halladay is having an amazing year, and he’s been pretty special over the last month or so as well. In six starts, he has gone 3-2 with a remarkable 1.91 ERA while holding his opponents scoreless three times. This streak includes a game where his opponent took a perfect game into the ninth inning, and Halladay threw nine shutout innings without getting a win, complete game, or shutout for his efforts.

But Halladay you know about. Here is a list of 10 other players who are currently lighting the major leagues on fire, but doing so quietly.

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