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Mike Pelfrey has never been known for his pinpoint control. Throughout the minors and majors he has only stayed under three walks per nine innings once (2.87 BB/9 in 2008).

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Mike Pelfrey’s 10 wins before the All-Star break counted for absolutely nothing on Monday in Arizona, when he was battered for the fourth straight time.

After going 8-1 in his first 12 appearances in 2010, the wheels have started to fall off lately, and Pelfrey—as well as the Mets—is starting to look more vulnerable than ever before.

Every pitcher will have bad days when he can’t throw a pitch for a strike or simply doesn’t have the stuff to get hitters to miss, but it was painful watching Mike struggle in the heat of the desert.

How does his 1.1 inning performance rate among the other bad starts of his career? Here are the five worst performances of his young career so far. If the Mets want to continue dreaming of the playoffs, Pelfrey will have to right the ship, and quickly.

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SAN FRANCISCO– The New York Mets lineup tonight against the San Francisco Giants is out, and it includes Carlos Beltran for a third straight game, but Jose Reyes has been pushed back until Monday.

Tonight’s Mets lineup against San Francisco:

CF Angel Pagan

2B Alex Cora

3B David Wright

CF Carlos Beltran

1B Ike Davis

LF Jason Bay

C Rod Barajas

SS Ruben Tejada

P Hisanori Takahashi

Reyes will get an extra day to rest his sore right oblique. Mets manager Jerry Manuel did use the word “may” though, when telling reporters he’ll return Monday.

Once again, Mike Pelfrey (stiff neck), scratched tonight. He’ll start Monday in Arizona.

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With the Mets set to start the second half of their season today, it is time to take the opportunity to look at all the issues the Mets will face the rest of the season.

Will Ike Davis be Able to Maintain his First Half Success?

Ike Davis’ success has definitely been a pleasant surprise for the Mets this year. He was able to bat .258 with 11 home runs and 40 RBI during the first half of the year. However, Ike has struggled mightily on the road.

He is hitting only .216 with a .281 on-base percentage and 40 strikeouts in 146 plate appearances. Compare this to his .298 batting average and .387 on-base percentage in 163 plate appearances at home. He also has only struck out 31 times at home.

Davis should eventually turn his road numbers around. It appears he has gotten more comfortable with the major leagues over the course of the season.

The Mets will need Ike to continue to have success if they have any chances of being a playoff team. Luckily for the Mets, Ike is young and will continue to develop. Davis should be able to have a strong second half. He is still adjusting to major league pitching and still has a lot of room to improve.

What Will the Mets Get From Mike Pelfrey?

Big Pelf was lights out early in the season. More recently though, he has began to struggle. Still, Pelfrey managed to post a 10-4 record with a… (to read the rest of the article click on the link below)

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The second half of the season is going to start tomorrow, so it’s only fair to let the players know how they are doing right now.

Up where I go to college at SUNY Cortland we get mid-semester estimates. The professors let you know if you are on track to either pass the class or fail it. But they don’t give us a letter grade, which I would like to see; I should talk to the dean about that, but I digress.

I’ll give these players a letter grade, and I should let them know I’m a pretty easy grader.

Pitchers

Manny Acosta

Pitched in 12 innings in the first half and gave up four runs on eight hits and eight walks. Wasn’t expecting much from him, but he should think about coming to some office hours to improve his control. Grade: C

Elmer Dessens

He certainly gave this bullpen a big boast. Didn’t make the Opening Day roster, but stepped up when his team called on him from the minors. 18.1 innings pitched, three earned runs, well done. Grade: B+ 

R.A. Dickey

It’s scary to think where this team could be without him. Finished the first half with a 6-2 record and a 2.77 ERA. He won six starts in a row, and has given up three runs or fewer in eight of his 10 starts. Grade: A+

Pedro Feliciano

To be honest I was expecting a bit more out of him. He came out of Spring Training and wanted to be this team’s set-up man, but he hasn’t been able to lock down that position. His numbers are pretty good, but there is room for improvement. Grade: B

Ryota Igarashi

I was really high on this guy. In Spring Training, he looked like he could be the set-up man for this team, but he was just so inconsistent. An eight ERA? Really? You get a frowny face on your report card. Grade: D

John Maine

Ah, where do I start. He looked great for three starts in a row, but before that and after those starts, he was awful. Maybe you should try taking this class with a different professor. Grade: D

Jenrry Mejia

I think it was a bit early to take a course of this level, but he didn’t do to bad. He showed that he has potential to be a very fine major leaguer. He should think about taking the prerequisites first though. Grade: B

Jon Niese

Got to love the job this kid has been doing. Since coming back from his injury, he’s been great, at 5-1 with a 3.12 ERA. A very solid No. 3 guy, keep up the good work. Grade: B+

Fernando Nieve

5.26 ERA? When did this happen? You used to be such a good student—all this partying is catching up to you. And by partying I mean coming in to pitch every single game. Take it easy on him Jerry. Grade: C

Bobby Parnell

He’s come back to the team and has looked very good. He gave the team some much needed bullpen support at the end of the first half. He threw 11 innings of work, gave up two runs on 12 hits, three walks, and 14 strike outs. I think we’ll see some big things from him the second half. Grade: B+ 

Mike Pelfrey

Great work there Mike, we all knew you could do it. All-Star caliber performance in the first half of the season, but he’s dealing with some dead arm issues in his last few starts. Not to worry, Mike said he goes through this every year and he’ll be back in tip top shape soon enough—we hope. Grade: A

Oliver Perez

MR. BLUTARSKY—ZERO POINT ZERO. Grade: F- – 

Francisco Rodriguez

Blew four saves and got two loses, but he did post a 2.45 ERA with 21 saves. He worked a lot of innings in the first half, but hopefully he’ll be fine for the second. This team really needs him to be. Grade: B

Johan Santana

Despite everyone saying his arm isn’t what it used to be, he had a 2.98 ERA for the first half, which is very respectable. Take away that awful start against the Phillies and he has a 2.33 ERA. Santana is a second half pitcher though, so I’m expecting big things, especially since the way he finished up the first half. Grade: B+ 

Hisanori Takahashi

Had some very nice starts, and he’s pitched better than his numbers. However, he is better fitted for the bullpen, where he will be for the second half of the season. Grade: B+

Raul Valdes

Came out of no where and really impressed me. He had a two really bad outings against the Padres which blew up his ERA. Not sure what the team will get from him in the second half though. Grade: B 

The one weakness on this team is the pitching. The Mets need to go out and get a starting pitcher and a set-up guy for the bullpen if they want to be serious contenders for the World Series. Until then, they are just a borderline playoff team.

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As much as I hate to admit this, I think the Mets have been overachieving this year.

I’m not sure anyone would have guessed that they would have been playing this great of baseball this year.

No one expected stellar performances from R.A. Dickey, or even Angel Pagan. David Wright was a huge question mark, especially given his peculiar 2009 season. Jose Reyes’s health has been in question.

The beginning 2010 season saw a Reyes-less opening day, awful performances by John Maine and Oliver Perez, and a lot of responsibility put on the shoulders of first-time big leaguers. 

Yet, on July 10, the Mets are still 47-40, which is good enough to be a full game up on the Philadelphia Phillies. However, 47-40 is not very good, considering how well the Mets have been playing this season and how shaky they have been playing of late.

If the Mets had been overachieving thus far, maybe this week, and specifically this series versus the first place Atlanta Braves, could mark the Mets’ fall back to earth.

Today, the Mets lost to the Braves by a score of 4-0, putting them four games back of first place, and giving them a three-game losing streak.

This losing streak is their longest since May 16. While this streak is not very long, and the Mets are still very much in the playoff race, that is not what concerns me.

What is specifically concerning is the performance of some key Met players during this minor skid.

First, Mike Pelfrey has not pitched very well recently. In today’s loss, Big Pelf lasted only four innings plus, surrendering 12 hits and four runs. In his last three starts, he has given up 12 hits, nine hits, and 12 hits respectively while giving up 15 runs.

He has not lasted more than 4.2 innings in any of these starts, while his ERA has risen from 2.71 to 3.58.

Pelfrey’s recent struggles are definitely concerning me. But we can simply hope that the root of these problems is a tired arm, and the All-Star break will really help him return to form. If he doesn’t pick his play back up, however, it means big trouble for the Mets.

Despite Pelfrey’s struggling, at least he is healthy. Another big concern for the Mets right now is Jose Reyes. 

A few days ago, Reyes injured his oblique and missed a few games. Since returning from his minor injury, he was only able to bat right handed, and did so even as a switch hitter against righty pitchers.

Today, however, Reyes seemed to re-injure himself while making a play in the hole at shortstop. He was pulled out of the game, and has since announced that he will not play in the All-Star Game. 

The Mets have undoubtedly played their best baseball when Reyes is healthy and playing like the typical Jose Reyes.

He is still one of the most exciting catalysts in baseball, and the Mets are extremely successful when Reyes scores and drives runners in.

Luckily, Reyes also has the upcoming All-Star break to rest. But if he has to miss any prolonged amount of time, that will also pose a serious problem for the Mets. 

Mets fans can only hope that this recent rut is nothing to be too concerned about. A three game losing streak is not a big deal, and if Pelfrey returns to form, and Reyes stays healthy, the Mets should be fine. Plus, they get Carlos Beltran back after the All-Star break.

This weekend series was a big test for the Mets, and a sweep versus the Braves would have put them in first place going into the Midsummer Classic.

Unfortunately, with one game left vs. the Braves, the Mets have not had quite the results they had hoped for. 

While a lot of questions have arisen from this series, the most important question the Mets have to answer is how they will bounce back after their three-day rest.

Hopefully they will, as the NL East has been unforgiving this year.  

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NEW YORK — The performance that Mike Pelfrey gave the Mets this afternoon was the exact opposite of what they were looking for.

Trying to rebound from a bad recent stretch of games, Pelfrey gave up four runs on 12 hits for the second time in his last three starts.

He scattered singles all over the field, and it took the Braves until their 10th hit to record a run. He walked the first man to face him to start the game, but Martin Prado was left stranded.

The Mets were flat offensively for a second straight game, getting shut down by Tim Hudson. Just like last night, Angel Pagan singled and stole second with one out in the first, but wasn’t driven in.

In the second, the Braves loaded the bases with two outs, when Melky Cabrera grounded out to end that threat.

In the third, Angel Pagan doubled with one out, but once again didn’t score. Pelfrey got out of huge trouble in the fourth.

After the Braves stringed together three hits to start the inning, loading the bases with none out, Pelfrey induced a comebacker for a double play. Melky Cabrera then grounded out, as the Braves didn’t come through.

The Mets got a leadoff walk from Ike Davis in the fourth, but the potential rally was killed when Jason Bay hit a double play grounder.

Finally, in the fifth, the Braves made some use of their hits. The Braves first five hitters all singled off Pelfrey, producing three runs, and knocking him out after four-plus inning pitched. Elmer Dessens came in and allowed another run on a double play, extending the Braves lead to 4-0.

Pelfrey was awful, allowing four runs on 12 hits, he struck out two and walked three.It was only a matter of time before the Braves put together run-producing hits.

Pelfrey has now pitched less than five innings in each of his last three starts.

The Mets tried coming back in the fifth, but after a Rod Barajas single, Alex Cora lined into a double play.

The Mets bullpen performed well, as the Braves didn’t score against Hisanori Takahashi and Fernando Nieve.

Takahashi made his first relief appearance since May 16, and pitched three shutout innings, allowing one hit. Fernando Nieve pitched a scoreless ninth.

In the sixth, it was more of the same for Angel Pagan. He led off with a single and stole second, but three batters later, Ike Davis hit a double play.

The Mets got an injury concern in the seventh. After Jose Reyes fielded a ground ball at short, David Wright noticed Reyes wince. Wright and Reyes got together, and Wright called Jerry Manuel out of the dugout. Reyes would come out of the game, and it was announced he will not play tomorrow or in the All-Star Game, although there is no major setback.

The Mets would go on to lose the game, 4-0, as they are now 1-4 on the home stand, falling five games out of first place in the NL East behind the Braves.

The Mets will hope to avoid getting swept tomorrow afternoon, with Johan Santana on the mound against Derek Lowe. It’s the final game before the All-Star Break.

*NL East standings (top 3 teams)
Atlanta 52-35
NY Mets 47-40 (5)
Philadelphia 45-40 (6)
*Does not include PHI result

Series probable pitchers:
July 11
New York: Johan Santana (2010: 6-5, 3.15 ERA) vs. Atlanta: Derek Lowe (2010: 9-7, 4.40 ERA)

*Upcoming schedule:
New York Mets:
July 11 vs. Atlanta Braves
July 15-18 @ San Francisco Giants

Atlanta Braves:
July 11 @ New York Mets
July 15-18 vs. Milwaukee Brewers

*All-Star break is July 12-14

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The Yankees, Red Sox, and Marlins have proven that it can be done in baseball. The Miami Heat are about to prove it can be done in the NBA.

There are some things money can’t buy, and championships used to be one of them. It’s an unfortunate reality, but reality nonetheless.

As long as it’s done right.

The New York Mets have the fifth-highest payroll in baseball. And while they are clearly contenders in 2010 at 47-39, four games behind the Braves for the division lead and a game behind the Dodgers and Rockies in the Wild Card, general manager Omar Minaya likely had higher expectations.

But this year, it’s not Minaya’s big acquisitions carrying the team. It’s the homegrown kids. It’s the young talent that came up through the organization, the way they should.

Mike Pelfrey leads the team with 10 wins and a solid 3.39 ERA. Jon Niese leads all Mets pitchers not named Johan Santana in strikeouts with 73, and has as many wins as Santana with six.

Angel Pagan, who started his career in 2006 with the Cubs, did not come into his own until he came to New York. He’s hitting .304 with a .364 OBP and a .457 slugging percentage, giving him an .820 OPS, second on the team to David Wright among players with at least 100 at-bats.

And those guys aren’t even the franchise players.

Wright, also a homegrown product, leads the team in every major category (.317 AVG, .329 OBP, 539 SLG, .931 OPS). Jose Reyes, while plagued with injuries in recent years, seems healthy and able to contribute, hitting .277 with 19 stolen bases. He also has 15 doubles and six home runs.

Rookie Ike Davis is also having a solid year. Though hitting a pedestrian .257, he has 16 doubles and 10 home runs to go with a .994 fielding percentage at first base.

And then there’s 23-year-old Josh Thole, recently promoted to fill the Mets’ most inconsistent position since the Mike Piazza days at catcher.

Sure, it’s only been eight games. But his .500 batting average (8-for-16), .579 OBP, .563 slugging percentage, and 1.141 OPS would all be team-highs if he had enough at-bats to qualify. Of course, realistically, he cannot maintain that pace. However, there’s nothing more important to a young baseball career than a hot start, and Thole is having just that.

This core of young talent, at an average age of around 25, will be the nucleus going forward.

If Carlos Beltran returns from injury, he would provide a surefire boost, assuming he returns as the Beltran of old. Oliver Perez was just promoted to Triple-A Buffalo for another rehab start. If he and John Maine (currently on the disabled list) can return to form, the pitching staff would get the boost it desperately needs.

In the meantime, the Mets are in contention and look to be there to stay, and it’s not because of the big-name acquisitions with the big paychecks. It’s because of the homegrown talent coming into their own.

Just because championships can be won with a checkbook, doesn’t mean you can’t still do it the old-fashioned way.

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SAN JUAN, PR—So far this season, Mike Pelfrey has won six of his 10 games following a Mets loss. That’s the definition of a stopper. In his last start, he did the same, winning on Friday night after the Mets lost to the Tigers the night before.

He has also been there for prolonged losing streaks, like after the Mets got off to a 2-6 start. Or the memorable Monday night in Atlanta, when the Mets had just been swept in a four-game series in Miami. Prior to that game, they had their entire front office (including the Wilpons) in town, with Jerry Manuel firmly on the hot seat.

Now, although it’s not that type of a crisis just yet, it’s still a game the Mets must win to stay in this race. They have lost two games in a row to a Marlins team that was reeling, having just been swept at home by the Padres over the weekend, and a team that has had a lot of controversy lately.

Up until last night, they didn’t know who their long-term manager would be, until it was announced last night that Edwin Rodriguez would keep the job for the rest of this season.

The Mets meanwhile, were the hottest team in the National League, having gone on a tear since May 22 to pull within a half-game of first-place Atlanta.

After somewhat proving that their road woes were over on their last trip, when they went 7-2 and swept the lowly Orioles and Indians, they have regressed, starting this one 0-2.

They are now 0-6 this season against the Marlins away from Citi Field. Ironically, the last time the Mets got swept by the Marlins on the road, Mike Pelfrey was the guy to get them back on track in Atlanta. Now, he’ll hope to get them back on track against the Marlins, as they try to gain ground on Atlanta.

Pelfrey will be going for his 11th win of the season, and his last couple of starts haven’t been perfect. His last one came against the Twins on Friday night, and his line shows that he pitched decently, going six innings, allowing two runs and six hits, but he did allow a leadoff home run to Denard Span on the second pitch of the game. His two combined starts prior to that, against the Orioles and Yankees, Pelfrey gave up eight runs in 13 innings of work.

In this series thus far, the Marlins have found the power stroke, bashing five home runs in two games, all of major importance. Pelfrey doesn’t allow the long ball, only giving up six home runs this season—one every 16.2 innings pitched. Still, it may be hard, given the Puerto Rican humidity and a power-laden lineup, for Pelfrey to control the home run.

If it will be a slugfest, the Mets will have to produce on their end against a guy they haven’t faced this season, Chris Volstad. As a first-round pick by the Marlins in 2005, Volstad hasn’t lived up to expectations so far.

The 23-year-old pitched great when he was called up in 2008, going 6-4 with a 2.88 ERA in 14 starts. But he struggled in his first full season in 2009. Last season, Volstad went 9-13 with an ERA of 5.21 in 29 starts, and he walked 59 batters in 159 innings, one every 2.7 innings.

This season, it hasn’t come easily for Volstad, either. He hasn’t had a lot of terrible starts, but only a few have been quality starts. He did throw a quality start his last time out against the light-hitting Padres, giving up three runs in six innings, and he struck out six without allowing a walk. Unfortunately for him, the Marlins were shut out, 3-0, as he fell to 4-7 on the season.

Angel Pagan did finally return to last night’s lineup, but he got pinch-hit for when a right-hander came into the game. He still can’t bat from the left side of the plate, and with the right-hander Volstad starting tonight, Pagan will not start. Manager Jerry Manuel did say after last night’s game that Pagan should be able to bat left-handed starting Thursday night in Washington.

Carlos Beltran participated in another rehab game yesterday morning as the DH, and he got one hit in five at-bats.

It’s the final game in San Juan, Puerto Rico for the Mets and Marlins, and the Mets will hope to fly to the Nation’s Capital with a win.

Mike Pelfrey vs. Florida (career)
*1-6, 5.63 ERA, 56 IP, 68 H, 25 BB, 35 SO

Chris Volstad vs. New York (career)
1-2, 2.70 ERA, 23.1 IP, 21 H, 10 BB, 14 SO

*Most losses against any team in career, highest ERA against any team (minimum five starts)

2010 season series (New York vs. Florida)

April 5: New York 7, Florida 1
April 7: Florida 7, New York 6 (10)
April 8: Florida 3, New York 1

May 13: Florida 2, New York 1
May 14: Florida 7, New York 2
May 15: Florida 7, New York 5
May 16: Florida 10, New York 8

June 4: New York 4, Florida 3
June 5: New York 6, Florida 1
June 6: New York 7, Florida 6

June 28: Florida 10, New York 3
June 29: Florida 7, New York 6

Marlins lead series 8-4

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The New York Mets‘ Johan Santana and Mike Pelfrey told the New York Daily News on Tuesday that they would in so many words welcome Seattle pitcher Cliff Lee with open arms.

“We’ve been playing great, but to go out and add a guy like (Oswalt or Lee), it might put us over the top,” Pelfrey told Peter Botte of the NY Daily News. “You would definitely love to have those guys on your team. I think those are some of the elite pitchers in the game. It definitely can help if you go out and get them.”

The Mets have had a few surprises in their rotation this year both good; Pelfrey (9-2, 2.69 ERA) and knuckle baller R.A. Dickey (5-0, 2.82) and bad; Oliver Perez (0-3, 6.28 ERA) and John Maine (1-3, 6.13 ERA).

Pelfrey and Dickey along with ace Santana, have the Mets in contention in the ultra competitive National League East. However for the Mets, history is a precursor for potential disaster and more quality starting pitching never hurt anyone.

Lee (5-3, 2.55 ERA) has had relative success in Seattle after helping guide the Philadelphia Phillies to the World Series in 2009, with a 4-0 record, a 1.56 ERA and two complete games. His success unfortunately has done very little for the Mariners, who are in the basement of American League West.

The Mets could solidify their rotation by acquiring Lee and make a deep playoff run, not too unlike their run in 2006. In 06′ the Mets fell one win short of reaching the World Series after a heartbreaking loss against the Cardinals in Game 7 of the NLCS.

New York’s starting rotation consisted of Tom Glavine (15-7, 3.82 ERA), Steve Trachsel (15-8, 4.97), Pedro Martinez (9-8, 4.48 ERA), Orlando Hernandez (11-11, 4.66 ERA)  and a younger John Maine (6-5, 3.60). The arrival of the lefty would mean a rotation of Santana, Pelfrey and Lee. Coupled with the expected return of center fielder Carlos Beltran, the Mets could find themselves in unfamiliar territory.

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