Kuzul

NEW YORK– For the first time since August 29-September 30, 2001, the Mets have put together a 24-game run of at least 19-5. No, it didn’t even happen in 2006, when the Mets ran through the National League. That just shows you how hard it is to pull off this kind of feat.

The Mets will try to improve to 20 out of 25 today.

Finally, the Mets can stop hearing about beating weak opponents and just being on a semi-hot streak. Although, there are some who insist that last night’s Mets win had to do with the Yankees’ cold bats, not the brilliant pitching out of Hisanori Takahashi.

If the Mets can’t get credit for shutting out the defending World Champions in their home ballpark, then what does this team have to do? Well, more winning and climbing up the standings would do the trick.

After winning last night, the Mets will hope for better luck today, facing a pitcher they beat last month, Phil Hughes.

What the Mets have been doing during this nearly month-long run is win in all ways possible. They either score a ton of runs or, like last night, get great starting pitching and just tack on runs late to extend leads.

Maybe last season, or even during the two years prior, the Mets would have not scored three late runs and they would have lost the game in the ninth instead. This time, although they did not tear apart the starter (Javier Vazquez), they beat up on the opposing bullpen and saved it at the end. The team this season has been built with fight and swagger.

Today, they will send Mike Pelfrey, who’s 9-1, to the mound, facing a team that has suddenly lost their offense over the last three games. At the the same time, Phil Hughes is 9-1, too, but he did lose to Pelfrey at Citi Field on May 22, when this Mets rise began.

The Mets were not supposed to win last night, as people were predicting a lopsided Yankees victory.

If Pelfrey can keep the Mets in the game, similar to what Takahashi did last night, then the Mets may have a shot against Hughes, who didn’t fare well in his last start against the lowly Houston Astros. Last Sunday, although the Yankees won the game, 9-5, Hughes was charged with all five earned runs. He threw 110 pitches in only 5 2/3 innings and allowed seven hits, one of which was a home run. He has given up four or more runs in three of his last six starts.

Pelfrey has had one stand-out bad start this season—a May 1 game against the Phillies, when he allowed six runs on eight hits in four innings. He hasn’t allowed more than four runs in any other start. In his last one, he gutted out the win by throwing a quality start against the Orioles.

Mets starting pitchers are 17-3 since May 17, and it seems like every start results in an outing of six innings pitched or more.

If they can split the final two games, they would complete an 8-1 road trip, similar to the 9-1 road trip they had in June 2006 that propelled them from that point forward.

For the Yankees, they will try and avoid losing their fourth straight game at home, a rarity, hoping the Mets can come up flat against their impressive young right-hander.

It’s getting fiery out in the Bronx, while the excitement for the Mets just keeps on burning.

Mike Pelfrey vs. New York Yankees (May 22)
Win, 6 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 5 SO

Phil Hughes vs. New York Mets (May 22)
Loss, 5.2 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 3 BB, 7 SO

2010 season series (New York Mets vs. New York Yankees)

May 21: New York Yankees 2, New York Mets 1
May 22: New York Mets 5, New York Yankees 3
May 23: New York Mets 6, New York Yankees 4
June 18: New York Mets 4, New York Yankees 0
Mets lead series 3-1

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Who are the 2010 New York Mets?

We are going to get a very good idea this weekend, when the surging Mets, with their current six-game road winning streak, come roaring back to New York on their charter from Cleveland. They will take on the Yankees in the Bronx for three big Father’s Day weekend games in the final installment of the 2010 Subway Series.

When the Mets took two of three from the Yankees at CitiField, it was a nice surprise. In a season that many expected, and even still expect, to crumble into failure at a moment’s notice, beating the Yankees and sweeping the Phillies served some hope for Mets fans. But another failed road trip in Milwaukee and San Diego left doubt in the fans’ minds once again that this team was nothing more than a .500 team.

For two-plus months, the Mets have played the dual roles of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde quite convincingly. One week, they look like World Series contenders—the next, they look worse than the Pittsburgh Pirates.

That is the life of the New York Mets. Any Yankee fan reading this should look over and count the gray hairs on his Mets fan friend’s head.

Once again, the Mets look unstoppable, only this time it has come on the road. (FINALLY!) The Mets swept away the Orioles and the Indians this week to start the trip at 6-0, and improve their once-dismal road record to 14-18.

Here are some keys as to why the Mets are rolling right now:

1) David Wright has been off-the-wall amazin’ with the bat. He has risen his average to .291 with 12 homers and (a National League-best) 53 RBI. In fact, Wright is making a case for N.L. MVP. He is hitting .500 (21/42) with four homers and 18 RBI this month. This is the best Wright has been with the bat in well over a year.

2) Ike Davis continues to produce. He has protected Wright in the five-hole, and even though he hasn’t produced a lot of RBI’s, he seems to be a lock for at least two hits every night.

3) Since replacing the dreadful John Maine and the pathetic Oliver Perez, R.A. Dickey and Hishanori Takahasi have been a revelation. The Mets are a combined 10-2 in games started by either pitcher, and both have staked a claim to the fifth slot in the rotation.

4) Jose Reyes—Heeeeeeee’s baaaaaack! He may not be the Reyes that hit 19 homers, 19 triples and stole 70 bases in 2006, 2007, and 2008, but Reyes has been consistent at the top of the order lately. He is on a current eight-game hitting streak, and he is back to pacing the Mets offense.

5) Angel Pagan has surprised critics all year long, and he is doing well as the Mets No. two hitter. Pagan has been a consistent .290 batter all season and has four homers, 29 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. He has done everything the Mets have asked since he replaced Carlos Beltran as the starting center fielder, and he is making it hard for the Mets to sit him once Beltran returns next month.

6) Young aces Jon Niese and Mike Pelfrey have been solid. Pelfrey has done it all year long. At 9-1, he is a lock to make the All Star team for the N.L. Without question, he has been the Mets’ staff ace, especially with Johan Santana struggling this year.

Niese has picked it up since coming back from the disabled list. He is 2-0 in his last two starts, highlighted by a one-hitter against the San Diego Padres. Niese looks fluid and comfortable on the mound, something that will be key to any future success for the 23-year-old. One thing I have noticed about Niese is that he has a gritty edge to him on the mound, which is a great trait for a young lefty to have.

If the 2010 Mets have an identity this year, it is this: a young, gritty, cohesive unit whose members believe in themselves and every other person in the locker room. They don’t care about their recent history or what people think of them. They believe they can win—credit Jerry Manuel for instilling that confidence in them, already!

However, consistency is the key. Many will write this morning, and this weekend, that the Mets took advantage of two terrible teams in the Indians and Orioles. True. But taking two of three from the Yankees in Yankee Stadium will go a long way to making the Mets fans really believe in this franchise.

It won’t be easy. The Yankees are at home in their hitter-friendly ballpark. The three pitchers the Mets send to the mound this weekend (Takahasi, Pelfrey, and Santana) all pitched against the Yankees three weeks ago. Smart hitters like Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, and Mark Teixeira certainly took some good mental notes about those three since then.

C.C. Sabathia is hard to beat once—he is even harder to beat twice. Phil Hughes won’t make the same mistakes he made three weeks ago. He’s 9-1 for a reason. Mariano Rivera is the best closer on the planet. These guys are, after all, the defending World Champions.

If the Mets win the series, they will make a BIG statement; we can actually begin to take them seriously.

If the Mets lose, and they look as listless and awful as they have at times this year, they will make another BIG statement: that they are not ready to play with the big boys.

So is the existence of team Jekyll and Hyde.

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The MLB Player Draft has brought some gems to the Mets in recent memory. On the other hand, on several occasions, drafting hasn’t really yielded much talent

Simply put, in terms of the quality of their number one overall picks, the Mets organization has had ups and downs throughout the 2000s.

This is a look at where the Mets went right and wrong in their top draft selections since 2000, and where all those guys are now.

Begin Slideshow

There have been rumors that the New York Mets and the Seattle Mariners have been in discussions regarding Cliff Lee. Lee obviously will not bring back the package that he did the past two times he was traded.

Lee will be a half season rental, and has stated that he wants to go to free agency. This is a smart move by Lee as he is likely to get more money on the open market with this winter’s weak free agent class.

The Mariners would most likely be able to bring in one or two young players or major league ready prospects plus a mid-level prospect for Lee. There is one player in particular on the Mets that has caught the Mariners eye.

It has been reported that the Mariners have lots of interest in Jon Niese. Niese has been a solid starter in his appearances for the Mets this year. He has a bright future ahead of him and is one of the Mets’ top young players. It appears that the Mets have been reluctant to include Niese in a deal for Lee.

It appears that the Lee’s price will drop the longer the Mariners hold on to him. The Mets can attempt to play hardball and wait it out until the deadline and then put together a package for Lee that does not include Niese. This may work, but they will be bidding against more teams who want Lee’s services.

With all that being said, Lee would be… (to read the rest of the article click on the link below)

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Currently, the Mets sport a rotation of Johan Santana , Mike Pelfrey, Jonathon Niese, RA Dickey, and Hisanori Takahashi. Dickey and Takahashi did not start the season in the rotation, but after John Maine and Oliver Perez hit the DL, Dickey and Takahashi took over.

As of right now Dickey and Takahashi are pitching very effectively, and are a big reason the Mets find themselves seven games over .500. With the likely return of Maine, the Mets should avoid tinkering with the success of the rotation and put Maine in the bullpen.

To start the season the Mets held out hope that John Maine and Oliver Perez would finally be able to put it together, and prove to be reliable pitchers in the rotation; however, neither impressed during their time with the team.

Oliver Perez, probably the player the Mets had the most staked on after awarding him a 3 year, 36 million dollar contract a season ago, played so poorly that the Mets tried hiding him in the bullpen. Unfortunately, he was just as ineffective there, and, after he refused a minor league assignment, the Mets banished him to the DL.

Maine’s story is a little more promising. He did not pitch very effectively to start, but after returning to being primarily a fastball pitcher Maine was able to pitch well enough to keep the Mets in games. The problem was he still had trouble pitching late into games and sustained an injury that forced him out of a game after throwing just five pitches.  This came just before he landed on the DL.

Maine has recently thrown in a rehab game and is working his way back to the majors. The question is: Should the Mets put him back in the rotation? Right now, the Mets are clicking, and a big part of that is the current starting rotation.

In addition the bullpen has been more effective as pitchers are pitching six, seven, or more innings. In fact Pelfrey and Niese started back to back games where they pitched for nine innings. While Dickey and Takahashi will never be top-line starters, they are getting the job done right now and that should not be tinkered with.  Especially in favor of a player that struggles to pitch five innings.

John Maine’s best career move looks like a transition to the bullpen. He has a lively fastball, but not a ton else, and like I keep mentioning, he has trouble going deep in to games. In the bullpen only one or two strong pitches are needed to be effective. It would be great to convert Maine into a set-up guy, or if we’re lucky, an eventual cheaper option to K-Rod at closer when Frankie’s contract is up after next season.

While Dickey and Takahashi’s effectiveness might wane as the season continues, John Maine is not a good replacement. He has had numerous times to prove his worth, and outside of 2007 has failed to do so.

by Evan Slavit at the Sports Fan Blog Network

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Fresh off the heels of rookie Jon Niese’s near-perfect one-hit complete game shutout, the Mets head to Baltimore tonight to resume interleague play.

After all the troubles the Mets have had on the road, the schedule softens up for the next week as they face the Orioles and Indians, two of the worst teams in baseball. If there was ever a time to remedy the putrid 8-18 road record the Mets are currently sporting, these six games are the time to do it.

Especially since after Camden Yards and the Jake in Cleveland, they’re headed to the Bronx to face a Yankees team that will likely have revenge on the mind, not to mention the home field advantage.

The Mets finished a 5-1 homestand by taking two of three from the Padres, a surprising team that had the best record in the National League coming into the series. The Mets are now 24-10 at home, the best record in the majors.

The most refreshing thing about the Mets lately is the contributions they’ve gotten from their homegrown prospects. For the first time in my lifetime, the farm system has produced quality and quantity on the big league team unlike anything I can ever remember.

When Jon Niese and Mike Pelfrey are on the mound, they join David Wright, Jose Reyes, Ruben Tejada, Ike Davis and Angel Pagan in the Mets starting lineup, giving them six homegrown guys in their starting nine.

Think about that for a second. This is not the Tampa Bay Rays or the Minnesota Twins here. The New York Mets, a big market National League team known for their uneven free agent signings, actually has an entire homegrown infield at the moment, with Luis Castillo on the shelf.

David Wright and Jose Reyes are still only 27 years old, and it feels like they’ve been here forever. Both are multiple time All-Stars who are just now hitting their prime. Now they’re joined by wunderkind Ike Davis, he of the sweet lefty glovework and the timely moonshot homers. Davis, for the record, is second among all rookies in SLG only behind the superhuman Jason Heyward.

The youngster Ruben Tejada, a 20-year-old middle infielder from Panama, has taken over the everyday second base duties in the past few days filling in for the injured Luis Castillo, and he’s brought a defensive presence that Castillo has lacked since his Florida Marlins days.

Tejada, a defensive wizard who only played 37 minor league games at 2B, impressed the Mets brass with his surprising offense after hitting .289 as a 19-year-old in AA last year and .294 in AAA this year. If he hits .250 with the big league squad and continues to play fabulous defense, the Mets seem likely to hand him the job for the foreseeable future.

Amazingly enough, another 2B down in the minors, 2008 first rounder Reese Havens, is tearing up his first go-around in AA , and gives the Mets even more potential homegrown depth at the position, should Tejada start to fade.

Angel Pagan, yes, is technically another homegrown guy. Drafted by the Mets in the fourth round of the 1999 draft, Pagan was an original Brooklyn Cyclone in 2001 and toiled in the minors for six years before the Cubs acquired him and gave him his first taste of big league ball.

Before the 2008 season, Pagan was reacquired by the Mets and he has become invaluable in center field, both with the glove and the bat, a classic late bloomer who has become a under-the-radar star in New York.

According to FanGraphs, Pagan leads all National League center fielders with a 6.9 UZR this year, second in the majors behind Alex Rios, who himself is having a monster season as well. Looking at his value, it’s amazing how good he’s been without the accolades or hype of more highly touted players.

Pagan was worth 29.2 Runs Above Replacement in 2009, and another 19.9 RAR so far this year. Not bad for a guy who had to beat out Gary Matthews Jr for the starting center field job going into the season. As you can see in his WAR rating, he has been worth almost five full wins above replacement in the last two years replacing Carlos Beltran.

Then there’s Mike Pelfrey and Jon Niese, two gems drafted by the Mets back in 2005, a draft class that’s shaping up to be one of the best in Mets history. Pelfrey was the ninth overall pick in round one, Niese was picked in round seven.

They also picked up flamethrowing reliever Bobby Parnell in round nine, and top catching prospect Josh Thole in round 13 that year. Kudos to the scouting department on that one. Parnell and Thole are being groomed down in Buffalo right now and likely will be a huge part of the future of the team as well.

Niese was born on the day of the Mets last World Series victory, the day of game seven of the 1986 World Series. I guess he was just destined to be a Met. Niese is 2–0 with a 0.56 ERA in his two starts since returning from the disabled list, and he’s struck out 12 batters and walked one in those 16 innings.

Not too shabby for a 23-year-old who tore his hamstring off the bone following a horrific injury last August that epitomized the 2009 Mets in a nutshell.

And what can you say about Mike Pelfrey right now? If it weren’t for the unconscious Ubaldo Jimenez out in Denver, Pelfrey would be a Cy Young contender. He is not a flash in the pan who’s gotten lucky. What we’re seeing with Big Pelf is a 26-year-old who’s finally learned how to pitch and get hitters out.

A far cry from the pitcher who used to throw fastballs three out of every four pitches in his early days, Pelfrey has mixed in a devastating splitter to become a true ace in the making, a man who throws with a purpose on every single pitch to every batter he faces.

Always a heavy ground ball pitcher, (career GB% of 50.2% ) Pelfrey’s strikeouts have shot up dramatically this season, a career high 6.47 K/9 that, paired with his minuscule BB/9 and HR/9 have translated into high marks in the more traditional stats as well. Pelfrey is 8-1 with a 2.23 ERA in 12 starts, including a 4-0 record and a 1.19 ERA in his last five starts.

Jenrry Mejia, still being held hostage by Jerry Manuel , is another 20-year-old with tremendous upside, that is, whenever the Mets smarten up and send him down to the minors to stretch him out so he can join the rotation.

Needless to say, with the home-cooking the Mets have gotten from their young stars, as well as the hospitality of their home ballpark, it’s looking like home is where the heart is for the Mets.

And that is a big credit to Omar Minaya and his scouting department. He deserves a ton of credit for turning around the farm system, and although it takes years to pay off at times, clearly it’s paid huge dividends to this 2010 team, and it might end up saving his job.

Hey. Winning cures all ailments, doesn’t it? Now, if they can play close to .500 baseball on the road, this will be a team that could be playing in October. Clearly the pressures of the big leagues haven’t deterred the young stars yet, and as long as they keep flying under the radar, this rollercoaster season could have a happy ending for Mets fans.

(This article was originally posted on my personal blog, MetsJetsNetsBlog and can be found here .)

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I’ve recently finished one of the most gruelingly busy months I’ve ever had in the five years since I’ve started my career.

In that time, I haven’t been able to watch many, but I have been able to listen to every Met game, and I have to say I like what I’ve been hearing.

The Mets front office has made all the moves the fans were clamoring for (even if it did take way too long to do so.  See Gary Matthews Jr.)

There’s been an injection of young, home grown players into the starting line up who play hard and have fun, and I’m enjoying watching the team again for the first time in a very, very long time.

Guys like Ike Davis, Mike Pelfrey, and Jon Niese have stepped well beyond their intended spots as role players and have moved into the spot light as legitimate players and future stars.

The weekend series against the first place San Diego Padres featured some of this young talent on display, and did they ever shine.

The first game of the series featured Mike Pelfrey’s strongest outing to date, a nine inning, one run gem that was capped off by an Ike Davis walk off home run in the 11th.

Davis hit the ball as far as I’ve seen a Met hit a home run so far at Citi Field.  He entered Adam Dunn territory in right field.  With that kind of power coming out of a such a smooth swing, I can see Davis developing into a great home run hitting first baseman.

There was some concern in the first game of last night’s double header, when Johan Santana continued his “struggles” walking four batters in six innings.

I’m pretty sure if I had the kind of struggles Johan had, I could get $10 million a year to pitch in the majors, but it’s very uncharacteristic of Santana to struggle with his control and to give up so many hits.

He’s pitched a few great games and a few games like yesterday afternoon this season.  The one constant in all of his starts is a general lack of offense.

The best story of the weekend was Jon Niese’s start last night.

Niese pitched a brilliant complete game one hitter and was that one hit away from perfection.  He pounded the strike zone all night, throwing 76 of his 108 pitches for strikes.

I’ve got a tremendous amount of confidence when Jon Niese is on the mound.  He seems to have a great deal of confidence in himself too.

My favorite part of this weekend was the absolute elation shown by the weekend’s young heroes, Davis and Niese.

When Ike Davis was interviewed following his walk off home run he was all smiles telling reporters

“He hung a splitter and I was looking fastball, saw it early and happened to hit it on the sweet spot… Oh, God, it was awesome.  To win a game with one swing, walk-offs are amazing.  I think that’s really the first true walk-off in my life, so that was pretty sweet… I was gonna jump really high (on to home plate), but I saw my teammates yelling, ‘No,’ so I gave like a fun little hop.”
~Metsblog.com

Niese, after finding out last night that he was one pitch away from a perfect game, looked like a kid in a candy store smiling and bouncing around the field.  He even took a pie in the face courtesy of Angel Pagan.

I know the Mets have a lot of problems, particularly winning on the road, but I’ll give them this…

They’re a fun bunch to watch, and a fun bunch to root for.  I’m enjoying 2010.

Let’s go Mets

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Mike Pelfrey is one of the top five starters in the National League.

Before the season started, this would have been a ridiculous statement to make. Now, Pelfrey has taken the proper steps forward to prove this statement true.

Pelfrey was the ninth overall pick in 2005 draft. He was put on the fast track to the Majors as he started his first season in high-A ball and ended up in the Majors before the end of the year. Pelfrey once again spent time in both the Majors and Minors during his second year.

He began to live up to his potential during his third season in the Majors posting a 13-11 record with a 3.72 ERA. These are very impressive numbers for a 24-year-old pitcher.

Pelfrey regressed a bit during his fourth season as he went 10-12 with a 5.03 ERA.

This season, Pelfrey has been phenomenal. He has established himself as one of the top starters in the National League. Pelfrey is second in the National League in wins with eight. Pelfrey is also ranked ninth in the NL with a 2.23 ERA.

Pelfrey also ranks in the top 10 in HR/9 (sixth), win percentage (third), innings pitched (10th), wins above replacement or WAR (third), winning probability added or WPA (second), and ERA+ (ninth).

The most significant of those stats is Pelfrey’s WAR and WPA rankings. Those stats are important as WAR determines how many wins a player has been worth to his team versus a replacement level player and WPA determines how many wins he has been responsible for based on…

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Yes, there was some baseball played outside of Washington D.C. last night–and some exciting baseball at that.

Mike Pelfrey pitched a gem yet in the Mets’ 11-inning, 2-1 victory over the first place Padres.

The righty went nine innings, giving up just one run on five hits. The only run came on an RBI double in the first inning by Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Pelfrey struck out six in the nine innings he worked.

Jose Reyes tied the game in the seventh inning with a solo home run but that would not prevent the game stretching all the way into the eleventh.

The Mets 2008 first round pick, first baseman Ike Davis provided the heroics. Prior to his final at bat, Davis had not been having a good night. He was 0-for-4 with a strikeout before stepping to the plate against Padres reliever Edward Mujica.

Continue reading at Double G Sports .

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Last night’s game may have been a glimpse into the Mets’ future.

And the future looks pretty bright.

The Mets pulled off their fourth win in a row (ninth in a row at Citi Field) in dramatic fashion.

It took the Mets eleven innings to beat the pesky Padres, 2-1.

Mike Pelfrey Gets a No Decision in His Most Impressive Start of the Season

Big Pelf gave the Mets nine innings, as he mixed his pitches effectively all night.

His maturation this season was highlighted on two particular moments in the game.

In the eighth inning, Lance Zawadzki produced a pinch-hit double with one out in the inning.

Big Pelf was able to strike out David Eckstein, a player that very rarely strikes out.  Especially, in these situations.

Mike then shut the door in the inning when he got Chase Headley to fly out to right.

The second example was more telling.

In the ninth inning, after getting Adrian Gonzalez to ground out, David Wright threw a ball away on a play that should have been made.

The errant throw not only allowed Scott Hariston to reach base, it put him in scoring position.

Big Pelf picked Wright up as he struck out Nick Hundley and then forced Wilson Venable to tap one to the mound.

Pelfrey now owns a 2.23 ERA on the season, and in my opinion a spot on the All-Star team.

Ike and Jose Save the Day

The Mets were able to come up with nine hits on the night, but had trouble scoring runs.

David Wright continued his hot hitting as he went 2-4 with a double.  He also collected his 11th steal of the season.

Jose Reyes looked sharp after a few days off his game.  He was 2-4 as well.

His second hit of the evening was critical.  Reyes was able to tie the game on a solo home run that was initially ruled a double.

This at bat illustrates how important the ability to review home run calls is in Major League Baseball.

Gary Cohen from SNY made a great point in last night’s telecast.

He commented that a close home run call is one of the most difficult calls in sports as the umpire is so far away from where the ball eventually winds up landing.

Ike Davis is enjoying a rookie season that most player’s dream of.  He added another chapter to that story last night.

In the bottom of the 11th inning, Davis absolutely crushed a Edward Mujica change-up for the walk-off home run.

The ball caromed off of a railing in the upper deck in right field.

Before the home run, he was zero for eight in his last eight at bats.  It just shows his confidence as he would not allow his struggles affect his at bat in extra innings.

How exciting was this blast?

It produced a smile from R.A. Dickey as he gave Ike a high-five upon his return to the dugout.

Interesting Fact

The Padres have won more games than anyone in baseball, having scored three runs or less.

The Mets were able to beat them at their own game.

On Deck

Johan Santana faces Mat Latos in the second game of the series.

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