Uninspired Applesauce

by Joe Budd on Apr 24, 2009 9:57 AM EDT in Applesauce

Hopefully the Applesauce isn't uninspired, but rather your humble blogger after this truly blah 6-9 start and Cardinal sweep. It's hard to even enjoy the games because as soon as this team gets a lead, the opposition will tie it or take the lead in the next half inning. Oh well. Samt has a great piece this morning that cheered me up and took away some of the despair. Thanks Sam.

Meet the Mets

Desperation? Or reasonable reaction? Jerry Manuel is threatening to send Oliver Perez or Mike Pelfrey to the minors and fire coaches if there is no improvement.

Joyce Mandelkern is regretting her lifestyle choice right now.

As the Mets prepare to face Washington lefty Scott Olsen tonight, Manuel has announced some lineup changes. Olsen will be the first left handed starting pitcher facing the Mets this season. Key differences include Sheffield and Tatis starting in place of Murphy and Church. Please, God, no fly balls.

Jose Reyes is 60 hits away from 1,000.

Did Tony LaRussa just plain outmanage Manuel yesterday?

This is welcome news: Gary Carter will keep his mouth shut about managing the Mets.

Not a great Ranger debut for Darren O'Day. O'Day gave up the game winning hit to Kevin Millar.

Could Ben Sheets still be the savior for this Met rotation?

So long Nelson Figueroa. Figgy has turned down a minor league assignment and is now a free agent.

The Mets are still second to the Yankees, at least in terms of team value.

Think that Daniel Murphy getting thrown out at home play couldn't get any weirder from the other night? Think again.

Bud Seling might be talking the Mets and the Yankees into lowering ticket prices. Right...

Around the NL East

Vote for Milledge!

Brewer pitcher Dave Bush flirted with a no-hitter, as Philly ace Cole Hamels was hit in the shoulder with a Prince Fielder line drive. The Phillies lost 6-1. Hamels appears to be alright.

Why is Ryan Zimmerman making so much more than Edwin Encarnacion? Defense, defense, defense.

Former MVP Jimmy Rollins is a .179 hitter.

Around MLB

Recently called up Brian Bannister outpitched reigning Cy Young winner Cliff Lee. Speaking of Lee, are the Indians thinking of trading him?

More Pedro news. Angels or Rangers. Pedro could fill in for injured starter Kris Benson.

In a blast to the past, the Twins have traded Jason Tyner to the Tigers.

And, finally, in news that doesn't sound possible at all, Hideki Irabu is attempting a major league comeback. Irabu or Livan... hmmmm.....

Anyway, have a good weekend you all. Hopefully the Nationals will be the stimulus package this team needs.

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Comments

Bleh.

That is all.

"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw

by squid92 on Apr 24, 2009 10:16 AM EDT reply actions

The Metsblog post about available pitchers

included the following trade proposal in the comments:

“Can you imagine Santana and Hallady in the same rotation??
Omar, put a package of Wright, Niese and Wilmar Flores for Halladay. ASAP”

The amount of Metsblog comments I read is roughly equivalent to the amount of my desire to poke my eyes out.

I would definitely take a flyer on Sheets, if he’s healthy enough to pitch by late July or so, but I’d wait until after the draft to avoid forfeiting picks.

by cjmulrain on Apr 24, 2009 10:18 AM EDT reply actions

Projectile vomit on the second quote.

"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw

by squid92 on Apr 24, 2009 10:39 AM EDT up reply actions

WTF?

I had to read this three times before I even understood what you were upset about — it’s like my eyes just refused to see that “Wright” was the first of the three names listed there. Holy Jesus. At least Metsblog commenters do us one service — they make Omar look good.

by anonymous on Apr 24, 2009 12:38 PM EDT up reply actions

Its almost like Metsblog readers

Would prefer to complain that the lineup lacks a 30 HR bat and .300 hitter instead of a second 17 game winner in the rotation.

by Mark Himmelstein on Apr 24, 2009 1:49 PM EDT up reply actions

I really wonder how much motivation sending players to the minors is

Perez gets his 36 million whether he sucks or not so I imagine sending him to the minors isn’t going to suddenly motivate him more, not that I even think the rotation struggles are a question or motivation or heart.

by Gina on Apr 24, 2009 10:54 AM EDT reply actions

I don't think it's a motivation thing

I think it’s that Perez has either a mental or physical issue that obviously isn’t being worked out at the Major League level that is causing him to pitch like crap. In the minors, you can afford to make some mistakes that you can’t make in the majors and try to re-tool whatever it is that’s messing you up. And whether you want to believe it or not, confidence is important – there’s definitely something to be said for a guy like Trachsel who had ML success but had been awful to go back to the minors, dominate young hitters (didn’t he throw a no-hitter down there?), and come back up again.

by cjmulrain on Apr 24, 2009 11:10 AM EDT up reply actions

Hasn't that already been done with perez?

the pirates sent him down and 06 and we kept him there. Also trachsel was sent down but he didn’t improve when he came back up and he only pitched one game.

by Gina on Apr 24, 2009 11:15 AM EDT up reply actions

Funny

I had always recalled that Trachsel send-down in ’01 as some sort of positive, motivating influence but, no, he was still pretty bad for the rest of that season after coming back up. Not as bad as he was in the first 1 1/2 months, but still pretty bad.

'Oh yes, I know all about that duty-of-a-citizen stuff. It doesn't go. There are exceptions to every rule, and this was one of them. When a man risks his liberty to come and root at a ball-game, you've got to hand it to him. He isn't a crook. He's a fan.'

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Apr 24, 2009 11:29 AM EDT up reply actions

didn't Bobby Jones get sent down to the minors one year?

and I seem to recall he pitched much better when he came back.

by Endys Game on Apr 24, 2009 11:34 AM EDT up reply actions

Actually nevermind I was looking at the wrong year.

by Gina on Apr 24, 2009 11:35 AM EDT up reply actions

oh

didn’t see this before posting mine below

by cjmulrain on Apr 24, 2009 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions

huh?

“he didn’t improve when he came back up and he only pitched one game.”

He started 2001 1-6 with an 8.24 ERA, 28K/13BB, 13 HR in 39.1 IP,1.034 OPS against, and a 28% LD%, and a 1.75 WHIP

He was sent down, made 3 minor league starts, pitched 19.1 innings with a 2.79 ERA and a 0.983 WHIP

Came back up and went 10-7 with a 3.35 ERA, 116K/34BB, 15 HR in 134.1 innings, .654 OPS against, a 21% LD%, and a 1.09 WHIP

by cjmulrain on Apr 24, 2009 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions

But he got married

He’s mature now! This all does not compute with what I was very unconvincingly led to believe in the offseason.

by Mark Himmelstein on Apr 24, 2009 1:50 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't think it's a horrible idea

Hell, he should have mentioned Maine and Livan, too.

by Prince on Apr 24, 2009 2:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Am I crazy or?

Is there really something to this Tony LaRussa scouting and planning fielding positioning as a key element in the sweep (and the Card’s success) it sounds like bullshit to me.

by Endys Game on Apr 24, 2009 11:04 AM EDT reply actions

Meh I wouldn't say it was the key element to the sweep

LaRussa is brilliant and the stuff he does does make a big difference, but he also has a tendency to overmanage and cost them as many games as they win.

by Gina on Apr 24, 2009 11:06 AM EDT up reply actions

Also this is random but one thing that has always bothered me the most about metsblog commentors

During the off-season they create these completely unrealistic expectations, then when you try to tell them the expectations are unrealistic and why they’re unrealistic they refuse to believe you. I.e telling them the Perez contract was bad, Pelfrey could struggle and Maine is a question they respond with things like Perez will figure it out this year and was worth the upside, Pelfrey is going to be a #2 and Maine is going to return to his early 07 form now that the bone spurs gone. Then when those things don’t happen and the team struggles they immediately turn to heart and fire and grit and david wright sucking?

by Gina on Apr 24, 2009 11:06 AM EDT reply actions