He Be Good: Mets 5, Red Sox 3

by Eric Simon on May 23, 2009 1:07 AM EDT

Another start, another two earned runs for Johan Santana, who saw his volatile ERA balloon to 1.50. Meanwhile, Carlos Gomez has a wOBA of .283 with the Twins this season.

Ramon Martinez drove in the winning run for the Mets, but didn't manage to do anything else right. He bungled two routine plays and almost committed a third error on a low throw that Daniel Murphy scooped to end the sixth inning. GWRBI! aside, there's really no reason that Martinez should even be with the big club let alone starting regularly in Jose Reyes's absense. Fernando Tatis could have two left hands and two right feet and I'm still convinced he'd be more productive at shortstop than would Martinez. By now we know that fielding percentage isn't all that important, but Martinez has made four errors in like twelve innings (give or take). As the Italian butcher I like to pretend I know might say, "He's a-no good".

The SNY gun had Bobby Parnell hitting 99 with his fastball, which is a tad high even for Parnell's cannon-arm. He set down Jason Bay, J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell in efficient, 1-2-3 fashion in the eighth, while Francisco Rodriguez induced three flyballs for an easy ninth and his twelvth "save" of the year. On a side note, can everyone please agree to just stop calling him K-Rod? It's honestly the worst nickname in the history of nicknames. Just lose it.

And finally, Kevin Youkilis, whom I love as a ballplayer, has elevated himself to the lofty rank of Chief Douchelord with his giant elbow and slow-walk shenanigans in last night's game. Congratulations, Youk!

Don't forget to check out Rivers McCown's Manuel Managing Report Card in the FanPosts.

Swag Contest

Swag contest results can be found here and the next game's swag form already available. You can read more about the swag contest here.

SB Nation Coverage

* Boxscore
* Amazin' Avenue Gamethread
* Over The Monster Gamethread

Win Probability Added

Big winners: Johan Santana, +15.7% WPA, David Wright, +11.6% WPA
Big losers: Jeremy Reed, -9.0% WPA, Daniel Murphy, -8.1% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Ellsbury groundout to end sixth with bases loaded, +12.8% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Martinez throwing error on Varitek grounder in sixth, -16.0% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: +34.7% WPA
Total batter WPA: +15.3% WPA
GWRBI!: Ramon Martinez

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by PSUdevon; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

Num	Name	# of Posts
1	PSUdevon	169
2	squid92	135
3	Jadden Hopkins	87
4	EMSfan9	78
5	meigs1414	75
6	Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright	62
7	aparkermarshall	60
8	AnthonyR	53
9	All Shook Down	53
10	Prince	42

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Comments

I was just checking out fangraphs

and I really don’t want to see how bad Ramon’s WAR is going to be after this game. In essence, Ramon Martinez is significantly worse than a replacement player so far. Granted, it’s a small sample size but I really don’t see any hidden athleticism coming out of his 36 year old body. The sooner Reyes gets back, the better

by njmetfan12 on May 23, 2009 1:29 AM EDT reply actions

The fact that Ruben Tejada's getting talked about as a potential callup highlights the lack of MI depth of this organization

The fact that he might actually be the best in-house option, that’s beyond problematic.

"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet

What a fool I was to defy him"

-HST

by Mark Himmelstein on May 23, 2009 1:57 AM EDT up reply actions

Agreed. Tejada is DEFINITELY not ready.

But he might be the best option. However, I think our best bet is to call up Ourheinous.

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

by squid92 on May 23, 2009 11:05 AM EDT up reply actions

Honestly

I think people are confusing Argenis for a SS. Sure, he had nice range and all at 2B last year, but I don’t know if he has the arm for SS, he hasn’t really done it before.

"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet

What a fool I was to defy him"

-HST

by Mark Himmelstein on May 23, 2009 1:42 PM EDT up reply actions

Does Ramon Martinez have the arm for SS?

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

by squid92 on May 23, 2009 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Does Argenis have a bat?

It seems like a non-difference to me.

"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet

What a fool I was to defy him"

-HST

by Mark Himmelstein on May 23, 2009 6:03 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't think he could be worse than Martinez

and his bat seems to be less dead than Martinezes.

by Gina on May 23, 2009 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions

I dunno

That’s a bold statement for a guy with a .740ish OPS in Triple-A. I mean, Martinez has been awful, but Reyes was nothing special by the time the Mets got fed up with him last year.

"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet

What a fool I was to defy him"

-HST

by Mark Himmelstein on May 23, 2009 6:04 PM EDT up reply actions

Thats about .50 points higher than what Ramon Martinez was doing

And as bad as his bat was it was worlds better than the .125 ops Martinez is sporting right now.

by Gina on May 23, 2009 6:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Awful reyes also has a

.373 obp and a 14% walk rate.

by Gina on May 23, 2009 6:33 PM EDT up reply actions

That's true

I guess he could only be better, I still think I’d prefer a glove and a .550 OPS though over either one of them. Testing Argenis wouldn’t be a terrible idea, but if he can’t field he’s not a huge step up from Martinez.

"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet

What a fool I was to defy him"

-HST

by Mark Himmelstein on May 23, 2009 6:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Fielding Percentage

it’s not really relevant when discussing a guy who’s got like a .968 vs. a guy with like a .958, but Martinez has a .714. That’s awful. I think I could manage a .700 fielding percentage in the majors.

by cjmulrain on May 23, 2009 1:37 AM EDT reply actions

Totally off topic

I went to the Yanks-Phils game tonight – 7 HRs overall. That stadium is a joke. I actually liked it, overall, but the place makes CBP look like Petco Park. Also, I hate the Yankees for losing every time I root for them. 2001 World Series, tonight…that’s pretty much it, but they lost them both. Bastards.

by cjmulrain on May 23, 2009 1:40 AM EDT reply actions

why the 2001 WS?

curt schilling is a knob?

by HotChipWillBreakYourLegs on May 23, 2009 2:03 AM EDT up reply actions

9/11, NY pride and all that

and I always hated Randy Johnson

by cjmulrain on May 23, 2009 2:12 AM EDT up reply actions

9/11 affected me somewhat personally

And I still didn’t cheer for the Yankees. The D-Backs should’ve swept.

by All Shook Down on May 23, 2009 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions

same here about 9/11

there were probably 5 teams I wouldn’t have rooted for over the Yanks that year, the D-Backs were one of them. I’ve always had an irrational dislike of them, plus the Giants (Bonds) and the 3 NL East teams that matter. Normally I just wouldn’t even pay attention to a World Series between the Yanks and any of those teams (I didn’t watch a single pitch of the 2003 WS), but due to the whole 9/11 thing I got on the Yanks bandwagon, and paid for it.

by cjmulrain on May 23, 2009 6:53 PM EDT up reply actions

so I had to listen to the sox announcers tonight because I was on an Airtrain flight (XM has home broadcasts)

They lose points for the “Beltran doesn’t do the little things” conversation.

But gain points for slobbing Johan’s knob consistently and saying “only in New York can a player like David Wright get blamed for anything” (paraphrasing)

by HotChipWillBreakYourLegs on May 23, 2009 2:06 AM EDT reply actions

Also, I didn't get what Youk was going on about

If you don’t wanna get hit, get out of the F’in way. Jesus. Sometimes hitters are such… well… you can insert any derogatory term here.

by HotChipWillBreakYourLegs on May 23, 2009 2:08 AM EDT reply actions

Yeah it was obnoxious

Especially because he was leaning over the plate. Santana had struck him out twice on changeups down and out of the zone so Youk was wright on the dish. The pitch wasn’t even that far inside, and it glanced his elbow. I’m sure it stung a bit, but he just came off as frustrated and mad at himself for having bad ABs all night.

"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet

What a fool I was to defy him"

-HST

by Mark Himmelstein on May 23, 2009 2:20 AM EDT up reply actions

just for balance, the boston feed (NESN)

seemed to think that Johan fueled that exchange, being pissed that youkillus was smiling and saying “just take your base”. that seems plausible from what i saw and johan’s post game comments.

I.M. Forme
"When you get yourself into trouble is when you feel you have to do something, and then you get yourself in trouble." --Omar Minaya

by itsmetsforme on May 23, 2009 4:18 AM EDT up reply actions

yeah, that's what I saw

It seemed like Youkilis grimmaced and said, “Damn man, that hurt!”, in a joking way. And then Johan got pissed and Youkilis got pissed back.

We've got ourselves a ball club, the Mets of New York town!

by kingcritical on May 23, 2009 10:01 AM EDT up reply actions

I don't blame Johan for being pissed.

Because it started out as a joke from Youk, which was fine, but then he just lingered and was staring at him.

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

by squid92 on May 23, 2009 11:07 AM EDT up reply actions

I agree.

Clearly he hangs over the plate and the pitch was nearly a strike, but Youk was just joking around about it hurting, and Johan was just too amped up too really care about Youk and his freindly manner. It was pretty obvious on the NESN feed what was going on. There really is no reason to hate on Youk for this.

by whynot on May 23, 2009 11:15 AM EDT up reply actions

Still

You don’t do that, aside from it being poor form/etiquette, that’s how you get the benches cleared, gawking at the pitcher like that.

"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet

What a fool I was to defy him"

-HST

by Mark Himmelstein on May 23, 2009 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions

I disagree

These guys are generally all very friendly with each other in this day and age whether we like or not. Not everybody, but most players aren’t looking for an altercation, or incident, or looking to hurt anybody. Youk just thought he was sharing a little fun with a fellow superstar. Much how David says howdy-do to everybody at 3rd. Johan’s, not that guy. Which is fine by me and fits with his overall bulldog mentality persona. Youk wasn’t staring at him until Johan didn’t get the ‘joke’. I thought it was an interesting exchange between two of the game’s best. I don’t think anybody was in the wrong.

by whynot on May 23, 2009 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions

Maybe

But I think you’re underselling just how frustrated both players were. These aren’t “ha ha” Manny Ramirez types, they’re two of the more intense players in the game. Youk had struck out twice on soft pitches in the dirt, and Johan had his team making errors behind him left and right. It didn’t seem like either one was in a particularly joking mood, and even after the game, Johan didn’t seem to take it that way at all.

"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet

What a fool I was to defy him"

-HST

by Mark Himmelstein on May 23, 2009 6:07 PM EDT up reply actions

Chief Douchelord indeed

from the centerfield shot on SNY dude’s elbow looked like it was over the plate when he was hit. Granting an inside bias from that camera angle, that pitch was barely off the black.

I’d suspect that Youk may have just been playing when he said “[Expletive.] That hurt.” But, I’m sure Johan didn’t appreciate the humor after the guy pretty much stood on top of the plate to neutralize the changeup. I usually take the batter’s side in these matters, generally feeling like pitchers as a whole have the sensitivity of 13-year old girls. (“I didn’t like the way he trotted after he hit a 450 ft. bomb off me.”) But in this case I could see Johan’s frustration. The guy was fooled by the pitch, about to offer at it. The pitch only hit him because was almost literally standing on home plate. Yeah, that probably wasn’t the right time for playful banter.

"Those who fear disorder more than injustice inevitably produce more of both." -- Rev. William Coffin

by dcrockett17 on May 23, 2009 8:41 AM EDT reply actions

Even the sox radio guys made the comment that the pitch was almost a strike

by HotChipWillBreakYourLegs on May 23, 2009 10:02 AM EDT up reply actions

What was Martinez's WPA?

considering he drove in two runs, I guess it was better than Reed’s or Murphy’s but he was easily the worst player on the field last night according to EGISA (that stands for Endy’s Game Instant Suck Analysis). I find it beyond embarassing to have to play the Red Sox and have this guy starting at shortstop. I tried to explain to my Red Sox fan brother in law about Reyes being hurt, Cora etc and he just started laughing at me. Most upseting.

by Endys Game on May 23, 2009 9:40 AM EDT reply actions

Parnell hit 100 on the SNY gun, during the AB with Drew.

I doubt he hit 100 for real, but I do believe 99.

And Youklis’ elbow was directly over the plate when it got hit, about two inches out of the strike zone.

by twon8 on May 23, 2009 10:08 AM EDT reply actions

OT but

before last night games A-rod’s slash stats were 189/.412/.595… lolwut?

Also I’m glad we got our one game, here’s hoping Wakefield has one of his bad days tomorrow.

by Gina on May 23, 2009 10:33 AM EDT reply actions

One more would be great

5-5 road trip was what I figured at the start of things.

Two wins, of course, would be awesome.

"The definition of edge is going out there and getting a few wins, and then all of a sudden you don’t have to worry about anyone talking about edge anymore," Wright said. "That's a thing in the past. Go ask Omar about that."

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on May 23, 2009 11:13 AM EDT up reply actions

yeah, everyone needs to take a deep breath

I stayed away from last night’s game just because I needed a break from the Mets (the only baseball info I was getting was text messages from a Phillies fan friend of mine who was saying how much of a joke the new Yankee Stadium is).

But, given that we all knew that this was going to be a brutal road trip, I think we would’ve all taken 5-5 at the beginning of it. Well, we can still get 5-5, and then we head home to play Washington and Florida.

So everyone please relax. This isn’t directed at any one person here, but I know things got testy of late and that takes the fun away from what should be a fun thing: being a baseball fan.

Somehow, a chain of events unfolded that put Steve Phillips in a professional broadcast booth Sunday night so he could rip Carlos Beltran. Try to explain that in any other terms.

by Greenpoint Ian on May 23, 2009 11:34 AM EDT up reply actions

Amen, brother.

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on May 23, 2009 11:44 AM EDT up reply actions

Out of house options at SS?

I’ll throw out a few:
Jamey Carroll
Brandon Fahey
Ivan Ochoa
Bobby Crosby
Miguel Cairo (recently DFA’d and is on my short list of hated former Mets)
Robert Andino (long shot)

by All Shook Down on May 23, 2009 1:04 PM EDT reply actions

This list may drive me to drinking.

I guess I could stand to see Robert Andino get a fair shake.

- Rivers McCown, From Mom's Basement

by riversmccown on May 23, 2009 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions

How bout Macier Izturis?

The Halos desperately need RP depth, maybe we could convince them Eddie Kunz belongs in a big league pen. We could just cover up the 14/14 K/BB on the statsheet or something.

"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet

What a fool I was to defy him"

-HST

by Mark Himmelstein on May 23, 2009 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions

Scioscia has a weird love affair with Maicer

How about Brandon Wood? I dream.

by jasondg on May 23, 2009 1:58 PM EDT up reply actions

Not really a SS

…then again neither is Martinez.

- Rivers McCown, From Mom's Basement

by riversmccown on May 23, 2009 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Heh

The Angels need to set Wood free — he could handle SS fine as a stopgap, and if the bat ends up playing outside of Salt Lake (a huge question), maybe he becomes part of our 1B solution.

Still, it’s wishful thinking, obviously.

by jasondg on May 23, 2009 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions

My list represented players that would not cost anything but cash considerations or something like that. I don’t think it’d be prudent to trade anything of value for a third string SS that would hit only marginally better than Coronado/Tejada.

by All Shook Down on May 23, 2009 5:20 PM EDT up reply actions

You think Kunz is that valuable?

I mean, I guess he’s a step up from cash, but that’s it right now. And I also think a .700ish OPS is optimistic for anyone the Mets have in the system, from Reyes to Coronado to Tejada. These guys are struggling to maintain .700ish OPSes at their current levels. The only one whose over a .700 OPS in the minors is Reyes, and he’s not a real SS either.

"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet

What a fool I was to defy him"

-HST

by Mark Himmelstein on May 23, 2009 6:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Kunz sucks

I was replying to riversmccown saying that my list makes him want to drink. Maicer Izturis for Kunz would be a damn good trade, but The Best Manager in Baseball™ thinks so highly of Izturis that they would never move him.

But yeah, Omar’s goal is to find F.A.T. better than Ramon Martinez.

by All Shook Down on May 24, 2009 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions

That is Omar's goal SHOULD BE to find F.A.T. better than Ramon Martinez.

P.S. Jason Smith is available as well. Good glove (UZR/150 from ‘04-’07 in small sample sizes — 19.4, 48.6, 11.1, 0.4 and average-to-above average TZ numbers in MiLB) with legit pop but little contact and patience.

by All Shook Down on May 24, 2009 11:44 AM EDT up reply actions

And yes

I know Maicer’s at like .615 or something, but at least he’s generally hovered a bit above .700 for most of his career.

"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet

What a fool I was to defy him"

-HST

by Mark Himmelstein on May 23, 2009 6:58 PM EDT up reply actions

the Angels

don’t pay attention to stats though, they just have better scouts than everyone else. If we could convince them that Kunz has great mechanics, maybe they’d take him.

by cjmulrain on May 23, 2009 6:55 PM EDT up reply actions

They're pretty retarded

They’ve been lucky to have the most resources in a division with three mediocre teams. The Rangers can’t get great fast enough for my liking because I’d love to watch Anaheim sink.

Too bad the Mets never play in a weak division.

by All Shook Down on May 24, 2009 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions