Budd Jinx Applesauce: David Wright's weird season, Mets need Pedro, and whining Philly fans

by Joe Budd on Jun 19, 2009 9:48 AM EDT in Applesauce

Aren't you so glad that I opened my big fat mouth/fingers and starting the Francisco Rodriguez Cy Young buzz? All I have to say now is: "you're welcome."

Meet the Mets

While Pedro Martinez is entertaining suitors, of particular interest are the Yankees and Rays, Ted Berg urges the Mets to consider joining the chase for both irrational and rational reasons.

Rob Neyer takes notice of David Wright's weird statistical season so far.

Oliver Perez threw 3 shutout innings in a rehab appearance, walking only 1 batter. On the other hand, John Maine was rusty during his appearance and felt a slight pinch in his shoulder.

Josh Thole continues to rake, bringing his batting average up to .350, after another 3 hit appearance last night for Binghamton. Nick Evans also homered in the game.

Around the NL East

Even the Nationals can take 2 of 3 from the Yankees, as they proved with last night's victory. In fairness, they weren't unfairly handicapped with Luis Castillo.

Tommy Hanson opened some eyes with yesterday's six inning shutout victory over Cincinnati.

Tom Glavine will not pitch again this year.

The Mets failed, once again, to take advantage of another Blue Jay victory over Philadelphia. Philly fans still complain, however.

Another reason for Philadelphia fans to get a little angry: Raul Ibanez's groin injury has landed him on the 15 day DL.

Phillies Nation takes a look at what their team has to offer in the upcoming trade market.

Florida won a rain shortened game against Boston, 2-1. The Boston series allowed some bloggers to take another look at the trade that brought in Hanley Ramirez.

Next up for the Marlins: a hugely attended series with the Yankees.

Around MLB

Jose Canseco is suing the Major League Baseball Players' Association for being blacklisted following his book. Good luck with that.

Tiger outfielder Magglio Ordonez has been benched indefinitely. Dontrelle Willis has been put on the DL, as well.

The Padre pitching staff is decimated, first Peavy, now Chris Young.

With last night's Dodger victory over Oakland, Joe Torre has passed Sparky Anderson for 5th all time in managerial victories. Congratulations.

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Comments

Is PhilliesNation like Metsblog?

The 2008 Phillies won because they had a superior bench, smart hitters when necessary, strong starting pitching, an outstanding bullpen and decisions that paid off more than not. These 2009 Phillies?

They’re playing the way baseball shouldn’t be played.

Save Burrell/Ibanez and C. Ho Park, don’t they pretty much have the same exact team?

by jasondg on Jun 19, 2009 10:16 AM EDT reply actions

Beerleaguer is a much better sports blog

There are a lot of dumb comments on both, though.

by TheBigStapler on Jun 19, 2009 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions

You're right

but they are not getting career years out of: Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson, Brett Myers, JC Romero, Shane Victorino, Gregg Dobbs, Chris Coste, Jason Werth, Kyle Kendrick and Charlie Manuel.

Also they don’t have Geoff Jenkins any more.

by mets81 on Jun 19, 2009 10:23 AM EDT up reply actions

Not getting career years out of a bunch of players is apparently the way baseball shouldn't be played

by JoshNY on Jun 19, 2009 2:48 PM EDT up reply actions

It's about decisions paying off more than not

Man, Charlie Manuel’s decision making really fell off a cliff this year. He should have known that Brad Lidge wouldn’t be perfect and not used him in every save situation.

by jasondg on Jun 19, 2009 3:18 PM EDT up reply actions

apt comparison

PhilliesNation IS our MetsBlog. Make of that what you will.

Hustle and heart wins games, people. I won’t use the G word…

http://www.thegoodphight.com

by WholeCamels on Jun 19, 2009 2:42 PM EDT up reply actions

Wow, that article was such a bunch of whining ungrateful crapola

At least we have a reason to whine, these people think they’re building a dynasty or something? They are the phreakin Phils afterall

by Rigsay on Jun 19, 2009 10:25 AM EDT reply actions

Every team has weak points. The sad part I think the Phillies don’t have NEARLY as much as other teams do (Hint Hint: Mets)

This comment made me spit out my chocolate milk in hilarity.

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

by squid92 on Jun 19, 2009 1:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Mets are 16-17

Since May 11, Delgado’s last game.

by TheBigStapler on Jun 19, 2009 11:00 AM EDT reply actions

:(

I said before the season that I thought Delgado was the most important player on the Mets. Of course, I was assuming a healthy Reyes, Wright, and Beltran, but still…

by cjmulrain on Jun 19, 2009 12:00 PM EDT up reply actions

It does seem to be the case

If only because the dropoff of what Delgado had been producing to his replacements is larger than the dropoff from the production Reyes had been yielding to what Cora’s surprisingly managed

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

What a fool I was to defy him"

-HST

by Mark Himmelstein on Jun 19, 2009 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions

I said this in one of the game threads about the Phillies

I just think they are recipients of one of the great flukes in baseball. They got really lucky one year, fortunate the next and are somewhat lucky again because the Mets are really hurt over such an extensive period of time this year. But I dont think the Phillies are built to win over the long haul. Their farm system isnt really that good, I dont think they will sign Howard to a long term deal, Ibanez is another fluke, Vic Torino is an average player who gets lucky against the mets. Their pitching staff outside of Hamels and Myers is absolutely dreadful. Other than Chase Utley, who is the only player to get a long term contract, this team will be completely different in 2 years. At that point this rivalry, which is more of a media invention, will wither away and die. Just like the “rivalry” we had with the Cubs, Cardinals, Braves and so forth.

by aparkermarshall on Jun 19, 2009 11:06 AM EDT reply actions

+1

Jerry Manuel...stop being....stupid...

by MetsGeek on Jun 19, 2009 11:31 AM EDT up reply actions

ehhh

While I agree that the farm system isn’t amazing and they got career years out of lots of guys they are still a damn good team. They had a bad week, but they are a very good ballclub, definitely in the top 3 in the league. If they get any pitching help, they’ll be a scary contender. I think they’ll eventually shell out the money for Howard and him and Utley will be forces to build around. Rollins, Ibanez can still give a couple decent to good years and Werth, Ruiz and Torino are excellent fill ins

by Rigsay on Jun 19, 2009 11:46 AM EDT up reply actions

Lord, I hope they sign Howard

I’ll have a lot of fun watching him continue to decline.

In any case, fluky or not, I’d love to have the same fluke happen to us.

by jasondg on Jun 19, 2009 11:54 AM EDT up reply actions

+1,000,000

by cjmulrain on Jun 19, 2009 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions

You really don’t know much about the Phillies.

The Phillies are the National League’s winningest team since 2005. It’s not like they came out of nowhere. They went 13-4 and 13-3 down the stretch the last two seasons, so the whole mythology around the Mets “handing” the division to the Phillies is just blatantly false. They aren’t a fluke. They’re not a dominant juggernaut but they’re a worthy Champion in a sport that has crowned the likes of the Cardinals, White Sox and Marlins in recent seasons. The Red Sox are the closest thing the sport has to a dominant franchise.

Howard got a three year deallast offseason. So did Hamels. And Victorino. And Madson. Lidge (for better or worse) is locked in for three years. The “core” of the team is locked in for no less than three years; the only likely loss this offseason is Brett Myers. And the farm system has taken a huge leap forward in the past season and a half.

That said, I’d trade Victorino in a second, as he’d probably fetch quite a bit in trade relative to his actual value.

http://www.thegoodphight.com

by WholeCamels on Jun 19, 2009 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions

If there were any justice...

then it would be a banning offense to even mention the 2006 Cardinals here. But seriously, if being better than that team is your standard, then any half-decent winning team is a “worthy Champion.” Apart from a modicum of sour grapes I don’t think any of us would say last year’s Phils were the least deserving winners of the last decade, but they’re also far from the best team to have lucked their way through the playoffs.

Honestly I am thinking of starting a movement of regular-season-only baseball fans. The flukiness of the playoffs in the Division-Series era seems almost antithetical to so much of what I love about baseball — the long season and the large sample that allows you to have some idea which teams should be winning more games.

by anonymous on Jun 19, 2009 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions

Easy solution

Break it up like European soccer and have two competitions that run concurrently: A league and a cup. Fold all divisions into one and go back to a balanced schedule. At the end of the league season, the winner is the winner. This makes the league season more important and eliminates “soft” champions like the 06 Cards or 00 Yanks (or anyone else who vanquishes the Mets) and also provides another winnable competition for the lesser clubs in the league. Seriously, who wouldn’t be rooting for a Cinderella like the Royals in a Cup final vs the Dodgers or whomever? And you could still have a World Series for the winners of each league but we’d be ensured of the best team in each league every year.

Of course, this is a pipedream and it would never happen in a million years but personally I prefer that system to the American playoff system.

by Zwill on Jun 19, 2009 3:35 PM EDT up reply actions

"The Phillies are the National League’s winningest team since 2005."

You might want to put an asterisk next to that, considering that including their 3 win advantage on the Mets this season, they’ve won the exact same amount of games since ’05 as the Mets. Had Frankie not blown last night that would be a false statement.

by cjmulrain on Jun 19, 2009 3:42 PM EDT up reply actions

I officially think Omar does not know Josh Thole exists.

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

by squid92 on Jun 19, 2009 1:04 PM EDT reply actions

Good

Because I just know Omar will trade him for some old, crafty veteran to get them over the hump and provide strong leadership in the clubhouse.

by aparkermarshall on Jun 19, 2009 1:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Havens, Mejia, and Thole for Jermaine Dye!

KFJLKDF:DHSF:DJSFKL:DSHJFLK:DSFHJDLS:FJFBLARTBLARTBLARTJFKL:DJFDSFJDSFJKL:DSFJ

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

by squid92 on Jun 19, 2009 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions

Its Do or Dye time for the Mets

by mets81 on Jun 19, 2009 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions

no, Scott Kazmir!

I like the narrative of avenging past wrongs by finally getting back Kazmir, but with the added bonus of Mets front office incompetence by having them pick up a guy who has been a wreck this season and may never recover.

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 Jun 19, 2009 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions