Another Rainout Applesauce - Mets get some rest, minor leagues get pounded, Ollie to Double-A, Killebrew eulogies

by Joe Budd on May 18, 2011 8:27 AM EDT in Applesauce

Meet the Mets

The big league people didn't play last night and the wannabe big leaguers sure wished that they had been given the night off too. To be fair to Buffalo, at least, half of that team is now in Queens, so they at least have an excuse. Anyway, there are still some interesting players in the organization. Josh Satin is a little too old to be considered a top prospect, but the 26 year old has done nothing but hit and get on base during his minor league career. Oh, and then this guy, Nick Everts, got a prank call at 1 am to go to Flushing or something.

Fernando Martinez is only 22 years old and he looks like he's added a lot of muscle. Mike Salfino explains why we shouldn't give up hope on the ~~teenage~~ twenty-something hitting machine.

Oliver Perez is finally ready to pitch again for the National organization. He'll get a chance to show what he's got at Double-A.

And, finally, there's a new form of Met fan fiction and it's violent and kind of like the A-Team. (Language slightly NSFW)

Around MLB

The Phillies have now lost four straight and Charlie Manuel is not helping the cause with his strange bullpen management.

Meanwhile, the Braves are heating up; Brian McCann pinch hit last night and managed two home runs, the second one being a walkoff.

John Smoltz won't be making a U.S. Open appearance after a disappointing qualifier appearance.

Felix Hernandez vs. Francisco Liriano.

The Bryan Stow beating case may have just taken a huge step forward.

Indian clubhouse attendant Wayne Peltz has done some incredible work... with Legos.

Toronto has released Chad Cordero.

The Giants are planning an anti-homophobia advertisement after an outpouring of support from the fanbase.

And, finally, Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew passed away yesterday following his battle with cancer. A few tributes to pass along for the man they called "Killer". Posnanski, as usual, provides context with Killebrew's legacy. And not all tributes require words.

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Comments

EVERY GAME like this that we lose will come back and haunt us

We NEED to get above 500, but, every game that BAY BLOWS and costs us, is, another game away from 500. I still think that we can compete, but, it will be hard without Wright, Davis and Pagan. This weekend Subway Series could get the team going, I hope?

by PiazzaHOF on May 18, 2011 8:39 AM EDT reply actions

It is true that losses show up in the loss column and are not wins.

by tmu on May 18, 2011 10:20 AM EDT up reply actions

why only games that BAY BLOWS ?

why not games that OTHERS BLOW ?.

Are we going to have to create a stat to track games BLOWN by each player ?.

One day, this team is going to kill me.

by fxcarden on May 18, 2011 10:26 AM EDT up reply actions

Every game like what?

Last I checked, the Mets didn’t play a game yesterday.

Chamption of the R.A. Dickey Face contest and "Cromulent Photoshopper Extraordinaire" of Amazin' Avenue!

by Steve Schreiber on May 18, 2011 10:44 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions 1 recs

Bay blows even when they are not playing, since they didn't win it! It's fucking logic!

In lobby for: Jaime Cevallos, Zack Lutz, orange unis and Rickroll as the 7th inning song.
The Unwritten Rules of AA

by Michkin on May 18, 2011 10:45 AM EDT up reply actions

Hmm I see.

I’m not really interested in learning about Jason Bay’s personal preferences…….

Chamption of the R.A. Dickey Face contest and "Cromulent Photoshopper Extraordinaire" of Amazin' Avenue!

by Steve Schreiber on May 18, 2011 11:24 AM EDT up reply actions

Clearly, he prefers:

Eh?

by tmu on May 18, 2011 5:55 PM EDT up reply actions

We will be HAUNTED

by finishing 19.5 GB rather than 18.5 GB.

by Kepler on May 18, 2011 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions

I lobby for no more LOLlie news

Or at least have it in “Around MLB”
It’s time to cut ties.

by Guy Allen Davis on May 18, 2011 9:57 AM EDT reply actions

All these rain outs

Are KILLING my fantasy teams right now.

by SFloridaMetsFan on May 18, 2011 10:07 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

Every sentence of "MetsBlooded"

is hilarious.

by haplo on May 18, 2011 10:08 AM EDT reply actions

"It's great. I'll take that call every morning," said Evans

1 a.m. is morning?

by Guy Allen Davis on May 18, 2011 10:24 AM EDT reply actions

/facepalm

One day, this team is going to kill me.

by fxcarden on May 18, 2011 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions

He can't openly declare that he was partying all night, already celebrating his call up.

In lobby for: Jaime Cevallos, Zack Lutz, orange unis and Rickroll as the 7th inning song.
The Unwritten Rules of AA

by Michkin on May 18, 2011 10:44 AM EDT up reply actions

I believe that is what the "a.m." part means

by Balagast on May 18, 2011 10:48 AM EDT up reply actions

Stow case

I hope they catch those a-holes. It’s so ridiculous that no one has come forward yet when there were tons of people on the scene.

by David G on May 18, 2011 11:14 AM EDT reply actions

so the general consensus is that the mets prematurely called last nights game because they didnt want to play, right?

i was in NYC last night and high school teams were playing games at 9PM

"I only wanted a few things out of life -- a wife, children, to play baseball and to hunt deer." - Turk Wendell

by Rey-O on May 18, 2011 11:32 AM EDT reply actions

Same thing happened here in DC

1:00 game was called, and the skies were clear until the evening.

One time I sat through a 2+ hour rain delay for a scheduled 1:00 weekday game. It was Mets-Cardinals in June 1994. It poured for two hours, and they finally called it. The second they called it the skies cleared and no more rain, though I imagine the field may have been unplayable by that point.

Even funnier was that the rain check was for a game against the Giants in July, and I sat through 3 different rain delays for that one totaling about 4 hours. So I sat through 6 hours of rain delay to watch 2 1/2 hours of baseball – in a game the Mets lost.

Unsurprisingly I was one of those people who showed up on opening weekend after the lockout ended in April.

by dcmetsfan on May 18, 2011 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions

finally the mets fo has a workable strategy!

you can’t lose if you don’t play. brilliant!

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 18, 2011 2:24 PM EDT up reply actions

We didn't lose and nobody got injured

That’s a winning day for the Mets.

__________________________________________________
"He who gets the best players usually wins" - Bobby Bowden

by Russ on May 18, 2011 2:33 PM EDT up reply actions

Salfino thinks

the Mets might be giving up on F-Mart. Hope that’s not the case.

by haplo on May 18, 2011 12:05 PM EDT reply actions

Collins with another idiotic decision

Refuses to acknowledge Evans’ existence. Has decided to play Murphy over Evans at 1b vs. the lefty tonight. You called the kid up, let him play vs. lefties dammit, you old goat.

by David G on May 18, 2011 1:31 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs

I

by tmu on May 18, 2011 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions

WHOOOOOPS!

I’m rapidly converting to the strongly anti-Collins camp. I want to give the guy a chance to learn the team, but he seems to make very basic mistakes very consistently.

by tmu on May 18, 2011 2:23 PM EDT up reply actions

I have not liked his decisions from day 1 of the season.

I gave him slack at first, but he ran out of it fast. Maybe there is a reason why his Astros and Angels teams all seemed to land second place other than talent?

by Shevshevy on May 18, 2011 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions

It's a cliche around here, but

he really, truly, honestly seems to actively seek out situations in which to bunt. It’s like he’s bored in the dugout without bunting.

by tmu on May 18, 2011 5:57 PM EDT up reply actions

devil's advocate

Not playing a minor league bench guy to see “what he’s got” probably won’t be the dumbest thing Collins ever does. And all sarcastic overblown AA preoccupations aside, Nick Evans isn’t taking this team over the top. And by over the top, I mean the 3rd place promised land we all dream of.

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 18, 2011 2:26 PM EDT up reply actions

It's a fairly simple move

sure, he may want to see Murph against lefties and have Evans available for other duty should he PH (although he could always move off of first.) Methinks Collins likes Murph. Mehypothesizes that it has to do with his “clutch” numbers and his “blue collar” stylez.

by tmu on May 18, 2011 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions

LHs are 3 for 30 off of Gorzelanny this year

It’s not even about giving Evans playing time, it’s about making a decision that hurts your ability to score runs

There is no hope.... there is no future....there is only GRISSIONZ

The 2011 Mets- Rock bottom: We haven't reached it yet

by Syler on May 18, 2011 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions

It's about giving your team the best chance to win

Playing Evans does that. It also lets him possibly get off to a good start. Murphy has looked pretty bad vs. lefties lately. And as Bieser mentioned, he hits Hu over Murphy in big spots, but can’t play Evans? Collins is a doddering old fart with nary a clue.

by David G on May 18, 2011 4:52 PM EDT up reply actions

i'd say i detect a strong Evans bias

“giving your team the best chance to win”—i know it’s popular and ironic or something to rate Evans highly that but cmon, playing Hu is ponderous even if there was no such thing as Nick Evans.

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 18, 2011 7:11 PM EDT up reply actions

Lefties outhit righties against Gorzelanny last year

Sounds like time for some regression, so I’ll cut Terry some slack with this one.

__________________________________________________
"He who gets the best players usually wins" - Bobby Bowden

by Russ on May 18, 2011 5:57 PM EDT up reply actions

Is that sort of like "the law of averages"?

by tmu on May 18, 2011 5:58 PM EDT up reply actions

That would be it

__________________________________________________
"He who gets the best players usually wins" - Bobby Bowden

by Russ on May 18, 2011 6:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Especially bizarre given Collins' unhealthy obsession with lefty-righty matchups

See: Every pinch-hitting appearance for Chin-Lung Hu

by Bieser's Balk on May 18, 2011 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions

One other point

For his career (yes, limited to 129 at bats, but still) Evans is .322/.379/.512 vs. lefties. His .891 OPS against LHP is matched by only Carlos Beltran among all Mets players. Voltron is also exactly .891. If he’s on the team, he should start vs. any lefty they face.

by David G on May 18, 2011 5:09 PM EDT up reply actions