What a game! I was at the game yesterday afternoon and got a chance to meet five other writers for MetsGeek.com who live on the East coast. We all decided before the season to get tickets to this game, figuring it would be Pedro's home opener. It was great to finally put faces to all of the names, even though only two of us brought "FREE HEATH BELL" signs. Some notes on the game.
- Pedro threw three wild pitches in the game, two in the first inning that led to a Marlins run. My girlfriend, who was sitting next to me, exclaimed after the second wild pitch, "Why are they doing this? Are they supposed to be this bad?" I just kind of shrugged.
- Al Leiter received a hearty round of boos when he took the mound. This was mostly a reaction to the circumstances under which he left the team. He was obviously slighted by the deal Omar Minaya offered him and subsequently took off the table, and Leiter made some remarks in the paper and allegedly spoke badly of the team and the city to Carlos Delgado. Leiter surely deserved applause for this pitching record as a Met as well as his involvement in the local community. Unfortunately, as Gary Cohen pointed out, it was what he said as he walked out the door that left the most lasting impression.
- Carlos Delgado was mercilessly booed every time he came to the plate. He managed three strikeouts in his three at-bats against Pedro, though one of them ended on a wild pitch which left Delgado safe at first and Luis Castillo safe at home.
- Pedro pitched seven strong innings, allowing just those two runs and striking out nine while walking one. His ERA stands at 2.45, with a 12.3 K/9, 1.6 BB/9, 7.5 K/BB and a WHIP of 0.55 (8 hits and 4 walks in 22.0 innings). Throw away that first inning in Cincinnati and his numbers would be even more ridiculous.
- Piazza continues to creep back towards respectability, driving in another run (would have been two if not for a ground-rule double), raising his average to .200, which is still pedestrian.
- Victor Diaz picked up that huge two-out double in the bottom of the ninth, and is now hitting .320/.452/.400. The OBP is outstanding, obviously, though is ISO is only .080, so hopefully he'll start picking up a few more extra-base hits.
- Chris Woodward batting fifth was absurd, though he went 0-for-2 with a walk (not terrible) and of course the Mets won, which helps.
- The Mets need Cliff Floyd back quickly because they are getting zero offensive production out of left field. Eric Valent, Marlon Anderson, and now Chris Woodward aren't hitting a lick out there (though Anderson is flourishing as a pinch hitter).
- Wright continues to struggle, going 0-for-3 with a walk.
- Braden Looper sucks. It's early still, but I have no confidence in him coming in to close a game. He's not striking out batters, he's getting battered around, and it's not pretty. The Mets may need to come up with something else here (like promoting AAA closer Heath Bell?), though trading Yusmeiro Petit for Dannys Baez is most definitely not the answer, as Jon Heyman might have you believe.