Check out my review of the bullpen.
-- ROTATION --Tom Glavine -- 7.5
Cmt: Glavine was terrific in April and May and has been mediocre in June and July. Check out his ERA, K/9 and H/9 splits:
MONTH ERA SO/9 H/9 April 2.29 7.09 7.09 May 2.94 7.75 7.22 June 4.93 3.89 11.16 July 4.76 5.56 15.88Glavine has gotten enough run support to keep his loss total down, but he has allowed four runs or more in five of his last eight starts. Whatever he figured out after the All Star break last year I hope he figures out again, because the way he has pitched of late will catch up to him sooner or later, and later might be in the postseason, which is never a good thing.
Orlando Hernandez -- 7
Cmt: If you think the rank is too high, consider this: if we throw out El Duque's June 24th debacle in Toronto in which he allowed six runs in 1.2 innings, here is what he has done with the Mets:
ERA 3.07 WHIP 1.18 SO/9 7.16 BB/9 2.66Pretty solid, actually. It's easy to throw out one start to prove my point, though I don't think it's ridiculous to suggest that he might have had one terrible day. Hernandez hit two batters in less than two innings in that game, compared to a single hit batsman in his other seven Mets starts combined. I'm definitely willing to give him a bit of rope to see what he can do with it, because the above numbers paint the portrait of a very capable #3 starter.
John Maine -- INC
Cmt: There's a lot to like about Maine. He hasn't exactly been lights out in his two starts since returning to the Mets, but he has been decent, striking out 8.4 batters per nine and walking just 2.5. His homerun rate is skewed by the three solo shots he allowed against the Marlins, and we're only talking 10.2 innings right now.
Pedro Martinez -- 8.5
Cmt: Pedro had a 6.23 ERA in June, allowing 30 hits in 25 innings including five homeruns. In April and May his ERA was 2.50 and he allowed just 44 hits in 75.2 innings. He's on this disabled list right now with a sore hip, so let's hope that it's the hip that caused his June swoon. The Mets have a big lead in the East so now is definitely as good a time as any for their ace to take a short hiatus to clean his wounds.
Mike Pelfrey -- INC
Cmt: Pelfrey was erratic in his one start but was the fortunate beneficiary of 17 runs of Mets' offense. Even from just one start it's easy to see why he is so well-regarded: his stuff is nasty. He had a lot of problems spotting his breaking balls but he throws cheese and is a huge part of this team's future.
Steve Trachsel -- 6.5
Cmt: The 6.5 might be generous. Trachsel's only plus pitch is his splitter, but he has to be ahead in the count in order to use it. His low-nineties fastball and nothing curveball are hardly enough to get big league hitters out. He gives up a ton of hits, too many walks and rarely strikes batters out. His 46-to-44 strikeout-to-walk ratio is embarrassing and his 8-4 record epitomizes the argument against using won-loss record as any sort of meaningful analytical tool. He's a capable #5 starter and an atrocious #3. A championship-caliber team needs to do better than Trachsel in the middle of their rotation, and I shudder at the thought of him pitching an important postseason game against an offensive powerhouse.