I've seen this episode before. Oliver Perez gets roughed up. Daniel Murphy has a misplay in left field. Carlos Beltran makes a mistake on the basepaths. Casey Fossum lets inherited runners score. Oh well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad and oh, Johan Santana is awesome. And, by the way, for those of you living in DC like me, I hope that you will agree that the National TV broadcast team of Bob Carpenter and Rob Dibble is as bad as it gets.
Meet the Mets
As alluded to in my lede, some common themes keep reappearing. Murphy is embarrassed. Ollie sucks. And Beltran doesn't slide. But, there is hope. SamT argues that Murphy is actually a defensive asset for the Mets. And, Perez's spot in the rotation is far from solid. Could Paul Byrd be the solution?
In good news, however, the Mets did take 2 of 3 from the Nationals. The two wins came from Santana, who is awesome, and Pelfrey, who appeared to regain some of last year's form.
Welcome back Figgy. Nelson Figueroa has re-signed with the Mets. That did not take long.
Good bye Casey Fossum. The Mets designated Fossum for assignment and promoted left handed specialist Ken Takahashi. Takahashi had a 0.77 ERA at AAA Buffalo.
Some more good news: Baseball America picked Reese Havens at #7 on their Hot Sheet.
Here's an update on the notorious Dwight Gooden autograph.
Keith Olbermann has some complaints about the obstructed views at Citi Field's PRESS BOX.
Around the NL East
This weekend looked like a return to normalcy in the NL East. The Marlins are in the midst of a 6 game losing streak, capped off by the 3 game sweep by the Phillies. The series included a grand slam by Shane Victorino, 7 earned runs by the Marlin closer Matt Lindstrom on Friday, and a sore back for Hanley Ramirez.
The Braves took two of three from the Reds in Cincinnati over the weekend, but placed catcher Brian McCann on the DL due to the continued blurriness in his eyes.
I can never tell if it's the Mets or if a prospect is actually good. Well, Federal Baseball thinks that Jordan Zimmerman is the man.
Around MLB
Jacoby Ellsbury stole home this weekend as the Yankees get swept by the Red Sox.
Arizona pitcher Brandon Webb is out for another six weeks as he is still recovering from his strained right shoulder.
Wait, what???? Carlos Zambrano has been a source for some strange stories this year. Here's the latest: he wants to be considered an emergency backup infielder.
Tuffy Rhodes update: Rhodes hit his 450th home run on Sunday.
And finally, Brewer closer Trevor Hoffman was activated Sunday.