Which Mets Pitcher is Most Likely to Throw a No-Hitter?

This question was posed to me this week as a few Mets fans were discussing our current pitching situation. It's a question I never really thought about because I figure some day luck will strike and a Mets pitcher will finally throw a no-hitter.

But which of our current pitchers have the best chance?

An obvious first choice would be Pedro Martinez. But I wouldn't pick him because although he still has great command and hits his spots, his stuff is not as electric as it once was. Glavine flirted with a no-hitter the other week, but again location pitchers have a tougher time with a no-hitter because they're begging hitters to swing at pitches.

I don't think John Maine will do it, but maybe he'll have a few chances as he matures as a pitcher. El Duque? El Duque can fool hitters like no one else on the Mets staff. If he's having one of those magical nights where his fast ball is 87 and his changeup is 67, he might do it.

But in my opinion he's not the Mets best shot. I think it's Oliver Perez.

To throw a no-hitter a pitcher needs his stuff to be magical, have movement, and be able to change speeds. If Perez gets his act together and is in the zone, so to speak, his stuff is potentially better than any other Mets pitcher. His fastballs have more movement than Maine's or Pedro's. His slider allows him to get hitters to swing at bad pitches. And if he can control his changeup hitters will go from a 95 mph fastball to an 85 mph changeup which is very difficult to adjust to.

Control is the big question. The second big question is if Perez can keep his head in the game and stay focused. But I think he's got a shot at a no-hitter, if (that's a big if) he can put everything together for a solid 9 innings straight.

David + Wright = MVP

David Wright showed yet again why he should be the NL MVP this year coming through with a much needed 2-run home run yesterday which turned out to be the deciding runs of the game.

I was at the game and there's really nothing better than being part of Shea crowd that holds its collective breath while the ball keeps sailing and finally lands over the left field wall. The crowd then erupts with jubilation and immediately begins to chant M-V-P. We wanted a curtain call, but David Wright is too much of a gentleman to do that in the middle of a tight contest.

Oliver Perez could have had a disappointing night if not for Wright's home run. Perez pitched a fantastic game up until the 7th inning when he made one bad pitch to Brian McCann. With the count 3-2 and 2 outs, the Shea crowd stood on its feet and started to get Perez pumped up. That's when he dug deep and fired his fastest fastball of the night. The only problem was he threw it right down the middle and McCann sent that ball out to right in a hurry.

But Wright's home run was enough to keep the Mets on top on this night. Even Heilman and Wagner pitched an uneventful 8th and 9th, except for Beltran's fantastic grab to end the game.

I want a sweep of the Braves so badly. If the weather holds, we'll see how El Duque does on his return to night.

Why Can't Brad Penny Be on the Braves?

Do the Mets love Brad Penny or what? Penny is always so nice to the Mets. Penny has become the new Randy Johnson, the stellar pitcher that the Mets seem to always beat. Penny has great stuff, but he gave up a few too many walks and had the unfortunate pleasure of dealing with uber-stud David Wright.

Wright was a man amongst boys last night. The opposite field home run he hit was pure arm strength as he flicked his bat at an outside pitch and nailed it over the right field fence. Then Wright made two spectacular plays in the field. The one where he bare-handed the ball after it bounced off Oliver Perez's glove whie moving in the opposite direction was just insane. Play of the year for the Mets so far. (kudos to Lastings' diving catch too)

But I did love the fact that Willie Randolph left Oliver Perez in the game thru 7 innings. 119 pitches, 0 runs, 3 hits, 6 K's. Stellar performance. Of course the bullpen came in and gave up 2 runs and scared the pants off me that they were going to blow this game, but it all worked out.

Perez still needs to cut down on his walks, but his fastball/change up combo was working, and he showed the ability to get out of tight spots.

El Duque goes this afternoon. Let's get another streak going.

A Tale of Two Feelings

In Charles Dickens novel, A Tale of Two Cities, he starts with an iconic line that pretty much sums up last night's game as well as the entire series against the Padres. Dickens writes:

"It was the best of times. It was the worst of times."

Yeah, that pretty much sums it up for me. Last night's emotional roller coaster of a game saw both highs and lows. From the lows of Tom Glavine's pitching performance to the highs of Marlon Anderson's home run. From the highs of tying the game in the ninth to the lows of Heilman giving up a home run in the tenth.

These comeback rallies feel like October baseball, but what makes me feel uncomfortable is that we're losing these games. And our bullpen is completely unreliable. Even Wagner has stumbled. I think Guillermo Mota has some bad pitching disease that is infectious and is spreading throughout the bullpen. The only remedy is to purge the host! Sorry, I'll calm down.

I love these exciting games, but only when we WIN them. The Padres are a tough team with excellent pitching, but the Mets had too many opportunities to win the past two ball games that I can excuse their performance because of the strength of the competition.

I'm a man torn. My only hope is a win tonight from Oliver Perez.

Mets 8 Twins 1

Finally some runs! After smacking 15 hits for 8 runs, the Mets get a "W". Carlos Delgado busted out with a home run, Carlos Beltran hit the ball real hard and had a rope double, Reyes had 3 hits. The big key tonight were the 2 out, RBI hits that were virtually non-exisistant over the last two weeks. Those 2-out hits were the signature of the team last year and it was nice to see them back to form tonight.

John Maine, now 7-4, was impressive once again, throwing 7 shut out innings to lower his ERA to 2.90. Both Maine and Perez should be considered for the All-Star game as they can easily have 10 victories a piece.

Mets Back on Track?

I feel good this moring. Last night, obviously, was a huge win. We snapped our losing streak, we took the first game of the series against the hated Yanks, and we picked up a game on the surging Phillies. (Braves won, however). And while the offense continued to struggle, there was something about that game that leads me to beleive the Mets are going to get out of this funk.

No coincidence that Reyes jump started the team last night. Going 3 for 3, with 3 SBs and a moon -shot off the facade of the upper deck, Jose's complete offesnive package was on display. I expect him to start dominating again. Oliver Perez continues to have a fine season, having beaten the Yanks for a second time this year. Perez is coming up big this season: 5 of his seven wins are against the Yanks and the Braves.

I believe the Mets will play loose today, and that tightness and sloppy play will be exorcised. There's something about it, a feeling I have, that tells me they will carry this little momentum into another good run. Get one of the next two games, win the series, and get back to Shea where we will begin taking our rightful place as the National League's best team.