Good News About the Mets Being So Bad

There's always a silver lining, and the Mets being plain painful to watch has a bright side as well.

• For a change, you won't have to suffer through utter and total disappointed on the last day of September for 3 straight years
• The Mets being unwatchable frees up time for you to watch such fantastic summer shows as Wipeout and Big Brother
• You can learn a foreign language before the Mets hit their next home run
• You've never watched a double A baseball team before so now's your chance to see one on SNY...in HD!
• At least we're not the Nationals
• You can for the first time in a long time talk to your wife and children and not be distracted by a baseball game
• Gives you time to reflect back on the good ol' days when we just couldn't beat the Braves instead of not being able to beat anyone
• You suddenly have dreams of Rick Reed making a comeback
• At least K-Rod will be well rested for 2010
• Your Carlos Delgado jersey won't get any stains on it at your next BBQ
• Every 5 days you get to watch the best pitcher in baseball not get any run support
• Only 3 more years of Luis Castillo
• Whining and complaining is always much more fun than winning

Mets Should Be Ashamed

There are injuries that can't be planned for nor expected. But then there's just bad baseball. That's what the Mets are playing now. It's beyond pitiful. It's unwatchable, disgraceful and down right shameful. Let the the numbers do the talking.

Over the last 4 games the Mets have more errors than runs.
David Wright has 5 hits in his last 40 at bats.
The Mets hit into more double plays than runs scored in the last 4 games.
Mets pitchers walked in more runs on Tuesday night than the Mets have scored in the last 4 games.
Mike Pelfrey couldn't make it through the 4th inning.
The 7th & 8th hitters have more home runs than the entire Mets lineup.
No one has hit into more double plays in all of baseball than the Mets.

Heaven help us. Oliver Perez is pitching tomorrow. Prepare for more disappointment. I feel bad for those paying to watch these games.

Is It Time for HoJo to Go?

Let me preface this post by saying I realize that hitting coaches can't swing the bat for the players, but I'm starting to think that it's time for Howard Johnson to go.

I don't know how much of an impact hitting coaches have on players, especially veterans, but I can tell you that if Howard Johnson is having an impact on this bunch of Mets hitters it's not very good.

While the Mets bats continue to slumber, HoJo's name is somehow being left out of the mix. We're ready to trade Wright, Reyes & Beltran but no one is asking what the heck is HoJo doing with these players? He was supposedly brought up to the majors as a coach because of the influence he had on David Wright. Well that influence has worn out or it's starting spoil with the way Wright looks up at the plate.

This is on top of the fact that two of the Mets commentators have offered advice that HoJo should already have picked upon. Keith Hernandez mentioned on air about 3 weeks ago how Fernando Tatis has changed the way he holds his bat which is slowing down his swing. This week Darryl Strawberry was quoted as saying he mentioned to HoJo that David Wright is dropping his back shoulder on his swing which is potentially causing some problems.

Now HoJo could already be on top of both these items or maybe Tatis and Wright refuse to heed his advice, but somehow I don't think that's the case.

HoJo is not the root of the Mets problems by any means. But if you're team is horrendous at the plate and your star player whom you tutored is struggling mightily, and commentators are pointing out things you should already notice, maybe it's time for a change?

The Mets Will Be Below .500 At the All Star Break

Unless the Mets go 5-1 against the Dodgers and Reds this week, the Mets will find themselves in an unlikely place: under .500 at the All Star Break.

Few teams that are under .500 at the break, find themselves in playoff contention at the end of September. The scarier thought is that the Mets could be worse than just under .500, but more like 8 games back if they don't win one of the next two series.

The crazy part is just when you think the Mets can't spiral down any further or can't get any worse, they do. It seems like all the injured players are now not expect to return until it's almost September. The top prospects we once had dreams of are looking more like nightmares. Talk of breaking up "the core" has started earlier than expected.

All this still begs the question, what else is going to happen this year?

The answer is uncertain, but the most likely choice is "nothing good."

No Change for this Mets Team

Remember when Jerry Manuel said the key for this team was to stay around 5 games over .500 and if they fell below that the team would look at making some adjustments?

Well the Mets find themselves closer to 5 games under .500 and on the brink of a season to forget but there are no signs of change.

The Mets still don't score for Santana. There isn't a single bat in the lineup that teams are afraid of. No one can hit with runners in scoring position. And David Wright looks absolutely lost at the plate.

Getting swept by the Phillies is the least of the Mets problems. Losing 7 straight games and finding themselves 8 games out come the All Star break is looking like a real possibility.

The only thing changing for this team is that number in the loss column. And Mets fans patience.

An Unlikely W

If there was ever a game the Mets were destined to lose it was today's game against the Pirates. They were down 5 runs. They were playing a hated makeup game in between two tough series. They had Redding on the mound.

But somehow they came back.

Tatis finally produced. Church is showing Wright how to hit when it counts. Sean Green was sharp yet again. The defense was solid.

K-Rod had to make things too exciting, but was given a chance at redemption thanks to Church's single in the 10th.

I fully expected a loss today, but this team is painfully surprising at times. It's on to Philly. What waits for this team is anyone's guess, but one thing is for certain it won't be easy.

Really Big Mike Pelf

Mike Pelfrey pitched the biggest game of his career yesterday and saved the Mets from falling into utter and total despair.

Hyperbole? Perhaps, but there's no doubting how badly the Mets needed a win to forget the debacle that was the game before.

The amazing part is Pelfrey did it with zero help from the offense. Wright looked lost, yet again but thankfully Church was able to squeek a single through at just the right time to give the Mets the lone run they needed.

Solid defense and an even more solid bullpen locked up a rare victory.
On to Pittsburgh.