Parnell, Pagan and Pitching

The three P's to the Mets victory last night were Parnell, Pagan and solid relief pitching.

I'm not one of those people who thinks Parnell is the great white hope for the Mets pitching staff. In fact I think Parnell should stay in the bullpen. I think the Mets might be making the same mistake the Yankees made with Joba in that you had a young guy who could be a solid closer some day and now you're throwing him into the starting rotation.

But last night that didn't matter. Parnell was throwing some serious gas well into his 85 pitch count limit. He had good control and looked like a different person from his last start. In this season of depression, it's nice to see a bright spot find its way to shine on the Mets if even for a day.

Pagan wanted redemption from his benching this past week and found it in his first at bat as he crushed a high fastball to left field. Oddly enough Pagan finds Citi Field to be a home run hitter's park as he hasn't hit a homer anywhere else. I really want Pagan to be a good every day player. I saw it in him last year and this year, but I don't know if it's for real yet.

And finally the bullpen sealed the deal with another great outing from Brian Stokes and KRod. We expect a solid outing every time from KRod so that's no surprise, but Stokes has come a long way since April and May. I was ready to give up on Stokes, but I think Jerry Manuel's confidence in him has caused Stokes to respond in a positive way. He looks sharp. Throws strikes. And most importantly doesn't back down off of throwing his fastball.

I'm actually feeling good about a Mets game. Who knew that was possible this year? Santana today at 4 pm on FOX.

Duaner Sanchez: Coulda Been a Contender

Oh Duaner, Duaner, Duaner. He's not quite the Greg Jeffries of the Mets bullpen, but he's fallen just as far off the Mets radar as Jeffries did back in the early 90's.

A guy who was once considered a possible replacement for Billy Wagner is now no longer employed. The Mets today announced that they released Duaner Sanchez and broke the news to him this morning so he could enjoy his afternoon in Port St. Lucie taking in the sights.

I do fully expect Sanchez to get picked up by another major league team, specifically the Brewers. Come on, he's one of Willie's "guys." What better bullpen could you ask for than Mota & Sanchez in the 8th & 9th innings?

In any case, Duaner Sanchez has been a huge letdown ever since that ill-fated cab ride he took a couple years back that ended his season in 2006. If you think about it, that cab ride started the downward spiral for the Mets. They were forced to trade Nady for another reliever. Nady goes on to be a fantastic outfielder while the Mets bullpen continues to implode and they lack a reliable person to play in left field. Ah, the irony.

With Sanchez headed to unemployment, it looks like Brian Stokes will probably fill his spot in the bullpen, but with the additions of Putz & K-Rod, Sanchez's role was not what it once would have been. The same can be said for his career.