ESPN's Bad First Half Moments Starring Your New York Mets

So SportsCenter did a "Not Top 10" segment featuring the worst plays in the first half of the baseball season. One team stands out - your New York Mets. Three of the top ten most embarrassing plays star the Mets with Luis Castillo taking the #1 spot. And they didn't even include the Ryan Church missing third base in the mix.

Let's pray we've left these behind us.

Church for Francoeur

'Been listening to the radio and reading the blogs and it appears the consesus on the Church for Francoeur deal is mixed. Some like, some don't. I actually like it. I mean, I don't love it, I don't hate it, but I like it. I know one thing, I am somewhat more intrigued to watch this team play tonight with Francouer in the lineup. This offense has been putrid so any change is welcome in my eyes. Plus, let's face it, Church only had 23 RBIs. 23! He was quite simply, dispensable. Is anyone really going to miss Ryan Church? Nice guy, hard-nosed player for sure, but after he inexplicably (the game was pretty much over) ran head first into Escobar last year and suffered a second concussion, he was reduced to an average player from then on. I always thought he would recover and return to the form he exhbited those first two monhts of the season last year but unfortunately he never recaptured it.

As for Francoeur, he's still only 25. Five years younger than Church, and truthfully, he's more productive, even if he has a huge hole in his swing. He has a lot more upaisde for sure, and hey, if he doesn't work out, so be it.

What I really would have liked to have seen Omar do is acquire Alex Rios from Toronto. I know he makes alot of money, and that's the biggest reason why he's available but I think this is where Omar misses the boat as far as managing a budget.

When you have budget to work with, and in this case, let's say it's $145 million, it's not so much about what you're paying per player but rather what you've spent on the whole team. The same way Omar missed the boat on both Derek Lowe and Orlando Hudson, he may do the same by not getting Rios. You think right now, Omar would add Hudson to this team for $3,8M if he was available as a free agent? Or what about Lowe instead of Ollie and Tim Redding? Since combined, they make the same as Lowe. Uh....yeah. That't what I mean when managing a budget.

So I would have talked to the Jays and depending on how motivated they are to move Rios (I hear very motivated by the way), I would asked them to eat $1-$2 million a year off his contract and traded Church to them. That way, you get Church's $2.8M off the books, and you get Rios (who is due to make $12M per) at $10M per year (Jays picking up $2M) and your net for Rios is actually $7M-$8M per. That's not bad actually. I know Rios hasn't lived up to his potential, but, he's still more productive than anyone on the Mets right now. Think about that.

So Long Ryan Church, Hello Jeff Francoeur

I always thought Ryan Church would break out into a solid, reliable player. If he didn't have those concussions last year, I think he would have been a different player. I think he got a raw deal in New York and I hate to think of any Mets player going to the Braves and haunting us for years to come.

Here's the word from Buster Olney at ESPN:

Citi Field: Home Run Haven

You would have thought the game was being played in Philadelphia. A total of 6 home runs were hit last night and ended up being the only way the Mets could score against the Phils on Tuesday night.

Wright, Beltran & the newly returned Ryan Church all hit blasts to give the Mets a much need win against the division leading Phillies.

Johan Santana was not on his A game and I was fearful that the Mets would continue their habit of not giving him run support, but that was not the case. The Mets should have scored 8 or 9 runs, but the bottom half of the order is extremely light on "clutch" and it showed.

But really the key to this game was the bullpen. Santana gave up all 5 runs, but Parnell, Felciano, & KRod were able to help out Santana and lock down the Phillies power bats to close out a 1 run victory.

What a difference a year makes. Another game tonight, and I'm hoping the Mets can take 2 out of 3 before the Yanks come in on the weekend.

A Tragedy of Errors

5 errors. Scratch that. 6 errors, counting Ryan Church's inability to touch all the bases.

It's bad enough that you have to stay up after midnight to watch your team lose, but to have to watch them lose in this fashion is not quite waterboarding, but it's close.

I was all prepared to post this morning about how Tim Redding is ex-Met Rick White reincarnated, but I can't complain at all about Redding's performance. He walked a few batters more than he should have, but basically gave up one hit and two runs over 6 innings.

Redding got a taste of life as Johan Santana as his supporting cast fell down around him.

The corner outfielders must really be getting annoyed with Carlos Beltran. It's like he's trying to catch every ball out there. I blame him for the error in the 11th inning. Pagan had control of that ball, but Beltran comes flying over so Pagan backs off and the ball falls inbetween them. Settle down Beltran.

Jeremy Reed's error is going to happen from time to time. He's not first baseman and these are the risks you take with fill-ins.

But Ryan Church. Oh, Ryan, Ryan, Ryan. How on earth do you miss third base? And if you do miss the bag isn't your first instinct to go back and touch it? Inexcusable.

Craig Carton brought up an interesting point this morning in the fact that Jerry Manuel didn't bother to come out of the dugout and argue. That is odd. Jerry is a guy who's not afraid to argue. This was the most pivotal call of the game and not even a peep from the animated Manuel.

Carton chalked it up to the manager's dislike for Church which is evident in Church's loss of playing time, but I'm not sure if it's distaste for Church that caused Manuel not to argue or if he was just in utter shock like I was.

Nobody wins games after committing six errors. It's impossible. Fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals. The Mets need a clinic on their off day and a shrink to get their heads back in the game.

Is Luis Castillo the Key to the Mets Lineup?

We know what to expect from Reyes, Wright & Beltran. If they don't produce, the team is in a world of hurt. We even know what to expect, for the most part, from Carlos Delgado. If he doesn't produce...again, world of hurt.


So who is the key to the Mets lineup in order for them to get over the proverbial "hump?" Sadly, it might be Luis Castillo.

I've heard some say Ryan Church, which is a decent argument. If he continues to hit well and we see the same type of produciton we saw last April/May last this entire season, Church gives you a nice RBI bat in the middle of the lineup to compliment Delgado.

I don't think the key is Church because we've got a potentially adequate bat behind him in Gary Sheffield. If Church doesn't produce, Sheffield may very well step in and improve on Church's production.

I don't think it's Daniel Murphy because he's a young player sandwiched between Reyes & Wright. He's not the key when you have two MVP candidates acting as bookends for him in the batting order.

Here's why I think it might be Luis Castillo. Castillo bats 8th (as he should), but the bottom of the Mets lineup is painful. If Church struggles you potentially have automatic outs in the 6-9 spots in the order. Even if Church is on his game Schneider, Castillo and the pitcher's spot are as easy an out as you'll find in the NL East.

But if Castillo can get going, it could lead to more run production and the ability of the Mets to turn over the lineup more often so their big bats can get more chances for production. If Castillo shows he can start to get on base and draw walks, I'd even move him to the 9 spot. Pull a little Tony LaRussa.

If Castillo proves to be the same guy as last year the Mets have some serious decisions to make. The bottom of the order is abominable. Do you move Murphy down there just to break it up a bit? Do you cut ties with Castillo and bring up a minor leaguer?

So many questions, very little answers at this point in the season. I'm willing to give Castillo until May to start to show me some rays of hope that he might be an asset to the ballclub. If not, we're looking at 3 guaranteed outs at the bottom of the order.

What's the Deal with all the Mets Injuires?

I know spring training is the time when you have to "work the kinks out," but this is getting ridiculous. It seems like every other Mets player is injured in spring training. What are these guys doing during the offseason?

Castillo is banged up (expected), Church (ok), Pagan (not again), Pelfrey (please, no), and Santana (make it stop). Someone tell David Wright and Jose Reyes to stay away from the other players because this is becoming contagious.

The good news is it's only spring training. Still time to recover, but I think Ryan Church should wear a football helmet everywhere he goes just to make sure he avoids banging his head on something again.

What To Do With Pagan?

I like Angel Pagan. It was this time last year that I was first introduced to him while watching Mets spring training games. He's got speed, a decent glove and, through the early parts of the 2008 season, a bat.

But Pagan's injury last season may have sent his time with the Mets into a tailspin. He went from being the every day left fielder to practically forgotten. Now he's back and the early reports from Port St. Lucie show that he's healthy. Kevin Burkhardt even went so far as to call him a "freak" because of the athletic abilities he was showcasing on the field this spring.

Now Manuel has come out early and said that Daniel Murphy is more than likely his every day left fielder and Ryan Church his right fielder with Tatis playing the role of super-sub. I'm sure Pagan will also fill-in off the bench, but to me Pagan is a guy who will suffer on the bench. He needs that everyday rythmn to get things going. He's not an Endy Chavez type of player and I think he would be more productive in an everyday role.

But what can you do about it? I wouldn't sit Murphy if he plays like he has shown us last season. I'd definitely start Church if he continues to play like the pre-concussion Church of early '08.

So Pagan pulls the short straw. Crazy things happen in baseball. Injuries, slumps, etc. can change the best laid plans. I hope none of that happens, but I am curious to see if Angel Pagan can produce like the player I saw in April 2008.

Corner Outfielders: Feast or Famine?

While many a Mets fan has made the argument for the Mets to get a corner outfielder (say Manny Ramirez?) the Mets may actually have some depth in the corners. Ok, pick yourself off the floor and try to control your laughter. I did say the Mets MAY have depth there, then again they might not.

Last year in April and May we saw some significant offensive output from both Ryan Church and Angel Pagan. The two were probably off to their best starts in their entire careers until injuries derailed their seasons. The question is whether or not what we saw out of these two was the real deal or just a flash in the pan. Chances are it was just a flash in the pan, but you never know when someone's season gets cut short.

Then you have the super subs, Daniel Murphy and Fernando Tatis. Both of these guys became fan favorites and showed the ability to produce in the clutch. I was one of the people who couldn't believe Fernando Tatis was our every day left fielder, but I quickly found him to be one of the few guys in the lineup that could hit in the clutch.

Now chances are we'll never see a year like that from Tatis ever again, but you never know. Everyone is high on Daniel Murphy these days, but will his sophmore season show us some improvement or will he struggle like many second year players do.

These are all major question marks, but if things go our way (which they rarely do) we ccould have better outfielders than we originally thought.

Would I still like to see the Mets sign Manny to a one or two year deal? Aboslutely.

Rain, Rincon and Redemption

Last night was more than likely my last visit to Shea Stadium. My dad got tickets Wednesday morning and by the time Wednesday at 11 p.m. rolled around I didn't feel like going. Then I saw the weather forecast and I really didn't feel like going.

But as a Mets Lifer, we go to games rain or shine in good times and in bad. Unfortunately Pedro Martinez was starting whom I have no confidence in and he didn't let me down because he gave up a 2 run bomb in the first inning.

The rain started to fall and even though the Mets tied up the game there was this sense that the Mets were going to fold again. But Pedro looked to be in control after the first few innings, and when he exited in the 7th inning everyone in the stadium was up on their feet for a standing ovation. Pedro deserved it.

And then came Ricardo Rincon. One pitch. One stinkin' pitch and Rincon gave up a 3 run blast to the hottest hitter on the planet last night, some guy named Hoffenhoofer or whatever. I've been to games before and heard booing. I think Armando Benitez and Aaron Heilman are tied for the worst boos I've ever heard, but last night Rincon topped them all. You could just feel the anger and venom from the Shea faithful at having to watch this BLOWpen screw up another chance at victory. It was nasty, but not undeserved.

Then came the slide. I'm not sure how Ryan Church accomplished it, but it doesn't matter. He was safe and there was opportunity for redemption in the form of Carlos Beltran.

Shea erupted with a mixed concoction of relief and euphoria as the Mets were able to exorcise the demons of Wednesday night and keep themselves in the playoff chase. I love it when you're walking out of Shea after a game and the fans are still chanting "Let's go Mets!"

Whether or not the Mets are successful this weekend, I have to say that the last game I saw at Shea may have been the best one yet.

The Surge

Round up the troops. It's time for a September surge, and boy did the Mets ever get one on Tuesday.

There were home runs galore in Tuesday night's game. Ryan Church, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado (twice) all went yard. David Wright even came up with a timely hit. And Damion Easley even had 2 RBI.

The key to the game was the fact that the surge of base hits kept coming. The usual plan for the Mets is to score runs early and not do anything late in the game. But against the Nats the Mets were able to keep the runs coming and overcome a tough outing for Oliver Perez.

The bullpen, amazingly, only gave up on earned run and Luis Ayala asserted himself as the official closer polishing off the Nats in the ninth.

Just when you thought there was nothing else to say about the performance of Carlos Delgado, he gives you more reason to praise him. Delgado now has 35 home runs and 103 RBI. He also has 4 home runs in the last two games and has changed his initials to MVP. The day after I post that the odds are against him to win MVP, he shows me exactly what he thinks of my predictions.

Sometimes I love it when I can be proven wrong. The Mets now have a 2.5 game lead over the Phillies and don't look now, but both Beltran and Delgado are on fire.

I Smell Trouble

The Mets lost a heartbreaker on Friday night. It was heartbreaking because the Mets had so many "almost" moments.

Mike Pelfrey pitched a gem, but had the bad luck of an error in the first inning that allowed a run to score. Then in the 7th, Ryan Church almost robbed Brian Dobbs of a home run that gave the Phillies a 3 run lead.

Daniel Murphy appeared to be the only Mets player who showed up to play last night. He doubled twice, but both times was left on base with no thanks to David Wright. Speaking of Wright how on earth can he be second in the NL in RBI when he's batting .234 with runners in scoring position?

In typical Mets fashion the Mets teased us with the possibility of a 9th inning comeback when Wright & Delgado both got on base to bring the tying run to the plate. But Beltran swung at ball 4 to fly out to left and Ryan Church hit a bomb to center that just didn't have enough to out run Shane Victorino.

All this is making feel like trouble is around the corner.

Saturday's game has an 80% chance of being rained out which means a day/night doubleheader on Sunday. The Mets are notoriously bad at doubleheaders and the potential of getting swept is a real possibility. Pedro is slated to pitch on Saturday and we know that Cole Hamels is pitching on Sunday.

The Mets just need to win one game this series. That would leave them 2 games up on the Phils with the Nationals coming to town on Monday. Stealing the first game of the series is huge for the Phils. If the Mets would have won they would be 4 games up and be able to play more relaxed over the weekend.

But this is a "tightrope team." Why should we expect anything to be easy?

Back to Church

It's not Sunday, but the Mets will be looking for Church tonight.

That's right, Ryan Church will be appearing in the Mets lineup tonight and is actually slated to start in right field against the Astros.

This is a moment that the Mets, Mets Lifers, and Ryan Church has been anxiously awaiting since he went on the DL back on July 8th. This should give Fernando Tatis some well deserved rest, but I hope Jerry Manuel looks to keep Tatis' bat fresh.

I'm thinking that Church will only play 5 or 6 innings at a time as the Mets look to ease him back into everyday play. It will be good to see Church in blue and orange again.

Welcome back.

Who Do You Miss the Most?

Go ahead and look at a copy of the original roster for the New York Mets at the start of the season. Now look at the current roster. It's like watching a sequal where all the actors are different from the original.

Which made me ask the question who do you miss the most? Let' see:

Willie Randolph? Nope
Rick Peterson? Not at all. Just ask Oliver Perez.
Moises Alou? Old man Moses. Yup, we'll miss his RBI.
Angel Pagan? Wow, he played for the Mets this year.
Jorge Sosa? I'll miss him like a migraine.
Nelson Figueroa? I think I miss his dad in the luxury box more than him.
Luis Castillo? Wait, he's still on the roster?
Raul Cassanova? I think we need another catcher on the bench.
Matt Wise? Who?

And those are the guys I can name off the top of my head. I'm sure there's more, but the one guy who I miss the most is Ryan Church. This guy started off the season hot, I mean, habenero hot. To have him go down with a head injury may have been the biggest blow to this Mets team.

Church was on track for a 30 homer, 100 RBI season. He was making up the gap that Delgado and Beltran were leaving behind. Now with Delgado on track and Wright starting to get hot again, having that extra power bat in the lineup would make up a world of difference.

Now on the flip side if Church was playing this whole season we might not have seen Fernando Tatis become the ultimate Super Sub. Nick Evan and Dan Murphy might still be playing in the Double. And who knows Willie Randolph might still be manager.

But I can honestly say that if Ryan Church can come back in September and be productive this team will be in a much better than there are now. And we're only 2 games out.

Is It Time to Bat Carlos Beltran Second?

The Mets have a bunch of holes they need to fill to make a run to the playoffs. We all know we need a corner outfielder, some relief pitching, but one issue we also need to deal with is who's batting #2 in the order.

Luis Castillo, at one time, was the perfect #2 hitter in the lineup. I think we all realize those days are over. Argenis Reyes is a nice fit for a few games, but not a guy you want hitting there in a pennant race in September. Ryan Church started off the season in that spot, but has since been moved to more of a power position as a #5 hitter.

So I ask the question, is it time for Carlos Beltran to bat second? I think it might be.

Carlos Delgado has gotten new contacts, found the fountain youth, or finally bought Fred McGriff's intructional baseball tapes and turned his season around. He's actually batting cleanup now which is almost impossible to think about, but if his performance continues to remain strong he's a legitimate cleanup hitter.

We all know Reyes will leadoff, and we don't want to move David Wright from the 3 spot. Now Beltran has been batting 5th the last few games, but I think that's too far down in the order for him. Plus if the Mets pickup a corner outfielder and if Church returns to the lineup either of those options will probably bat 5th.

Beltran could be the perfect #2 hitter for the Mets. He's got power. He's got speed. Whether you like it or not, he can lay down a bunt. If Beltran is batting second, he's an experienced enough hitter to take some pitches to allow Reyes a chance to steal a base. He also draws a ton of walks. Not to mention he's a doubles machine which could allow for some early RBI chances if Reyes is on first base and has the ability to score from there.

Also, Beltran should see a lot more fastballs in that position, especially if Reyes is on base, and he won't be pitched around to get to David Wright. Plus it would give Beltran more opportunities to steal a base, which I think he doesn't do nearly as much as he should.

If memory serves correctly I believe Beltran batted second for the Astros in their playoff run a few years back when Beltran looked like Roy Hobbs from The Natural.

Beltran is not a guy who gets affected by being moved around in the lineup so I think it's worth testing out. I'm confident that his OBP and RBI numbers would see a spike if he moved up in the order. A first four lineup of Reyes, Beltran, Wright, and a hot Delgado is a pitcher's nightmare, and it gives the Mets a better chance to ge those much needed early runs.

Second Half Predictions

It's time to gaze into the Mets Lifer crystal ball and share with you predictions of the Mets second half that are guaranteed to come true:

1. Moises Alou will not play another game for the New York Mets this year.
2. Luis Castillo will walk with the limp of a three-legged caribou.
   
3. Ryan Church will become a spokesperson for Tylenol.
   
4. Billy Wagner will blow a save in a game that really does count.
5. I will hate Tim McCarver more with each passing morning.
6. The Mets will wear those silly navy blue hats even though they look stupid.
7. Matt Wise will be asked for ID upon arriving at Shea Stadium.
8. Omar Minaya will take 15 minutes to answer one simple question before the trading deadline.
9. Mike Francesa will recommend the Mets trade Jose Reyes for no good reason.
10. Chris Russo will moronically agree with #9.
11. Jerry Maneul will drop kick an umpire if the Mets get another blown home run call against them.
12. Wayne Hagin will be responsible for an accident on the NJ Parkway because a Mets fan fell asleep while listening to his broadcast.
13. The names, Matt Holliday and Xavier Nady, will be uttered more times than Marlon Anderson and Scott Schoenweis.
14. People will continue to lie and claim that they will miss Shea Stadium. (Three words: Shea Stadium bathrooms)
15. Ron Darling will star in yet another Sovereign Bank commercial where the actor playing the employee will not know whether to pronounce it "Sov-rin" or "Sov-ern" bank.
    

A Win and a Struggling Maine

The Mets came back to win last night. An unprecedented 6 run explosion in the 8th and 9th innings allowed the Mets to beat the Phillies in Philadelphia.

The Mets blew plenty of opportunities to win earlier but I guess we can't complain about a win against the Phils. We'll take them any way we can get them at this point.

The downpoint of the game was Maine's pitching and Ryan Church's early exit. Maine struggled on Monday and today he looked to be struggling again. Then of course he left the game because of some arm discomfort which can't be a good sign. Think of the Mets rotation without Maine. It's a painful thought. The Mets need Maine more than they need Pedro Martinez.

Ryan Church appears to be ok as he left due to a migraine, which he's had problems with since he was in high school. Still dizziness and headaches from a guy who's just had two concussions within 3 months is always nerve racking.

I've said before that a split of the series with the Phils would be a victory in my mind. Losing three of four would be devastating. Winning three of four would be a class A miracle. But thtat's why they play the games.

Ryan Church is on the DL

While many Mets Lifers would agree that Oliver Perez is the real head case on the Mets, it looks like Ryan Church's head injuries will put him on the DL.

His DL assignment is retroactive to last Friday so he could potentially be back by June 20th.

Head injuries are frightening to me and the replay of the spill Church took against Atlanta is just horrendous to me. We wish you a speedy recovery Ryan Church.

Meanwhile, who will the Mets bring in to replace Church? It could be Alou. It could be another catcher. It could be some has been who we charitably decided to give another chance. Who knows.

Mets Stay Hot

Jose Reyes is officially locked in (2-5, double, 2 runs scored, SB). David Wright is getting more consistent (3-4, 2 RBI) and Carlos Beltran (another HR) is really heating up. Oh, and Johan threw 7 2/3 innings of 1 run ball giving the Mets their 5th win in their last 6 games.

This, Mets Lifers, is what the Mets are capable of. If these guys continue to play the way they’re supposed to, this team should make the post season. For the first time all year, I’m starting to feel confident in them and I’m looking forward to each new game.

By the way, welcome back Ryan Church, who returned to the starting lineup with a flurry, going 3-4 with a homer and a double. Nice to see…although, I have to admit, he still looks a little groggy, watching him walk around in the dugout. Be that as it may, he didn’t miss a beat and continues to impress.

Perez has to keep it going in San Fran and then hopefully (pray) Pedro can stay healthy and stabilize this rotation.

Ryan Church Still Out

During Tuesday night's SNY broadcast, Kevin Burkhardt remarked that Ryan Church was not even in the ballpark on Tuesday.

Church had an MRI and a CAT scan (yikes) to check if there was any brain damage. Fortunately there was nothing wrong, but Chuch still feels very dizzy. Doctors have recommended that he get lots of rest and stay out of the light.

So it look like the Mets best hitter this season will be out at least until the end of the week. Ryan Church we wish you a speedy recovery. Head injuries are not something you want to mess with.

For now, Nick Evan good luck.