Payback

Tonight starts a 3 game series with the bottom feeding Padres. This my friends must be payback time.

Sometimes I think the Mets players don't have as long as memory as the Mets Lifers, but this time I think the Padres sweep in San Diego has to be weighing on the players minds. Those 3 games were some of the most painful losses of the season, and we've had a lot of them.

The Mets are short handed and injured. They're on a losing streak and not hitting well with runners in scoring position. So this is the perfect time for some grudges and vengeance to be unleashed on the lowly Padres.

Nothing less than a sweep is acceptable. I don't care who's pitching, who's playing left field and who's hurt. These are 3 games we have to win against possibly the second worst team in the National League.

I want payback.

Mental Toughness is the Missing Ingredient

A left fielder. A right handed bat off the bench. Significant bullpen help.

These are all things the Mets need, but I know the biggest thing the Mets are lacking is mental toughness. Tiger Woods has it. Michael Jordan had it. The Phillies are looking like they have it.

I just watched the end of the Philles/Cardinals game on ESPN. Down 2-1 in the 8th, the Phillies score 4 runs in the 8th to take the lead. Then with the score 5-2 in the 9th, Brad Lidge gives up a leadoff home run, gives up another run, and loads the bases with 1 out. But you know what? The Phillies got out of it and won 5-4.

Now let me ask you, what would have happened if that was Billy Wagner on the mound? I think we all know the answer to that. But it's not all Wagner's fault either. The Phillies took advantage of opportunities and made the most of them. How many times did we have the bases loaded on Sunday and didn't score a run? Twice. You can't get 9 or more hits in a game and not score a run without falling asleep mentally.

The Mets are a team without mental toughness. Try and name the most mentally tough player on the team? You can't. Honestly, it's probably Fernando Tatis or Carlos Delgado. But we've all seen Reyes, Beltran and Wright just look lost in tight situations. That won't get you anywhere in a pennant race.

Actually it will get you somewhere. It gets you 3 games back of first place (and counting) when just 5 days before you held sole possession of the top spot.

The Winds of Change are Gusting

The Mets are no longer in first place. Their proclaimed everyday left fielder is no longer playing left field. Their starting rotation now has huge holes. And the oldest team in the NL now has 4 rookies on their roster.

All this happened in the span of a week.

Welcome to life as a Mets Lifer in 2008. John Maine is now headed for the DL leaving an enormous gap in the starting rotation. Pedro is unreliable. The Mets refuse to win for Johan Santana. Mike Pelfrey is having to deal with making adjustments midway through a season. And unbelievably Oliver Perez is the most reliable starter.

You want to know the crazy thing? The starting rotation isn't the biggest problem. As you well know, here at Mets Lifers we've  been preaching about the Mets need for bullpen help since April. So what does Mets management do about it? Nothing. Well, actually today they called up Eddie Kunz from the minors to hopefully invigorate a beleaguered bullpen that can't close a game to save their lives.

Kunz will be the 4th rookie on the roster joining recent call-up Dan Murphy, Nick Evans, and Argenis Reyes.

Why has the team's situation changed so drastically in the last week? Because it's the Mets and this it what they do. Be prepared for a long stretch of games coming our way. We're playing some of the worst teams in the NL over the next two weeks and the Mets desperately need another win streak to right this ship. This team should handedly beat the Padres, Pirates, and Nationals over the next 14 days, but that doesn't mean they will.

The sad part is even with all this change, it's not the change the Mets need. The right type of change is spelled B-U-L-L-P-E-N-H-E-L-P.

Back to Reality

Well, it was nice while it lasted. Everything was going nicely; a 10 game winning streak, 2 out of 3 against the Phillies and a 2 game lead in first. Now, just one week later, the Mets have lost four games to the Phillies in the standings and now find themselves 2 back.

All because of this absolutely dreadful bullpen, which includes all of the same suspects from last year’s humiliating debacle. The more you think about it, the more outrageous it is that the teams’ Achilles heal remained intact. That should have been Omar’s first task after last season: Dump the dead weight. Instead, having done nothing in the off season and at the trade deadline, we continue to be pummeled by this inept core of soft-tossers and a Benitez-esque closer. It’s gotten so predictable now that I find myself laughing when it unravels because it’s the same old story. It happens so frequently that I am almost immune to the pain and heartache it causes. It is what it is.

Accept it, and move on because this team, as it is now, is going nowhere with that abomination of a bullpen. Sure, we're only 2 games out, and there's plenty of ball to be played. Problem is, we've seen this movie before, with the same cast of characters, and it isn't pretty. It just cannot happen with those guys.

Dan Murphy, Welcome to the Big Leagues

Adam Rubin of the Daily News is reporting that minor league phenom, Dan Murphy, has been called up to the majors to replace Marlon Anderson who was put on the 15-day DL. Marlon Anderson apparently has a"hamstring injury." If this is the only way to get Marlon Anderson off the Mets, I'll take it.

Some are calling Dan Murphy the Mets best hitting prospect, even better than Fernando Martinez. Apparently Murphy has played a little bit of everywhere in the minors this year including 3B, 2B, 1B and left field.

I love watching the young guys get playing time, but not as much when we're in a losing streak and slowly slipping away. However, I've heard a lot about Dan Murphy that makes me curious to see what this kid has got.

Is he being called up as trade bait? Possibly, but I think it's a little late for that kind of maneuver. If the kid can truly hit he might be that little spark that gets a club going.

Too bad he can't pitch out of the bullpen. Anyone have Eddie Kunz's number?

Some Thoughts on Tonight's Loss

Had these thoughts tonight while watching tonight's loss to the lowly Astros:

Endy Chavez is terrible with men on base. Can't believe he has only 11 RBI in 247 ABs. ELEVEN! Carlos Zambrano has 9 RBI in 60 ABs. 

I knew David Wright would not come through with the bases loaded and 1 out in the 7th. Wright has nice stats, but he's been brutal with runners in scoring position. Difficult to win when your best hitter fails to hit in big spots...he knows it more than anyone too. I actually wished Tatis was up in that spot. 

Mr. Beltran...Tonight, for the first time, I feel completely fed up with this guy's pain-staking inconsistency. I've been patient with him too long - 'he's streaky, he'll get hot again...' Enough! Can he just play better day in day out? How did he not catch that ball tonight? Changed the whole complexion of that inning...

Was wondering if Jerry Manuel had been watching the Mets for the last 4 years? Everyone knows not to pitch Heilman for two straight innings. This bull pen is just terrible and will ultimately be our downfall, much like last year. They're the same guys...does anyone really think they'll turn it around? They are what they are - awful! 

Good thing Philly is an average team.

The most popular thought I had tonight - would have been nice to have Manny in there.

Wait and See

That's the Mets' theme for rest of the season: wait and see. You'll find that the fans, management and players will be doing a lot of that in the coming weeks.

It all starts tonight when Pedro Martinez returns to the mound. We'll have to wait and see if he can pitch effectively and be a reliable arm in the rotation. If he can, then Pedro will be the best #5 starter in baseball. If he can't, we might be in a world of trouble.

No action during the trading deadline hub-bub that was yesterday afternoon. For what the Dodgers gave up to get Manny Ramirez, I can't believe the Mets weren't able to offer something comparable. Sure Manny is a huge headache, but a 35+ home run and 120 RBI season does wonders for headaches.

Not only is there no Manny, but there's no bullpen help. For now, we'll wait and see if anyone is available on the waiver while or we'll wait and see if our current arms can get their act together.

There's going to be a lot of waiting and seeing. We'll wait and see if Fernando Tatis can keep up his hot hitting, if Mike Pelfrey is truly the legit starter that it appears he's becoming, if John Maine will be able to overcome this rotator cuff injury, and more.

I would have rathered that the Mets were proactive about all these situations, especially the bullpen, but we are where we are. So I guess I'll have to wait and see.