Rocky Mounting High

I was going to post last night's recap earlier but I was distracted by the Devils game and I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone after Johan's easy 4-0 win today.

Oops.

To quote the late great Chris Penn in "Reservoir Dogs", first thing's fuckin' last. Dillon Gee provided a nice bounce back game on Saturday, giving up four runs in seven innings and Lucas Duda supplied the offense with four RBI. Tejada, Murphy, and Wright also contributed with three hits each.

Now let's get to today's game. Santana was in cruise control, going 6 scoreless on 90 pitches. The offense knocked Jamie Moyer around but couldn't land the knockout blow. I could bitch about the high LOB number but a 4-0 lead is still 4-0 and it SHOULD have been enough.

Here's my problem. The Mets bullpen got fucking TORCHED on Friday, so wouldn't it have made sense not to go to them again so quickly, especially with a dominant Santana on the mound? I know he's coming off an injury but let's not act like 90 pitches is 120.

So of course, the inevitable happens. The Rockies load up the bases in the 8th before Deer Meat Lover Todd Helton hits a game-tying PH slam off Tim Byrdak.

The Mets fight back and score a run in the top of the 9th before Frank Fuckcisco grooved up a game-tying HR to Carlos Gonzalez.  Again, why is a team that's pinching pennies handing out two-year deals to failed closers?  I'll never understand that.

The Mets wound up winning the game in the 10th but this was the rare win that just annoyed me. It shouldn't have been this close, it should have been a nice easy Sunday rocking chair-type win.

Fuckers.

Game 21: Mets 7, Rockies 5

Game 22: Mets 6, Rockies 5

Mets 2012 record: 13-9

ROCKY FORE!

At least Scott Hairston hit for the cycle.

That's the best thing I can say about a game that saw the Mets turn a 6-2 5th inning lead into a 13-6 deficit after the Rockies' half of the 5th.

The sum of that inning: 11 runs, 7 hits, 2 3-run HRs, and 4 Mets errors.

Whatever. A loss is a loss and this is less excruciating than a 1-0 loss, I guess.

Game 20: Rockies 19, Mets 9

Mets 2012 record: 11-9

For Whom The Bell Tolls

Well, that was nice.

Former Met and current fat fuck Heath Bell walked four of the first five hitters he faced today (including a 13-pitch at bat to Justin Turner) before motherfucking stud Kirk Nieuwenhuis lined a game-winning RBI single to lead the Mets to a 3-2 win and series sweep over the Florida Miami Marlins.

On a side note, this was the Mets first homegrown lineup in 41 years. Completely homegrown from Nieuwenhuis to Niese. It's nice to get someone like Beltran or Santana but this is why I don't need megadeals for Bay or K-Rod. Let's see what the kids can do.

Especially Nieuwenhuis. He set the tone robbing Reyes of a triple in the first game and won today’s game with the walk off hit. Fuck Andres Torres, there's no reason why that CF job shouldn't be Kirk's for the rest of the year.

Niese keeps rolling along. 7 IP, 4 hits, 2 runs, 0 walks, 6 Ks.  Solid.

Sweeps in April don't mean much but it's always nice to beat the Marlins. 

Game 19: Mets 3, Marlins 2

Mets 2012 record: 11-8

Straw-buried

Move over, Straw.

David Wright became the Mets' all-time RBI leader tonight with a key HR that snapped a 1-1 tie against the Marlins. OK, Straw's 733 isn't a huge number but it's a testament to Wright's impact with the team since his arrival in 2004. I hope he can stick around for a few more, unlike Darryl.

Another great game by Dickey, he's become Mr. Automatic. The Mets don't have much, but that's a pretty solid 1-3 in the rotation with Santana, Dickey, and Niese. 

Very nice win tonight.

Game 18: Mets 5, Marlins 1

Mets 2012 record: 10-8

No-han

It's foolish to "feel sorry" for a guy due $50M this year and next, but damn it, can anyone buy Johan Santana a run, let alone a win?

Christ on a crutch, I scored more in high school than the Mets have for #57 this year. I know he's matched against other aces but scratch out a run or two for him sometime.

Johan was fucking DEALING tonight. 6.2 IP, 3 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, and 11 Ks, with that one run coming at the hands of shitty Met defense AGAIN (sounds like an oxymoron).

Santana has no wins, Jon Rauch has 3... which again goes to prove that W-L is one of the most worthless stats for a pitcher.

When does one officially become worried about Strike Davis? Another 0 for 2 tonight and it got to the point where Terry Collins had to send up Justin Turner for him in the 7th. Slumps are slumps, I just hope he's not hurt.

And speaking of hurt, I'm sorry to see Bay AND Pelfrey land on the DL. Yeah part of it is addition by subtraction but I was hoping Pelf could turn it around.

I'm not going to mention Reyes. He got his contract, good for him. That's all I've got to say about that.

Game 17: Mets 2, Marlins 1

2012 Mets record: 9-8

Yikes Davis

I was so disgusted with yesterday's doubleheader, that I didn't even do a recap until this morning.

Here's all you need to know: Ike Davis left 11 on base for both games... and only started one of them.

Fuck this noise. Bring on the fucking Marlins.

Game 15: Giants 6, Mets 1

Game 16: Giants, 7, Mets 2

2012 Mets record: 8-8

UGLY

I really don't understand this series so far between the Mets and Giants. On Friday night, Bruce Bochy managed a game he deserved to lose but won. Today, Terry Collins did the same with his Mets.

I know you want Mike Pelfrey to get some confidence and maybe that's why you take him out after 102 pitches, but he only threw handful of pitches in the 8th. At the very least, why not have him start the 9th with a 4-1 lead?

And if you're going to Francisco in the 9th, stick with him. He's your closer. If he can't be trusted with a 3-run lead, then why the fuck is he even on the roster in the first place?

Just a very frustrating win, if there is such a thing. Awful defense by both teams, awful decisions by both managers.


Game 14: Mets 5, Giants 4

2012 Mets record: 8-6

PS - Shut the fuck up, Buster. It was a clean play. Sorry sweetie, catchers get run into sometimes.

Why I Love "Mad Men"

No, it's not because of Christina Hendricks.

No, it's not because of my mancrush on Jon Hamm.

It's not even because one of the characters is a Mets fan as seen here.

It's because of the scene below. Nothing they've done since or nothing they will ever do will top this scene.

CLICK ME!

Jason Kay...again

Dear Jason:

All you had to do was hit a fly ball.

Even a ground ball could have done something.

A single would have been nice but I wasn't greedy.

Here's what you don't want to do down a run in extra innings with runners at 2nd and 3rd and 1 out:

STRIKE OUT.

Thanks for nothing, you douche. I don't even care that you turned a 3-0 game into 3-1 earlier that night. Where were you when a simple out would have been productive? The fences were moved in for you. Do you need it on a fucking tee too?

I saw a stat on SNY that said something to the effect of the Mets having the best 1-3 hitters in terms of BA and OBP but their 4-6 are ranked something like 27th in those categories. You're not going to win many games leaving a small army on the bases. It's not JUST Bay, but he's going to take the brunt of the criticism and rightfully so. You're the one making the money, you're gonna take some shit.

Goddamn it anyway. This was another winnable game, with the Giants offense going 2-14 with RISP and with Bruce Bochy doing his best "manage an April game like an October game" impression.  Seven pitchers, Boche? I know losing Wilson sucks but seven pitchers?

One positive: Kirk Nieuwenhuis looked great AGAIN and to me, has earned the right to play CF every day, regardless of the health of Andres Torres. Let's see what the kid can do long-term.

It seemed like a loooong time ago when this team was 4-0, getting strong starting pitching and clutch hits. I'm getting tired of writing "Opponent (number), Mets (numbers)" below.

Game 13: Giants 4, Mets 3

2012 Mets record: 7-6

Dick, E.

In my opinion, that sucked.

The Mets offense had plenty of chances today to put Jair Jurrjens away. After Ike’s HR in the 2^nd inning, the Mets had 1^st and 2^nd with 0 outs and couldn’t score. After Wright’s RBI double in the 3^rd inning, he got thrown out trying to score on Ike’s single. After Wright’s RBI single in the 5^th, the Mets had runners on the corners with 0 outs and couldn’t score. After Kirk’s RBI single in the 6^th, the Mets had two on with Murph and Wright coming up and couldn’t do anything. Two guys got thrown out at home. 

So frustrating. I haven’t hated Tim Teufel this much since Game 1 of the ’86 WS. I’ve been bitching about the LOB number since Opening Day. Bay left 3 on today, Duda 4, the team itself left 11 on base.  You have to find a way to get those runners home.

And not that it mattered because every time the Mets scored, the Braves not only answered but DOUBLED what the Mets scored that inning. If the Mets scored once, the Braves put up two runs. If the Mets scored twice, the Braves put up a 4-spot.

As for Dickey, his knuckler didn’t have it today and that’s the problem with a pitch like that. When it’s on, it’s nearly unhittable. When it’s off, the batters tee off.

And from a fantasy standpoint, if the Braves were going to win, why could Jurrjens stick around for the W?

Oh - and fucknut Bay made another error. So there's that.

This was a winnable game and a really frustrating one to lose.

Fuck.

Game 12: Braves 14, Mets 6

Mets 2012 record: 7-5

One of These Nights

Yup. One of these nights in Atlanta tonight.

Not much to say when Johan Santana had the shortest start of his career and only got four outs.

I was going to mention something about the Mets starting pitching being pretty solid before tonight. Dating back to Santana's start against the Boner, the Mets' starters turned in five solid starts in a row before the wheels came off tonight.

Anyway, not much you can do about tonight. Just come back tomorrow and take the series.

On a side note, the Mets are going to honor Jose Reyes during his return to NY next week. I'm OK with it, to a degree. After all, he did leave for a division rival in the prime of his career (and in a way I wasn't crazy about), so it's not like Piazza coming back with the Padres or something like that. But he was an exciting player when healthy and spent 9 years in blue & orange, so that's what matters. It's not like he was a division rival on his farewell tour...

Game 11: Braves 9, Mets 3

Mets 2012 record: 7-4

Oh Em GEE!

This was one of the rare Mets wins where I don't know what made me the happiest.


Let's start with Ike Davis. That's two HRs in consecutive days. My fantasy team thanks you.


Dillon Gee handcuffed a very solid Braves offense. Seven innings, one runs, four hits, one walk, and five strikeouts. Not bad for your 5th starter. And I fucking LOVE that goatee.


And let's end with Jason Bay. I know he won't be the hitter he was in Pittsburgh and Boston but if he can be even HALF of what he was there, I'll take it. That's two HRs in the span of four games... and a really nice catch to boot.


BTW, that's four in a row against the Braves.  Bitches.


Game 10: Mets 6, Braves 1

Mets 2012 record: 7-3

Two Out of Three Ain't Bad

Well... at least Ike showed up.  That's about all I have to say about today's game.

Shitty defense + shitty bullpen = bad combo. Both showed up today and you're just not gonna win any games by giving the other teams extra outs. 

Pelfrey looked decent, you just never know what you're going to get from him.  Outside of Ike's HR, no one was touching Hamels today. He looked really sharp...for a fuckstick, I mean.

A sweep would have been nice but I'll take 2 of 3.

Game 9: Phillies 8, Mets 2

Mets 2012 record: 6-3

Niese Game, Pretty Boy

Wow.

What else can you say about today's game? Just when you thought David Wright was DL-bound, he returns the lineup in a major way. He went 3-5 including a first pitch HR in the first inning.

The rest was left up to my twin, Jon Niese. Fresh off his dominating start against the Braves, Niese handcuffed the Phillies today. 102 pitches (still a little high for not getting out of the 7th), 5 singles, no runs, 1 walk, 5 Ks. Yes, the Phillies look absolutely awful without Utley and Howard but that line in that bandbox is impressive, no matter who's playing.

A few weeks ago, I predicted 13 wins for Niese on my podcast Wait 'Til Next Year. Well, two starts... two gems. His real test will come later this year since he's never been able to stay healthy. If he can, he's looking at a fantastic year.

I don't know when I should be officially worried about Ike. He went 1-5 today to raise his average to .071. Yes, it's still early. Yes, he's still coming off a lost season and the whole Valley Fever scare in the spring. I'm just wondering when you broach the idea of moving him out of that cleanup spot.  Just something to think about.

Great win, now let's go for the sweep tomorrow. I know this is all house money but a sweep in Philly would be fucking sweet, April or no April.

Game 8: Mets 5, Phillies 0

Mets 2012 record: 6-2

SAY HEY, BAY!

Well, fuck my ass and call me Nancy.

If you weren't watching tonight's series opener between the Mets and Phils, you missed something special. No, not R.A. Dickey's 14th straight quality start. Not the fact that the Phillies got old in a hurry (they really did).

You missed Jason Fucking Bay going OPPOSITE FIELD off Cliff Lee.

HO. LEE. SHIT.

Aside from the obvious, the Mets need his bat more than ever, with David Wright likely (and rightfully so) heading to the DL. If Bay and Ike (1-23 now) can get going, the loss of Wright won't be as bad.

Even then, they're not going to outslug anyone, so it's all about timely hits and good starting pitching like they got tonight. I wouldn't have lifted Dickey after 100+ pitches, but I like the idea of going from soft Dickey to hard Parnell...that's what she said.

Game 7: Mets 5, Phillies 2

Mets 2012 record: 5-2

Chipper Groans

When I heard the news of the Mets possibly honoring Chipper Jones this year, my reaction was just like Jake Blues when Elwood said they had to visit the Penguin.

"No. Fucking. Way."

That's right, the team that gave the pitching rubber to Mariano Rivera after his 500th save and built a stadium as tribute to a team that left New York in the 1950s is paying homage to one of their biggest rivals. Hey Mike Schmidt owned the Mets too, where was his JumboTron celebration in '89?

I'm not against showing respect to someone who had a great career. During the last game, Chipper can come out and the fans can choose to applaud him but that's it. I respect opposing teams and players (except Bonds, Clemens, and A-Rod to name a few) but I don't think a team should go out of its way to honor someone who never played for them, especially one who made a habit of beating them.

Would the Red Sox do this for Jeter?

Would the Jets do this for Brady?

And lest we forget THIS fucking gem from Chipper after the '99 NLCS:

"Now, all the Mets fans can go home and put their Yankees' stuff on."

And really, it's a slap in the face that Chipper Fucking Jones gets any kind of celebration at all while this stubborn and out of touch franchise refuses to retire the numbers of Davey Johnson, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Keith Hernandez, or Gary Carter. And with all due respect, don't get me started on Jackie Robinson.

You had a great career, Larry. You're a first ballot Hall of Famer. But if anyone should honor you, it should be the Atlanta Braves. Period.

Boner, Party of One

Fifty years ago tonight, the New York Mets played their very first game. Today was one of their better matchups, with Johan Santana taking on Stephen Strasburg, my Strasboner. 

I wish they weren't limited by pitch counts so early in the season as I would have liked to see what they'd do with the reigns loosened a bit.

Johan threw 99 pitches over 5 plus, giving up 1 run on 5 hits, 3 walks, and 8 Ks.  Strasburg went 6 on 108 pitches, gave up 2 hits, 3 walks, 0 runs, and struck out 9.

The Mets had a chance in the first. 2nd and 3rd with one out, and Boner was a little wild. Of course, Ike and Bay did nothing and Strasburg got even stronger as the game went on.  He was helped out by facing an anemic and jumpy offense. Thole swung at the first pitch in consecutive at bats and had nothing to show for it. 

It just really goes show that as much as the fans shit on Wright, this team is completely different without him in the lineup, especially when Ike and Bay can’t hit water if they fall out of a fucking boat.  Especially Bay. He sucks the sweat off a dead guy's dick. Fuck him.

Game 6: Nationals 4, Mets 0

Mets 2012 record: 4-2

FOUR FUCKING DAYS??

Really, baseball gods, you could only give us four days to smile? It was revealed tonight that David Wright has a small fracture in the middle joint of his right pinky. It won’t require surgery (yet) but I’m fully expecting him to have arm transplant surgery by the end of the week.

And that other shoe? It dropped tonight just like the Mets defense.  Daniel Murphy and Lucas Duda misplayed routine plays, leading to three Washington runs.  The lineup, already missing Wright and Ike Davis, did two things against Ross F. Detwiler: jack and shit.

Hey Jason Bay, fuck off.  Go curling or some shit. Go stick your dick in a maple tree. Just leave the game of baseball to those who can still play it. Way to come up huge when two big bats are out of the lineup.

I said at the beginning of the season that for the Mets to even sniff 81 wins, they’d need to have everything break right. I wasn’t really expecting something of Wright’s to break. 

Looking forward to Johan vs. The Boner tomorrow.

Game 5: Nationals 6, Mets 2

Mets 2012 record: 4-1

Oh, Murph!

Again, it's early but it's fun to watch the Mets, especially after tonight's walk-off 4-3 win.

The lineup is still scoring runs despite getting NOTHING from Ike and Bay and it doesn't even matter right now. I can even overlook the 2-11 with RISP and 10 more LOB tonight.

Murphy and Wright are off to torrid starts, with Murph off to a .389 start (including tonight's game winner) and Wright a sizzling .583.

My blogging bud-Dee over at Metscellaneous.com mentioned something about finally breaking up Reyes and Wright and she might be on to something here. This is finally Wright's team and maybe he has something to prove. Piazza, Delgado, Beltran, and Reyes are all gone. This is HIS team and he seems to be leading by example so far.

Three more scoreless innings from the pen. I just hope they don't peak early because these starters aren't going deep into games.

With such low expectations, the Mets really couldn't have started any better. I'm loving it so far.

Game 4: Mets 4, Nationals 3

Mets 2012 record: 4-0

Saturday Night Lifeless

What happened to the edgy Saturday Night Live? The show that wasn’t afraid to break the rules and take on all authority, regardless of political party?

I only ask because they never tweak Obama at all, except for a shitty Fred Armisen impression and even then, he plays the straight role surrounded by a bunch of buffoons. I’m not expecting or wanting an Amos n Andy “looky here” routine but show some fucking balls and make fun of the guy in charge if and when it’s warranted.

SNL has no problem lampooning Romney, Gingrich, Santorum, and to a degree, Biden. And rightfully so since anyone in the public eye is fair game for satire and those provide plenty of ammo. But if you’re gonna bust balls, do it across the board. Don’t just cherry pick who you attack for political reasons. This isn’t a political gripe, since I think EVERYONE is ripe for some jokes. Obama, Hillary, Biden, Romney, Palin, everyone. 

Satire is satire, comedy is comedy, don’t hold back because you’re afraid to ruffle some feathers.

A Very Niese Day

On a day when it seemed like we'd see history, we had to settle for a season opening sweep of the Braves.

Jon Niese, he of the recently signed contract extension and more importantly, the identical twin of Sollywood's own Fred Solomon, carried a no-hitter into the 7th before Freddie Freeman broke it up with a clean single to right. So once again, Freddy's worst enemy is Freddie.

Solid day by the offense. Tejada, Murphy, and Wright combined for 7 hits and 5 RBI. Davis is still struggling out of the gate but if he and Bay can start to hit, this becomes a very dangerous lineup.

Back to Niese. He was absolutely locked in today before the wheels came off in the 7th. While he gets most of the credit for today's performance, I can't help but wonder if he was willed to victory by two of the founding members of the Jonathon Joseph Niese Fan Club: Ed Leyro and Taryn Cooper.

Happy Niester!

Game 3: Mets 7, Braves 5

Mets 2012 record: 3-0

Zippity Duda

It's still early.

That's what I'm telling myself after two games but that being said, I like what I see so far from the Mets. Two HRs from Lucas Duda, one from David Wright, and more importantly, three more scoreless innings from the bullpen.

And not for nothing but if Kirk Nieuwenhuis keeps hitting, he just Wally Pipp'd Andres Torres. That's fine by me since I'm always in favor of 4th OFs being just that, not leading off and playing CF.

Another day, another small army left on base. Twelve today, to go with the eight left on in Thursday's game.

Oh - and that's a series win. Suck my dick, Mikey.

Game 2: Mets 4, Braves 2

Mets 2012 record: 2-0

Opening Daze

This was a very bizarre and bittersweet day for me. I was happy to have baseball back but it was surreal to know that this was my first Opening Day without my mom. As I alluded to in my very first Sollywood post, baseball was the common thread I had with my mom, no matter what. She would have loved today’s game. She always favored a close well-pitched game over a 10-9 slugfest.

As for the game, you have to be happy with Johan Santana. His first major league game since September 2010 and outside of a minor hiccup in the 5^th when he walked the 8^th and 9^th hitters, he looked solid. Five innings pitched, two hits, two walks, and five Ks. The bullpen was excellent, pitching four innings and only giving up two hits, one walk, while striking out three.

Not in love with the amount of runners left on base today but a win is a win and given the fact that I don’t expect the Mets to get a lot of those this year, I’ll take it.

Game 1: Mets 1, Braves 0

Mets 2012 record: 1-0

PS - If you work with me and are reading this (chances are you don't and you're not), that's why I was wearing black today.