The Mets Have A Bad Case of B.O. (Bullpen Overload)

The Mets gave up a couple of touchdowns to the Toronto Blue Jays in their 14-5 loss on Friday.  But I'm not going to talk about that.  I'm also not going to talk about the whiplash Jonathon Niese must have suffered from turning his neck so quickly to watch all the home runs leaving the yard.  Here, let me just show you what I'm going to talk about.

• R.A. Dickey: 8 starts, 50⅓ innings pitched, 6.29 IP/start
• Johan Santana: 8 starts, 43⅔ innings pitched, 5.46 IP/start
• Jonathon Niese: 8 starts, 42⅔ innings pitched, 5.33 IP/start
• Dillon Gee: 7 starts, 43 innings pitched, 6.14 IP/start
• Mike Pelfrey: 3 starts, 19⅔ innings pitched, 6.56 IP/start
• Miguel Batista: 3 starts, 16 innings pitched, 5.33 IP/start
• Chris Schwinden: 2 starts, 8 innings pitched, 4.00 IP/start

• Total: 39 starts, 223⅓ innings pitched, 5.73 IP/start

Do you see the problem there?  No?  Perhaps this will help you see.  The Mets as a team have pitched 345⅓ innings in 2012.  That means more than one-third of the innings pitched (35.3% to be exact) have been pitched by relievers.

And who are those relievers?  Well, you have Manny Acosta (10.53 ERA), Frank Francisco (8.04 ERA), the recently-ousted D.J. Carrasco (7.36 ERA), Jon Rauch (4.32 ERA) and Ramon Ramirez (4.30 ERA).  Only Bobby Parnell and Tim Byrdak have ERAs under 4.00 of relievers with at least four appearances.  (That's why you're not seeing backup catcher Rob Johnson's 0.00 ERA.  Oh, you didn't hear?  He pitched one inning of relief during Friday night's debacle, doing his best Desi Relaford impression by retiring the side in order.  Here's photo evidence...)

When Josh Thole returns from the DL, Rob Johnson might still have a role on the team as a reliever.

Anytime a bullpen gives up more than a run every other inning, you have a flawed bullpen.  But when that bullpen is getting as much use as the Mets are giving them, then you have a flawed team.

The Mets are still doing better than expected, with a 21-18 record, but in the stacked NL East, that's just barely keeping them out of last place.  (The Phillies bring up the rear with a 21-19 mark.)  If the starting pitchers can't give the team a minimum of six innings, and hopefully more, then all the positivity built up from the team's strong start will go out the window.  The bullpen, as it stands, is simply not very good.  Unfortunately, they're being given too many chances to show us that.

It's time for Santana, Dickey, Niese, Batista and Gee to eat up innings for the Mets.  If they don't, it'll be the opposing hitters who will continue to feast on the bullpen.  And that will leave a bad taste in the mouths of all Mets fans.

A Look Back At Other Poor Starts In Mets History

The Mets have started the 2011 season on a low note, to say the least. After suffering their seventh consecutive defeat last night (their 10th loss in 11 games), the Mets dropped to 4-11 on the year. The last place Metropolitans now stand six games behind the first place Phillies and three games behind fourth place Washington.

For only the fifth time in franchise history, the Mets have failed to win at least five of their first 15 games. It is the first time the Mets have accomplished this feat in 30 years (see list below).

• 1962: 3-12
• 1964: 3-12
• 1974: 4-11
• 1981: 4-11

The 1962 Mets were the first team to start off poorly. That pattern continued throughout the season, as the team finished with a major league record 120 losses. They finished 60 games behind the first place San Francisco Giants in the National League. (The league was not split up into divisions until 1969.)

In 1964, the Mets replicated their start from their inaugural season, losing 12 of their first 15 games. This time, the Mets were able to turn it around and finish with the best record in franchise history up to that point. Of course, when a 53-109 record represents your best season, that's not saying much.

The 1974 Mets were coming off their second National League pennant. After overachieving for the final five weeks of the 1973 regular season and the postseason, the Mets took underachieving to a new level in 1974. Despite boasting a pitching staff of Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Jon Matlack, the offense hit the snooze button all year, finishing last or next-to-last in the league in batting average, runs scored, doubles, triples and stolen bases. They parlayed that poor start into a 71-91 season, their first losing season since 1968.

The 1981 season was cut short by the players' strike, but the season didn't stop soon enough for the Mets. A year after the Mets proclaimed that the magic was back, the same old Mets popped out of the magician's hat in 1981. The Mets finished 41-62 in the strike-shortened 1981 season, their fifth consecutive season with a losing record.

No Met team since 1981 had started out with a record of 4-11 or worse until this year's edition. All four of the previous teams to start off so poorly finished at least 20 games under .500 and in last place or next-to-last place.

The 2011 Mets are now the fifth team in franchise history to win no more than four of their first 15 games. If they don't turn it around quickly, it looks as if the team that was supposed to pay homage to the 1986 Mets will end up honoring their 1962, 1964, 1974 and 1981 counterparts instead.