No June Swoon For The Mets' Starting Pitchers

(Photo by William Perlman/The Star-Ledger)

The month of June was very good to the Mets, but it was especially good to the starting rotation.  The quintet of R.A. Dickey, Johan Santana, Jonathon Niese, Dillon Gee and Chris Young started all but one game for the Mets in June (Jeremy Hefner made a spot start on June 7) and pitched brilliantly.

June began with the most memorable pitching performance in Mets' history - a moment that was 50 years in the making - when Johan Santana tossed the first no-hitter in team history.  Santana wasn't the only pitcher to make history for the Mets in June, as R.A. Dickey became the first player to pitch back-to-back one-hitters since Dave Stieb accomplished the feat for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1988.

But the rotation wasn't just Dickey, Santana and pray for rain mañana.  The other three starters also pitched effectively throughout the month.  Here are the monthly stats for Jonathon Niese, Dillon Gee and Chris Young, who each made five starts for the Mets in June.

• Jonathon Niese: 3-1, 1.89 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 34 K, 5 BB
• Dillon Gee: 1-3, 3.90 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 32 K, 10 BB
• Chris Young: 2-1, 3.30 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 18 K, 8 BB

Niese, Gee and Young combined to go 6-5 with a 3.01 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 84 strikeouts and only 23 walks in their 15 June starts.  Those numbers are very good for a team's Nos. 3 through 5 starters, but when the top two starters in the rotation are R.A. Dickey and Johan Santana, they make for a dynamic starting staff.  Consider what Dickey and Santana - who each made six starts during the month - did for the Mets in June.

• R.A. Dickey: 5-0, 0.93 ERA, 0.60 WHIP, 55 K, 8 BB
• Johan Santana: 4-2, 2.77 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 33 K, 17 BB

Let's take things a little further, looking at how opposing hitters fared against each member of the rotation.  We'll consider the opposing hitters' batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage against each member of the Mets' starting staff.

• R.A. Dickey: .131 BAA (21-for-160), .181 OBP, .169 SLG
• Johan Santana: .180 BAA (25-for-139), .269 OBP, .345 SLG
• Jonathon Niese: .271 BAA (35-for-129), .309 OBP, .388 SLG
• Dillon Gee: .230 BAA (28-for-122), .304 OBP, .369 SLG
• Chris Young: .281 BAA (34-for-121), .323 OBP, .388 SLG

In the month of June, opposing hitters collected 671 at-bats against the Mets' starting quintet, which is approximately the same number of at-bats a regular player collects over a full 162-game season.  In those at-bats, they hit a combined .213 (143-for-671), reaching base at a .272 clip, while slugging a paltry .323.  That .213/.272/.323 line is comparable to what Henry Blanco did in his one season in New York (.215/.271/.300 in 2010).  Basically, the Mets' starting five has turned the opposition into a lineup full of Hank Whites.

July is about to begin for the Mets, to be followed shortly thereafter by the dog days of August.  But if June was any indication of what the starting rotation is capable of, then the summer of 2012 might become one of the hottest on record in New York, not because of the outside temperatures, but because of the heat being delivered from the starting staff that calls Citi Field home.

San Francisco Owes A Giant Thank You To The Mets

Leapin' lizards! For the first time since Barry Bonds left his syringe in San Francisco, the Giants are champions of the National League West. They won their first division title since 2003 (and only their sixth NL West title overall) by defeating the San Diego Padres on the final day of the regular season, capping a tremendous second half that saw them rise from mediocrity to the top of the division.

At the midway point of the season, the Giants were 41-40 and were a season high 7½ games behind the Padres. They were also 4½ games out of the wild card lead, with five teams ahead of them.

The final week before the All-Star Break saw the Giants playing the lowly Brewers and Nationals. They took both series to inch closer in the wild card race, but were still in fourth place in the NL West, with the Padres, Dodgers and Rockies ahead of them. Enter the New York Mets.

The Mets played better than expected in the first half of the season. At the All-Star Break, they were 48-40, which put them a game ahead of the San Francisco Giants in the wild card race. The two teams then played each other in the first series after the break. Everything changed after that series was completed.

The Giants took the first three games of the four-game series at AT&T Park, shutting out the Mets in the first two contests. In fact, the Mets were held scoreless by Giants pitchers for the first 24 innings of the series. The Mets did manage to salvage the final game of the series, but even then, they needed a blown call by home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi to win it.

Cuzzi called Giants' pinch-hitter Travis Ishikawa out at home when replays showed that the tag by Henry Blanco was late. The gaffe prevented what would have been the winning run from scoring in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Mets went on to win the game in ten innings.

The series with the Mets was the beginning of a stretch where the Giants won 15 out of 19 games to move into the wild card lead. The hot streak also moved them to within one game of the Padres for the division lead.

As Mets fans all know, the trip to San Francisco was the beginning of a 2-9 road trip that saw the Mets get swept in Arizona, followed by three losses in four games in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the Giants won two out of three in Los Angeles and followed that up with a four-game sweep in Arizona. The Mets never got close to the Giants again.

The series with the Mets seemed to awaken the Giants' pitchers, who were already among the best in the National League prior to the All-Star Break. Consider these first half versus second half numbers for the Giants' starting rotation and bullpen.

• Starting Pitchers (before break): 34-30, 3.65 ERA, 1.29 WHIP
• Starting Pitchers (after break): 27-25, 3.39 ERA, 1.21 WHIP

• Relief Pitchers (before break): 13-11, 3.17 ERA, 1.47 WHIP
• Relief Pitchers (after break): 18-4, 2.78 ERA, 1.12 WHIP

The starters showed a nice improvement in the ERA and WHIP department, but the bullpen took things to another level. They were nearly unhittable in the second half, led by closer Brian Wilson, who led the National League in saves and finished with a career-best 1.81 ERA and 1.18 WHIP.

Pitching wins championships and the Giants have plenty of pitching. The top four pitchers in the Giants' rotation (Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, Madison Bumgarner) all had ERAs of 3.40 or less. No other staff in baseball can lay claim to four starters with ERAs as low as the Giants' quartet. In fact, Lincecum, who is the staff ace and the winner of the last two National League Cy Young Awards, is the starter with the 3.40 ERA. (However, he is the only one of the foursome who can claim to being the love child of Jennifer Aniston and Mitch from "Dazed and Confused".)


The Phillies might look like the team to beat in the National League, especially after today's no-hitter by Roy Halladay, but Halladay can't pitch every game. The Giants have four quality starters, all of whom are capable of keeping their opponents to a low hit total. (Like Halladay, Jonathan Sanchez can also claim a no-hitter on his résumé.)

Watch out, Atlanta. Don't start selling World Series tickets yet, Phillies. The Giants are red hot and their pitchers are leading the way. They took off once the Mets came into town and have never looked back. Therefore, on behalf of the Mets, I have two words to say to the Giants.

You're welcome.

Private Matthews Is Finally Given His Discharge

The Gary Matthews, Jr. Experiment is no more. Earlier today, the Mets decided to designate Private Matthews for assignment. To replace Matthews on the roster, the Mets called up catcher Omir Santos from Double-A Binghamton.

The plea by Mets fans and fellow bloggers to DFA GMJ ASAP didn't happen PDQ, but at least it happened. The outfielder was being booed mercilessly and failed to produce much during his short stay in New York.

In 36 games, mostly as the Mets' DAO (designated automatic out), Private Matthews hit .190 and drove in one more run than the Studious Metsimus staff has this season. For as much as David K. Wright has struck out this year, Private Matthews had a far worse strikeout percentage, whiffing 24 times in 58 at-bats.

Although Omir Santos hit .260 last year for the Mets last year, with seven home runs and 40 RBI, the acquisitions of Thunder and Lightning (Rod Barajas and Henry Blanco) made Santos obsolete. He was sent to Triple-A Buffalo before the beginning of the season to serve as a mentor to catching prospect Josh Thole. The only problem was that Santos didn't hit a lick at Buffalo. His .194 average (7-for-37) and two RBI earned him a first-class ticket to Double-A Binghamton, where he fared even worse, batting .074 (2-for-27).

However, with Blanco hurting, the Mets felt the need to have some insurance behind the plate, necessitating the Santos call-up.

So the Mets discharged Private Matthews and his .190 average from their battalion and promoted Omir-acle Whip and his combined .143 minor league batting average.

All I have to say is that Rod Barajas better stay healthy and hitting. I'm sure the Mets and their fans would rather see their power hitting Batman at the plate than having to settle for his new sidekick.

Omir, Oh My! How Will Omir Santos Do In 2010?

As the countdown towards Late Winter Training continues, it is becoming more and more likely that the Mets are going with Omir Santos as their #1 catcher, with Henry Blanco and Chris Coste vying for the backup spot.

The Mets spent their winter break signing tenth-string catchers Coste and Blanco and let a more competent catcher like Funky Cold Molina re-sign with the Giants. As a result, Santos will now be expected to handle the pitching staff of Johan Santana and The Four Rainouts as well as performing a few Omir-acles of his own at the plate.

Can he be counted on to repeat his unexpected 2009 performance this year now that more is expected from him? Let's take a look inside the Studious Metsimus Stat Box and pick out some juicy numbers.

In 2008, Omir Santos was called up to the major leagues by the Baltimore Orioles for some coffee and donuts. Since they used peppermint in his coffee (trust me when I say it's a bad combination), he bid adieu to Baltimore and said hello to the Mets. It was in New York that he got his huge break when Brian Schneider got injured, forcing the Mets to call him up to be a part of the Not Ready For Prime Time (Baseball) Players.

However, something happened on the way to the 7 train. On a team full of fragile players and David K. Wright (the K stands for "why the fudge did you strike out so much in 2009?"), Omir blossomed into a pretty decent (and clutch) hitter.

On May 23, Santos hit the most dramatic home run of the 2009 season (some might say the only dramatic home run of the 2009 season, but my name isn't "some") when he hit a two-out, two-run HR in the ninth inning off Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead. The umpires originally called the shot a double off the Green Monster, but video replay showed that the ball went over the wall and bounced back onto the field of play. To be honest with you, I thought the ball was called a double at first because the umpires couldn't believe it was Omir Santos who hit the home run and not a genuine power threat like...

Well...

Uhh...

Okay, let's be honest with ourselves. The umpires couldn't believe a Met hit a home run off ANYONE. Jonathan Papelbon was so upset that he gave up a home run to a Met that he immediately punched himself in the crotch. (see photo below)

Santos continued his success after Papelbon's "Crotch Heard 'Round The World" by finishing the 2009 season with a .260 batting average, seven HR and 40 RBI in 291 at-bats. Will that translate into a better season in 2010 if he gets the 400 at-bats usually reserved for a #1 catcher?

Unfortunately, looking at his minor league stats, the answer might be no. In 2,229 career at-bats for various minor league teams, Santos could only manage a .258 average, with 32 HR and 260 RBI. He hit .260 for the Mets after not being able to do that against MINOR LEAGUE PITCHING in his eight-plus years toiling in Buttsburg, Wyoming and Fartsville, Wisconsin (although the cheese being cut in Fartsville by the Wisconsin cheeseheads is quite aromatic).

Can the Mets expect more Omir-acles from Santos in 2010? Probably not. They don't play the Red Sox this season and due to the lack of catching depth on the team, there's very little chance he'll get sent back to Wisconsin to play for Count Flatula. If Santos repeats his seven HR, 40 RBI performance in 400 at-bats, that should be considered a success for him. But I'm not counting on it.

The Mets would be better off signing a more experienced catcher who can do well with a pitching staff that can be quite erratic at times. (see Maine, J. and Perez, O.) Given 400 at-bats, any catcher can hit seven HR and drive in 40 runs. But with the problems the Mets could have with their starting pitchers, it may be more important to go with a catcher who can help the Mets more with his handling of pitchers than with his handling of the bat. If the Mets give that much playing time to Omir Santos, they'd better hope he can handle the Four Rainouts portion of Johan Santana and The Four Rainouts. If he can't, the band might not get another gig at Citi Field.

Ferecito Says "¡Ay Dios Mio!" To Bill Madden's Article

So yesterday I was looking for something to blog about and I came across an interesting article by Bill Madden in the Daily News. If you're too lazy to click on the link or if you're boycotting Studious Metsimus for not having many new blogs recently, I'll quote Madden's short paragraph on the Mets.

"They won't spend the money for Holliday, Bay or Lackey and apparently, they're only interested in signing low-budget Latin players, having shown little or no interest in Byrd, Figgins, DeRosa, Wolf or even Staten Island's Jason Marquis, while waiting for their markets to come to them. At the same time, the Phillies and Braves wasted no time in addressing their needs. Sad."

For those of you who didn't boycott our silly little site and clicked on the link to Madden's article, you might notice a certain word missing from the article that appeared in the quote above. The word is question is "Latin". Today, the word doesn't appear in the blog. When it was originally published yesterday, it was there.

It looks like Mr. Madden got a little bit of a backlash from what he wrote. Yes, the Mets re-signed Alex Cora and then signed their catcher of the day, Henry Blanco. Both players are Latinos. However, they also signed Chris Coste. Last time I checked, he wasn't a Latin player.

Even Fred Armisen's Saturday Night Live character, Ferecito, would be offended by Madden's original statement. His trademark "Ay, Dios Mio" ("Oh, my God" to those who failed first-grade Spanish) would be quite appropriate to describe his feelings for Madden's comment.

I guess Madden is now using Ferecito's other catch phrase when he recanted his original statement. ("I'm just keeeeding!")

Shame on Madden for even considering putting that in print. If the Mets were to go after only Jason Bay, Matt Holliday, Jason Marquis, or Studious Metsimus' man-crush John Lackey, would Madden have channeled his inner George Jefferson by saying that the Mets are only interested in signing honkies? (I apologize for using the word honkies. I'm just trying to make a point and I miss watching great shows like "The Jeffersons".)

To those of you who have boycotted Studious Metsimus for the lack of blogs, boycott Bill Madden instead. We're an equal opportunity offender, not like Bill Madden. Shame on you, Mr. Madden. As Ferecito would say, "Ay Dios Mio" indeed!