Joorray for Jenrry!

The late Nino Espinosa would be proud that Jennry Mejia is in the Mets rotation.  What else would he be proud of?

John Lannan imagined himself as the Mets' fifth starter in 2014, but got an "oh, no" from his bosses.  Similarly, Daisuke Matsuzaka pressed his luck for the spot, but all he got was a whammy.

The race to fill the fifth slot in Mets starting rotation is now over, as Jenrry Mejia has locked up the coveted role, pushing Dice-K off the 25-man roster and sending Lannan to the bullpen.

The news of Mejia's inclusion in the rotation comes four years after former manager Jerry Manuel made a foolish comparison between Mejia and Mariano Rivera, then rushed the then-20-year-old to the majors, only to see the promising right-hander wilt under the big league spotlight.  Poor performances and a magnetic attraction to injuries kept Mejia to 55 innings pitched at the major league level from 2010 to 2012, before a late-season call-up in 2013 showed what he was capable of when not rushed into service by a gangsta manager who was clearly wearing the wrong prescription glasses.

Mejia started five games for the Mets in 2013, posting a solid 2.30 ERA and 1.17 WHIP.  His 27-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio was a significant improvement from what Mejia accomplished in his previous stints with the team (30 strikeouts, 29 walks in 55 innings).

Daisuke Matsuzaka could potentially be brought back to start for Jonathon Niese if the disabled lefty can't make his scheduled start on April 6, but that's still up in the air.  One thing that isn't is Jenrry Mejia's status with the Mets.  For the second time in five seasons, Mejia has made the team out of spring training.  He wasn't ready for the big show in 2010.  Now with four extra years of minor league seasoning, Mejia has his health (mostly) and his outstanding repertoire intact.

It will be quite interesting to see if the former top pitching prospect can became a mainstay in the Mets rotation.  He's certainly earned the right to do so.
 

The Stephen Strasburg Shutdown Is In Full Effect

 Stephen Strasburg may look like a "Lord of the Rings" extra, but his shutdown could have an impact on whether or not his teammates will get rings of their own come late October.

According to various media outlets, Nationals manager Davey Johnson has informed Stephen Strasburg that his season has come to an end before reaching his team-imposed innings limit.  Strasburg will not be making his scheduled start against the Mets' Matt Harvey at Citi Field on Wednesday as previously expected.

The decision comes on the heels of Strasburg's poor performance against the last-place Marlins on Friday night, in which he allowed five runs on six hits and three walks in a 67-pitch, three-inning effort.

Johnson claimed that Strasburg "didn't have his head in the game" and thinks that his young pitcher "is thinking too much about the decision when (the team is) going to shut him down".

Strasburg finished his first full season in the majors with a 15-6 record, 3.16 ERA and 197 strikeouts in 159⅓ innings.  Six-year veteran John Lannan will take Strasburg's spot in the Nationals' rotation and will start against Harvey on Wednesday.

The Nationals have not yet wrapped up their first National League East title.  With their defeat to the Marlins, and the Braves' 3-0 victory over the Mets, Washington's division lead dropped to 6½ games over Atlanta.  They will now have to hold off the Braves without the help of Stephen Strasburg.

They said they were going to do it.  We said we'd wait and see.  It looks like they weren't kidding.  The Stephen Strasburg shutdown is in full effect in Washington.  The hunt for the pennant just got a little more interesting in the nation's capital.