Since The Mets' Last Win At Home...

Prior to today's 6-1 win over the Miami Marlins, the Mets had gone 33 days without a victory at Citi Field.  It was the team's second longest winless streak at home in terms of days in franchise history, falling one day short of their record 34-day skein in 2002.

Much has happened since the Mets' last victory at Citi Field, which took place on July 7, the Saturday before the All-Star Game.  That got me thinking...

Since the Mets' last win at home, they've fallen from a tie with the Giants for the second wild card to double-digit games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates for the same spot.

Since the Mets' last win at home, Dillon Gee has been placed on the disabled list and Bobby Parnell has lost his temporary hold on the closer role.  In that last win, Parnell saved the game for Gee, who was credited with the victory.

Since the Mets' last win at home, Matt Harvey has become the franchise's all-time leader for strikeouts in his first three starts (23).  At the time of their last win, Harvey was still three minor league starts away from getting his call-up to the parent club.

Since the Mets' last win at home, R.A. Dickey has been human, giving up 21 runs (17 earned) in seven appearances (six starts).  Despite his return to humanity, he's still leading the league in wins (15), complete games (4), shutouts (2 - tied for the NL lead), strikeouts (166) and WHIP (1.00).

Since the Mets' last win at home, Tim Byrdak has pitched in 14 games despite not having been on the mound in over a week due to a potential career-threatening anterior capsule tear in his left shoulder.

Since the Mets' last win at home, their 2013 All-Star Game logo has been unveiled, as well as more delicious food options at the ballpark.  All of these features still cannot hide the fact that the Mets had stopped winning at home.

Since the Mets' last win at home, Jason Bay has seven hits, which is seven more hits than most people expected him to have.

Since the Mets' last win at home, Jose Reyes began a 26-game hitting streak.  That streak ended today when the Mets finally got another win at home!

Just when you thought you'd never see this graphic again at Citi Field...

Reyes' streak wasn't the only one to end today, as the Mets snapped their nine-game home losing streak that covered 33 days.  R.A. Dickey pitched a strong game for the win, and he was helped by the bat of Andres Torres, who went 3-for-3 with a walk, double, triple and homer.

Much has happened since the Mets' last win at home.  But at least we no longer have to talk about it, as the Mets' last win at home is now the last game they played.  Period.  It sure feels good to have another happy recap at Citi Field again.

As The Trade Winds Blow, The Mets Just Say No

Today is July 31, the day circled on baseball calendars as the non-waiver trade deadline.  Many teams took advantage of the situation.  Some sold off their players to add young pieces to a puzzle not meant to be put together until next year at the earliest.  Others added talent, hoping that their new acquisitions can push them, as they say in the baseball vernacular, over the top.

After a surprisingly good start, the Mets thought they would be one of the latter teams, buying spare parts in order to put together a machine that would still be running in October.  But then they lost 13 of their first 15 games after the All-Star Break, going from six games over .500 and half a game out of the second wild card spot to five games below mediocrity and 8½ lengths behind the final playoff horse.

The question then became, “will Sandy Alderson still be a buyer come July 31 or will he be a seller?”  It turns out he was neither, as the clock struck four without any changes being made to the Mets.

The Marlins and the Phillies both became poster children for underachievement, spending the majority of the season at the bottom of the National League East, the chunk of real estate that was supposed to be inhabited by the Mets in 2012.  As a result, both teams pretty much had to become sellers at the trade deadline, with Miami dealing away half of their team and the Phillies air-mailing Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence to the Dodgers and Giants, respectively.

The Mets, on the other hand, did not fold.  Nor did they go for broke.  Instead, they decided to step away from the table and watch the game in front of them unfold.  And that’s not such a bad thing.

In 2012, the Mets didn’t have any players on the roster they had to get rid of.  Last year, Francisco Rodriguez and Carlos Beltran had to be dealt.  The former could not stay with the team for fear that has bazillion dollar option would kick in and the latter was not going to be re-signed at season’s end, meaning he would walk away for basically nothing.  By July 31, 2011, the Mets had rid themselves of the potential payroll-busting Rodriguez by trading him to the Milwaukee Brewers.  They also fleeced the Giants, acquiring their top pitching prospect in Zack Wheeler for Carlos Beltran, who ended up being a two-month rental.  This year, things are different.

The Mets’ payroll is now under $100 million.  They do not have any players about to reach an eight-figure vesting option.  They also do not have any high-priced potential free agents (a la Beltran) that they have to trade for prospects.  Instead, all they have are the relatively low-salaried Scott Hairston and Tim Byrdak as potential trade-bait.  Both veteran players could have potentially helped other teams, but the Mets weren’t going to get a top prospect for either of them and neither player was breaking the bank anyway, so there was no urgency to move them.  Teams inquired, but the Mets said “thanks, but no thanks.” 

Let other fringe contenders sell off their future in an attempt to defy the odds and make the playoffs.  The Mets will be just fine as they are.  The offseason will be the time for Sandy Alderson to carefully move pieces into place, not July 31.  The team will be better off in the future by not making unnecessary moves in the present.

Frank Frank Goes On The DL DL

Don't count your chickens before they hatch, Mets fans.  Or else you might end up with egg on your face.  Just ask Frank Francisco, who has just been placed on the 15-day disabled list, according to the Mets' official Twitter account.

#Mets place RHP Frank Francisco on the 15-Day DL, retroactive to June 23, with a left oblique strain.
— New York Mets (@Mets) June 24, 2012

Francisco will be eligible to come off the disabled list on July 8, the last day before the All-Star Break.

The oblique injury has been an epidemic in the Mets clubhouse this year, as several players missed time during spring training with the injury.  However, all of the players afflicted with the injury were able to come back relatively quickly and were able to play without further pain or discomfort.

It's a shame that Francisco will now have to miss at least 15 days.  Although he is still not a lights-out closer, he has been far more effective over his last 14 appearances.  Since May 17, Frank Frank has saved nine games in ten chances and has held the opposition scoreless in 12 of those 14 appearances.  He also has a 1.26 ERA and has held opposing hitters to a .182 batting average and .262 on-base percentage over that time period.

In related news, Little Jerry Seinfeld finally has a home.  Little Jerry, the chicken brought to the Mets clubhouse by reliever Tim Byrdak, has been adopted by the Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, New York, where he will live in a peaceful and media-free environment.

At least that's one chicken story that had a happy ending.

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.

Tim Tebow Could Fill The Holiest of Holies In The Mets' Bullpen

With the uncertainty surrounding the lefty specialist role in the bullpen, the Mets have been considering a number of options.  Tim Byrdak was originally supposed to fill that position for the team.  Oops.  The Hulkamaniac needed surgery to repair a torn meniscus and was lost for the season opener faster than Randy Savage could snap into a Slim Jim.  Garrett Olson was then supposed to be the favorite to replace Thunder Lips.  Instead, he became a human baseball magnet, attracting line drives whenever he stepped onto a mound.  He has since been reassigned to the minors.  Robert Carson?  He was injured as well, plus no one really knew who he was when he wasn’t wearing his “Hi, my name is Robert Carson” nametag.

Remember Daniel Herrera?  He pitched well in his late-season tryout last year after the Mets acquired him for Francisco “Frankie Knuckles” Rodriguez.  But alas, the lilliputian lefty will only be considered for the specialist role as a last resort.

On Monday, Joe Beimel was released by the Texas Rangers.  The soon-to-be 35-year-old had been on the Mets’ radar for many years now, but he did not pitch well for the Pirates last year, finishing the year with a 5.33 ERA.  So who’s left to consider as the first lefty to come out of the bullpen when the situation presents itself?  No divine intervention needed here.  The answer to the Mets’ prayers might be across the Hudson River in New Jersey.

He wore blue and orange in Denver.  Might he do the same as the lefty specialist in Flushing?

Tim Tebow was traded to the New York Jets to be their backup quarterback.  Why should this news be of interest to the Mets?  Because...

• 1) He won’t be doing anything in April, as the Jets are in the middle of their offseason.
• b) He’s a quarterback, meaning he’s experienced using his arm.
• iii) He’s a lefty.

Considering that the Mets are in dire need of a lefty specialist in the bullpen while Byrdak recovers from his injury, why wouldn’t they consider the left-handed Tebow?  After all, he’s going to need to keep his arm in shape so it can be ready for clipboard-holding duties once Jets training camp opens.

As a quarterback, Tebow has been much maligned.  He throws too many incomplete passes.  He tends not to be able to throw passes of more than 30 yards.  He spends too much time running with the ball.  He drinks too much milk on the sidelines.  Yada yada yada.  But as a left-handed reliever?  Now that’s where his future might be.

As a pitcher, Tebow wouldn’t have to hit a moving receiver standing 30 yards away.  All he’d have to do is hit a stationary target (the catcher’s mitt) from a distance of 60 feet, 6 inches.  That’s only 20 yards.

Also, anyone who’s seen Tebow throw a pass knows that his balls tend to move quite a bit once his hand releases them.  (You do know I’m talking about footballs here.  Don’t blaspheme Tebow.)  Although the wobbliness of his balls would tend to be disadvantageous in football, as it’s harder for a receiver to catch a ball that’s not thrown in a perfect spiral, Tebow could work that to his advantage as a relief pitcher.  Pitches with movement would probably cause more swings and misses and could also induce the pitcher’s best friend, the double play grounder.

On the football field, a quarterback could get seriously hurt if he runs around too much.  The next time Tebow cuts left on the gridiron, he might experience a close encounter of the 300-pound lineman kind.  On the pitcher’s mound, however, being mobile can be beneficial.  Johan Santana has always possessed cat-like quickness on the mound.  So did former Met and public school enthusiast Mike Hampton.  To be able to move around quickly on and around the mound is tantamount to having a fifth infielder.  Ground balls up the middle aren’t always destined to go into center field.  A mobile pitcher is also the perfect foil for a batter who has a tendency to drop down bunts.  At the very least, a fast-moving pitcher can also get out of the way of line drives easier than one who doesn’t possess keen reflexes.

At Shea Stadium, fans would always get pumped whenever Billy Wagner came into the game to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” from 2006 to 2008.  Some fans even paused on the Shake Shack line when J.J. Putz entered a game to AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” in 2009.  Hard rock songs and relief pitchers go together like Bobby Bonilla and earplugs.  So it would seem like a match made in heaven if Tim Tebow would charge in from the bullpen to Stryper’s “To Hell With The Devil”.  Would the Shea Bridge be able to handle all the fans Tebowing in unison as he made his way to the mound?

"Hey, Tim Tebow's coming in from the bullpen!  Cue Stryper.  No, I'm not kidding.  Honestly."

The Mets improved their bullpen during the offseason, adding Jon Rauch, Ramon Ramirez and Frank Francisco.  But all three pitchers are right-handers.  The only southpaw in the bullpen mix was Tim Byrdak.  Now he more than likely won’t be ready for Opening Day and the Mets are left scrambling for his replacement.

Garrett Olson is back in the minors.  Robert Carson forgot his ID and is not being allowed into the ballpark.  Joe Beimel has cooties.  Daniel Herrera might become Tim Byrdak's replacement by default, but the best option for the interim lefty specialist job might be the guy who knows a thing or two about option plays.

Tim Tebow, left-handed reliever?  Hey, it could be worse.  At least the Mets aren’t thinking of signing Sidd Finch … yet.

I Tawt I Taw A Tim Byrdak

For many years, Sylvester the Cat has been foiled by Tweety Bird.  Similarly, for many months, Mets fans with Twitter accounts were foiled by Tim Byrdak not having his own account.  But fear not, Mets fans.  Your fav'rit Hulkamaniac is no longer sans Twitter account.  You heard me right.

Sylvester never caught Tweety Bird.  But we have now caught Byrdak tweeting.

I tawt I taw T.B.!  But is it Tweety Bird, Terry Bollea or Tim Byrdak?

At Studious Metsimus, we want all of our readers to get the full Mets experience, so we encourage all of you to follow Tim Byrdak on Twitter, which you can do by clicking here.

Here is our first tweet to the Mets' lefty specialist, who is currently "specializing" in torn meniscus surgery rehabilitation.

@Givemethelefty Welcome aboard, Tim! I'm writing a post for my #Mets blog on you joining Twitter. You should have 4½ new followers soon!
— Ed Leyro (@Studi_Metsimus) March 17, 2012

Here's hoping that Tim Byrdak recovers from his surgery soon to become an important part of the Mets bullpen.  The sooner he comes back, the sooner we can relax knowing that the Mets will not try to make a trade for Oliver Perez to fill in for him as the team's lefty specialist.


To follow other past, present and future Mets on Twitter, please click on the following links:

R.A. Dickey: @RADickey43
Justin Turner: @redturn2
Johan Santana: @johansantana
Zack Wheeler: @wheelerpro45
Sandy Alderson: @MetsGM
Dwight Gooden: @DocGooden16
Chris Schwinden: @CSchwinny

There's An Oblique Outlook In Mets Camp

I woke up this morning, realized it was an hour later than it was at this time yesterday, remembered that I had not disrupted the space-time continuum overnight, then went about my usual Sunday morning routine.  Today's routine involved looking forward to Johan Santana's second spring training start and checking out Twitter and the rest of the Mets blogosphere to see if anything interesting happened overnight while I was dreaming about DeLoreans and manure.  (I really hate the latter part of my dreams sometimes.)

There was one tweet in particular on the Mets' official Twitter account that caught my eye.  Perhaps it'll catch yours too:

Injury Updates: Tim Byrdak has a sore left left knee and Kirk Nieuwenhuis has an injury to his right oblique.
— New York Mets (@Mets) March 11, 2012

Tim Byrdak's injury is understandable.  After all, he's been channeling the ghost of Hulk Hogan despite the fact that Hogan is still very much alive.  That in itself could give him a sore left knee.  It could also be the fact that he's 38 and knees tends to get sore at that age.

But Byrdak's injury wasn't the part that caught my eye in the Mets' tweet.  It was the part featuring the Sultan of Spell Check himself, Kirk Nieuwenhuis.  The Mets' young centerfielder is no stranger to injuries, so that's not what got my attention.  It was where he got injured.  Kirk Nieuwenhuis has an injury to his right oblique.

Watch that bat, Kirk!  You might injure your oblique!  Crap.  Too late.  Never mind.

If you've been following the Mets during spring training, you'd notice that obliques and the Mets have not been getting along.  First, Scott Hairston went down to an oblique injury, an injury from which he's not progressing.  At the same time, David Wright also suffered an injury to his oblique muscle, although some reports are disguising the word "oblique" with "rib cage", which is similar to disguising an ejected manager with a fake mustache and dark sunglasses.

Now Kirk Nieuwenhuis has injured his oblique, thereby preventing him from committing more Nieuwen-heists in center field for the time being.  Are oblique injuries like the flu in Mets camp?  Can they be passed around from person to person?  Or was Digital Domain Park built on top of an old Indian burial ground?  It might be neither, as I found this interesting tweet from San Francisco Giants' beat reporter Andrew Baggerly, which he originally posted almost one year ago to the day:

Andres Torres (sore oblique) isn't starting because Bochy doesn't want him swinging from right side yet. He's hitting off a tee.
— Andrew Baggarly (@CSNBaggs) March 6, 2011

Andres Torres missed time last year in spring training with a sore oblique.  This is the same Andres Torres that is penciled to be the Mets' Opening Day centerfielder.  Do you see what I'm getting at here?

Methinks Andres Torres must have something to do with the oblique injuries that are running rampant at Digital Domain Park.  Either that or I'm going with the Indian burial ground excuse.  Or perhaps Fred Wilpon was right and "we're snakebit, baby".  Regardless of what the reasons are for the Mets' slew of injuries before the first week of the Grapefruit League schedule is over, there seems to be a pattern forming here.

The Mets' outlook for the 2012 season wasn't very bright to begin with.  They were not expected to compete with the Phillies, Marlins, et al. for the National League East crown.  But what started out as a bleak outlook on the season has somehow turned into an oblique outlook, especially for a number of everyday players.  The Mets might indeed be snakebitten, and that snake appears to be spraying venom into the obliques of the roster.

A Short Post on Daniel Herrera

Last year, the Mets acquired Daniel Herrera from the Milwaukee Brewers in the Francisco Rodriguez deal.  The diminutive lefty pitched surprisingly well for the Mets after his acquisition, allowing only one run in 16 appearances.  At Citi Field, he allowed no runs in ten relief appearances.

Despite his unexpected success with the Mets, Herrera was placed on waivers in January to make room for backup infielder Ronny Cedeño on the 40-man roster.  Two months later, after not being claimed by another team, Herrera has found his way back to the Mets, trying to compete for a spot in the bullpen.

As of now, the only lefty guaranteed to be a part of the relief corps is Tim Byrdak.  Robert Carson was vying to become the second lefty in the Mets bullpen, but he suffered an abdominal muscle strain last week, making it unlikely for him to break camp when the team comes north in four weeks.

So why not give Daniel Herrera a chance to make the team out of spring training?  We already saw what can happen when a team relies too much on one lefty specialist in the bullpen.  The Mets used Pedro Feliciano ad nauseum from 2008 to 2010.  Then he signed with the Yankees prior to the 2011 season and is currently tied with me in relief appearances for the Bronx Bombers.

Over the past three seasons, Tim Byrdak has not been used as much as Feliciano was.  (Byrdak has made 212 appearances since 2009, while Feliciano appeared in 266 games over his last three seasons in the majors.)  But Byrdak is now 38.  If he's the only lefty in the Mets' bullpen, he may be overused.  Overusage and advanced age don't mix very well.

Daniel Herrera is only 27.  He has only pitched in 131 games in parts of four seasons in the majors.  That's less than half the games Feliciano pitched in during his final three seasons with the Mets.  He is also effective against lefties, allowing only three hits to them after his trade to the Mets.  It appears as if the bullpen will be comprised of Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch, Ramon Ramirez, Tim Byrdak and Manny Acosta, with two (or three, if the Mets choose to go with 13 pitchers) of the remaining spots to be filled by either Bobby Parnell, D.J. Carrasco, Miguel Batista, Pedro Beato or Herrera.  It should be noted that Herrera is the only southpaw in that final group.

The Mets might have more experience with Parnell, Carrasco, et al., but they really need another lefty in the bullpen after Byrdak.  Byrdak's ERA has gone up in every year since 2009 and over the past two seasons, he has allowed 113 base runners in 76.1 innings.  That's not good enough if he's to be the Mets' sole southpaw.  If the Mets want another option to face lefties, then the man they should turn to is Daniel Herrera.  He's earned his chance.  Now it's time to give him the ball.  Herrera might be small in stature, but given the opportunity, he can play a big role in the Mets bullpen.