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Johan Santana will be going for his eighth straight decision tonight. He’s also pitching to keep the Mets from falling all but out of the NL East race and to keep an edge over Milwaukee.
It will be all but impossible for the Mets to overtake the Phillies, especially if they lose and Philly wins. A Mets’ loss and Milwaukee win makes the wild card tight.
Posted under New York Mets
This post was written by NYMR Archive on September 23, 2008
He has to go 9 tonight.
dave: It’s imperative.-JD
depends on how he pitches early… hopefully quick swinging by the cubs leads to out early and often
Can’t understate the importance of the Mets taking an early lead tonight. Give Santana a chance to cruise a bit.-JD
most definitely JD. johan needs to get thru the top of the 1st unscathed and wow if the mets could be a crooked number on the board
*wow if the mets could put a crooked number on the board
espn is reporting that minaya will receive a 4 year extension to continue as gm.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3605338
“the deal is all but done, but it is not known when the extension will be announced.”
great.
glad the wilpons think that the rest of this year’s results are meaningless.
What is up with the timing of that contract extension?
The team is in a freefall, and management is doling out a 4-year extension to our GM, basically saying none of this is your fault.
I’m not saying Omar should be fired at all, but why is this even being discussed until the end of the season??
Even if the Mets blow the wild card, the Wilpons will think Minaya has made the playoffs three straight years. Minaya is better than most Mets GmS: Scheffing, Grant, McDonald, post 1986 Cashen, Harazin, Duquette. He’s about equal with Phillips.
Mets haven’t confirmed. You knew they would bring him back. They made a run and had a chance at the playoffs the final week of the season. That’s all they needed to bring him back.-JD
so after one inning we are 0 for 2 with RISP?
As Jerry Koosman once told one of his fellow pitchers “if you pitch a shutout, you can earn a tie”.
Any guesses about Manuel if the Mets blow it? Is a one-game playoff loss to the Brewers good enough?
Dan: Yeah, nice start.-JD
Dan: I think they’ll bring back Manuel. Doing so justifies firing Willie Randolph. Where they were then, and now, is a big difference. Even though Santana is losing.-JD
Yeah, they probably do. Manuel seems very sensible. Unlike Randolph, he acknowledges 2007 happened. Plus I don’t think there are any real outstanding candidates out there unless you count Buck Showalter and his star has faded. The Wilpons never follow the Steinbrenner paatern of rehiring fired managers so that leaves Bobby V out. Along with Davey Johnson and Yogi Berra. Is Joe Frazier still alive?
according to baseball reference, Joe Frazier, Mets manager in 1976 and 1977, is still alive and will be 86 on October 6th. Have a happy birthday, Cobra Joe. Wonder if he will get any cards from his former players who thought he was chicken****.
There really isn’t a candidate out there that blows you away. The Mets are where they hoped they would be, which is contending for the playoffs the last week of the season. Sure, they would have liked to have wrapped things up by now, but they can control their own destiny.
This team was dead when Randolph was fired, but they turned it around. Is it Manuel’s fault the bullpen has blown 29 save opportunities?-JD
Phillies tied the Braves, 1-1.-JD
Pedro Feliz with a two out hit off Mike Hampton to tie the score.
Of course if keeping Manuel justifies firing Randolph, what does that say about the man who hired Willie in the first place?
Dan: I hear you. Minaya said at the firing he was responsible. In hindsight, hiring Randolph turned out to be a mistake. And, as clumsy as the firing was handled, the Mets did make a move and improved from it. The Mets are 66 games over .500 with Minaya, and that’s with a crappy bullpen.-JD
The Mets supposedly were getting a break when the Cubs juggled their rotation. This was going to be the weak link.-JD
The Mets being where they are right now inspite of the worst bullpen in the history of baseball is probably a testament to Manuel. That said, the pure stupidity he displayed in playing that lifeless, heartess, old piece of trash Castillo almost deserves a firing. I mean honestly, the guy went down looking like a loser last nite and already tonite killed a potential good start to the team by failing to advance Reyes.
I said it last nite, and I’ll say it again…the spirit of this team has been broken. You can only come back from the demoralizing losses so many times before it eventually kills you. This team is just plain dead.
Oh…and I refuse to give credit to Sean Marshall…when a team continues to lose to the likes of Odalis Perez and Sean Marshall that’s the sign of a team that has no interest in winning and has basically packed it in for the Winter.
I see what you are saying John and I can agree with it. In the 1970s the Islanders were a promising team but there were calls to fire Torrey and/or Arbour because of disappointing playoff losses. They were kept in place but Torrey added scoring punch to the second line by trading for Butch Goring. Hopefully Minaya will realize he has to make some adjustments.He can’t rely on the stupidity of the Yankees continuing that allowed the Mets to get Beltran and Santana. But maybe he can. The Yankees will have so much money they could continue to waste money and not think smartly.
One thing I wonder about Randolph (and Girardi) is if these guys would have been better off if they had an apprenticeship in the minors. Piniella and Torre never did and they eventually became successful.
I just read the news aboout Minaya. If thats the truth thats probably the worst contract extension since Dolan reupped isiah thomas.
What the point of all the SNY philly score updates?
The only match this final week of two rivals will be playing each other in a “win or go home” is the Twins vs White Sox. I think baseball tried to get more in scheduling Red Sox vs Yankees, Cubs vs Brewers and Diamondbacks vs Rockies the last weekend. Just didn’t happen.
David: They are trying to tell us the Mets still have a chance to win the division.-JD
JD: It’s f-ing ridiculous… Im just appalled with the organization. If this crap with Minaya is true I dont know how i can root this team on.
Dan: The scheduling is so bad on so many levels. Of course, it goes back to the interleague crap. To be playing the Cubs this late is a joke.-JD
David: The timing is pretty terrible. They could blow the playoffs for the second straight year. The assumption all along was Omar Minaya would return. They are saying they’ll make an announcement at the end of the season, but if the club’s television network is talking about it, then it’s hard to think it isn’t true.-JD
a broken bat interferes with the ball and the Mets get a hit? Never seen that before
Bad AB by Reyes but that 1-1 pitch killed him.
The Mets have their opportunity right here with Wright.-JD
Well here it is for Wright. Bases juiced a single ties it up. Put up or just shut the hell up.
a basehit with RISP! Now I know how Columbus felt in 1492.
Big #!@* hit!
Dan: Best line of the night. LOL.-JD
Well at least they were able to take advantage of the flukey hit by santana. However, if Im Lou Pinella im slapping Marshall around for not laying 3 straight fastballs on a tee for Luis Castillo.
David: Yeah … to think Castillo had a big at-bat. How do let him get on base?-JD
This is a spot where Johan just has to put some 0’s up.
wow cousy is killing Johan
Walking the leadoff hitter isn’t the way to do it.-JD
David: Blue isn’t doing any favors, that’s for sure. Somebody will get tossed. Let’s hope it isn’t Santana.-JD
Pirates tied it up at 2
for some reason the mlb mosaic won’t show video for Pirates vs Brewers.
Pirates up 3-2
If im johan i dont throw fukudome anything but gas
Would anyone bunt here ?
We need these breaks.
Well the castro dribller worked just as well.
No, you don’t bunt here.
You bunt if you have a shutdown bullpen and know you’ll only need a run to lock it down. Clearly this is not the case.
Man castro’s like the fat kid in Little League that you had to play station to station with.
Murphy is just awesome.
tough spot here because you’ll need to get something deep in the outfield for castro to score. I’d consider pinch running.
Similar to the spot wright came up in last inning, Reyes has go to come up big. At the very least he needs to put something in the outfield.
There’s no way this stays at 3-2.-JD
No more hard running for Johan, he’s got 3 more innings to pitch.
well that was big
Well thats gotta bring a smile to everyone’s face. But of the cornerstones have come in in big spots and they’ve driven in 5 runs.
BIG HIT!
Phenomenal. Santana better pitch at least 8 tonight
I like Jerry. They should bring him back.
I have watched Beltran freeze on curves for 3 years. Isn’t there some sort of drill to unfreeze him?
They better not trade Murphy. This guy will be huge.
Somebody will have to explain to me why you dont squeeze bunt in that spot.
David: You would be asking one of your worst hitters, who is going through a horrible slump, to do something positive.-JD
Squeeze would have been a great play… Given that it’s a miracle if Castillo hits the ball out of the infield.
I’ll try not to harp on it because it was a huge inning. But I’d love for someone Jerry Manuel include explain to me why you dont squeeze with Castillo there.
dave: I don’t see Murphy going anywhere but to Arizona to work at second base in the Fall League.-JD
Man, even in a great inning like that, they couldn’t do the easiest thing and get Reyes home from 3rd with less than 2 outs.
The thing is castillo even at his best is slappy ground ball hitter. Not a guy who going to put something in the air. To me percentage play wise the bunt is the better option.
Mackey: That’s why they are the Mets. There’s always something.-JD
Hell even a saftey squeeze.
David: Did you see the earlier post about the prospects?-JD
I really don’t think Santana could have been better this season. It seems like EVERY time he goes out there, the pressure is on for him to win. And for about 3 months the guy has been just phenomenal.
JD: I hadnt seen it till now. Thanks for the link it will go in my favorites!
JM: He should have won 20 games, but put that on the pen. The offense didn’t help him early in the season, either. He’s done his job.-JD
I’ll get it on the blog roll.-JD
Santana has thrown 101 pitches. They’ll give him another inning.-JD
Does everyone in the Cubs bullpen throw 95+
No, the bullpen coach is a soft-tosser.
JD
do you really think Murph is a good fit at 2b? I heard he was a butcher. I like him in OF. I hear he works at it and has done well for someone who is a fish out of water.
Maybe even 1b.
what a haircut.
He is putting on a show.
JD
I for one am happy the Mets signed Omar to a 4 year extension. At least this makes Omar a non story if the Mets do miss the play offs.
I think Omar has done a competent enough job to be back. I give him a lot of credit for not making a stupid trade at the deadline. It would have been very easy to trade Murphy, Evans or Niese for some washed up veteran.
And on a side note.
All those Met fans who booed Santana in April at Shea should never be allowed to enter Shea or CitiField ever again.
Scott, agree on Omar and booers.
dave: I wrote earlier they might try him at first. Second, I have no idea of how he’ll handle it. But, I’d like to see him try. Either way, it can’t be Castillo next year.-JD
Scott: I remember the booing.-JD
Just what in the hell is a strike these days. I swear, sometimes they might be better off without the umps and go on the honor system.-JD
121 pitches and counting.-JD
That’s an ace.-JD
Amazing job by Johan its one thing to battle the cubs lineup but to battle them and cousy is very impressive.
Such a bulldog.
Agree with that JD
Really what is wrong with the umps.
Great pitchers used to get the borderline pitches at crunch time.
I also think Santana’s pitch count will not let him come back Saturday on 3 days rest.
David: Good point. He was fighting the ump all night.-JD
I agree. Perhaps Omar will help pay for Castillo’s exit out of town?
Also to Scott: I’ll agree with you about Omar in not making a hasty trade at the deadline. But after the collapse last season that was mainly caused by a faulty bullpen, how can you not at least TRY and make that area better. On top of that you give Luis Castillo 4 years, REALLY?
Scott: Yeah, Saturday is out.-JD
Do we have enuf pitchers for 3 outs?
David: There were a lot of assumptions made on the bullpen, namely Heilman would pitch better; Sanchez would bounce back; Matt Wise would help; and the starters would eat more innings. None of those things happened.
And yes, Castillo was a mistake.-JD
dave: Huge question. Legit question, too.-JD
Terrible, just terrible job by A. Reyes on the bunt.-JD
Ok how the heck can you have A.Reyes bunting with 2 strikes but you dont try to squeeze with Castillo earlier…Oy Vey
David
The only thing that really bugs me on Castillo is that the contract was 4 years.
If it was 3 years I would have not given it another thought. In perspective they will owe Castillo about 18 mil at the end of the year, just about what they are paying Pedro for one season. Being a big market club lets you have a mulligan once in a while.
Last winter it was said Omar could have traded Heilman and Show for Fuentes but thought it was too much. In hindsight it would have been a great deal.
Can David drive in a man on second with 2 out?
Scott:
You can take the mulligan only if you’re willing to eat it. We’ve yet to see if they eat it.