| Who would have thought that the New York Mets | | | | year guaranteed contract. Many would say that he |
| Pitching Staff would be the strongest part of the | | | | does not deserve all that money because he has |
| team, while the Hitting Staff would be the weakest? | | | | been a bust so far. The veteran ex-Red Sox slugger, |
| Saturday, April 17th against the Saint Louis Cardinals, | | | | who batted 0.267 with 36 home runs and 119 RBIs |
| the Mets Hitting Staff was shut-down until the top of | | | | last year with the Sox, has not done anything in the |
| the 19th inning when Jose Reyes scored a run on a | | | | past 10 games to disprove such claim, stats provided |
| sacrifice fly against a position player converted to | | | | by ESPN. Hopefully, he will come around soon for the |
| pitcher during the game. All regular relievers were | | | | sake of Mets fans! |
| already used up in the Cardinals bullpen, and the only | | | | Jose Reyes who is coming off calf surgery has not |
| pitchers available were starters. | | | | faired better either. In fact, his situation is a little |
| Cardinals coach Tony La Russa decided not to bring | | | | different because he is coming off an injury and a |
| in any of his starting pitchers to continue the game; | | | | bout of thyroid illness. It is obvious that he is not the |
| so, he elected therefore to use position players to | | | | same player he once was. In fact, he does not run |
| do the pitching. This decision eventually cost him the | | | | as fast as he used to run before the surgery, and his |
| game, considering the fact that the Mets hitters | | | | batting average has suffered greatly in his return, |
| could not hit a ball outside the Saint Louis infield if | | | | batting a measly 0.171 for the season so far, stats |
| their lives depended on it. | | | | provided by ESPN. |
| The Mets Hitting Staff could not even score a run | | | | All in all, the Mets look more like a rebuilding team |
| against Felipe Lopez, Cardinals third-base man who | | | | trying to be competitive while it goes through the |
| took over the pitching duties, temporarily relinquishing | | | | rebuilding process. Who is to be blamed for this? It is |
| his third-base position in the top of the 18th inning; | | | | certainly not the fault of the manager, Jerry Manuel. |
| this is how dreadful the Mets batters were. Even | | | | If anything, it is the fault of Omar Minaya for firing |
| Jason Bay could not buy a hit to save his life. He | | | | Willie Randolph, the only manager to have taken the |
| went something like 0-for- 7 and was only afforded | | | | Mets to the playoff in recent memory. |
| the chance to reach first base when he was struck | | | | After Willie Randolph was fired by Minaya, the team |
| on the hand by Joseph Mather (infielder and | | | | went from bad to worst losing more than 50 percent |
| outfielder), another position player converted to | | | | of its games last season, although many of the |
| pitcher in the middle of the game. | | | | starters were decimated with injuries, Carlos Beltran, |
| With his teammates standing on top of the dugout | | | | Jose Reyes, John Maine, Oliver Perez, Carlos Delgado |
| watching every pitch hurled by the shortstop, who | | | | to name a few. |
| won the 3-game series opener with a grand slam the | | | | Jerry Manuel is a very good coach. However, the |
| night before, Felipe Lopez pitched a scoreless 18th | | | | jury is still out on him. Many Mets fans say he is not |
| inning. His Cardinals teammates, jumping up and down, | | | | tough enough. One of the main reasons for this is |
| smacking high fives all over the dugout, roared when | | | | because there was an incident including Jose Reyes |
| he entered the dugout allowing no runs and one hit | | | | and Jerry Manuel, days after Willie Randolph was |
| to the hapless Mets hitting staff. | | | | fired, when Manuel came to the infield to remove |
| Every Mets fan in the stadium and at home must | | | | Reyes from the game after the manager saw the |
| have been thinking that this could be the worst loss | | | | shortstop sustain an injury on an infield play. |
| ever in the history of the Mets franchise if the team | | | | Well, when Manuel approached Reyes, putting his |
| happens to lose this game. Luckily however, the | | | | hands around the shortstop to tell him that he would |
| worst did not happen, and the Mets came away with | | | | like him to leave the game because he did not want |
| a 2-1 win over the Cardinals in the 20th inning. | | | | to take any chances of having the player injure |
| When the season started, every Mets fan was | | | | himself further, Reyes initially refused to leave the |
| saying that the front office did not do much to make | | | | game, shrugging his shoulders with a vigorous frown |
| the pitching staff better. Indeed, Mets fans are | | | | and walking away from his new manager Jerry |
| correct in their claim because the team really did not | | | | Manuel. Ever since that incident, Mets fans have |
| sign any big-name pitchers. They only added Minor | | | | accused the amusing manager of being soft. |
| League pitchers from their farm system in Jonathan | | | | On the other hand, Willie Randolph was hated by |
| Niese, Jenrry Mejia, and Fernando Nieve and | | | | some of the players; some claimed that Willie was |
| borrowed Raul Valdes from the Mexican League. The | | | | too pompous, talking-down to them and at times |
| team also signed two Japanese pitchers (Ryota | | | | being very rigid and robotic, never showing a smile. |
| Igarashi and Hisanori Takahashi) who are currently in | | | | No wonder they were winning games! A good leader |
| the bullpen along with Mejia and Nieve while Niese is in | | | | is never friends with his/her employees. An |
| the starting rotation at the number five spot. | | | | outstanding leader is in a leadership position to lead, |
| With these unproven pitchers on the staff, Mets fans | | | | not to make friends. |
| had good reason to believe that pitching would be | | | | So, here we are again, waiting and hoping that the |
| the downfall of the New York Mets team. But no, | | | | Mets start winning some games, so Jerry Manuel and |
| this is so far from the truth, the pitching staff is | | | | Omar Minaya can keep their jobs. In fact, changing to |
| proving everybody wrong. Apart from John Maine's | | | | a new regime by firing the General Manager and the |
| lousy starts, pitching poorly in his first two games, | | | | Manager is not the answer to solving the Mets |
| the pitching staff is proving to be the strongest part | | | | problems. The answer is putting the best baseball |
| of the team, especially the bullpen that have allowed | | | | players on the field. So, the New York Mets can |
| fewer runs in the Majors than most bullpens have, | | | | have the best chance of winning, which will make all |
| the first couple of games in the season. | | | | Mets fans happy, and that starts with signing some |
| It is therefore surprising to see that hitting is the | | | | good hitters! We saw that the pitching staff is not |
| weak link on the Mets team. In fact, the Mets front | | | | bad after all-shutting down the Saint Louis Cardinals |
| office did a lot more in the off season to make the | | | | for 20 innings while the hitting staff struggled to get |
| hitting staff better than they did for the pitching | | | | a hit against position players converted to pitchers! |
| staff. The team signed Jason Bay to a $66 million a | | | | |