Sun 29 Jun 2008
The other day, I gave my view on the weekend Subway Series between what’s still a couple of mediocre New York teams which have disappointed until proven otherwise. Here’s another one on what’s taken place thus far with one game left later this afternoon:
-It’s hard to believe the Mets dropped the next couple after blowing the doors off the Yanks at the Stadium to sweep all three for the first time in the history of the series. They had the match-ups and momentum but that proved to mean zilch when somehow, they couldn’t solve Sidney Ponson allowing him to escape two bases loaded situations while a more desperate Bronx Bomber attack got to Pedro Martinez to win by an identical nine-run margin Friday night at Shea.
I like Pedro and always have. He’s easy to root for. Hopefully, he gets it together because when he decides it’s over, it will be a sad day. This is a great competitor who’s improvised despite injuries and has worked very hard to become one of the best pitchers this game’s seen over the last decade. I wish him the very best.
Now, for yesterday’s Yankee 3-2 win over Johan Santana with Andy Pettite outpitching the former Twins’ two-time AL Cy winner. Not that Pettite isn’t still a good starter. He has gotten it together after a dreadful first six weeks. He did what he needed giving his team a chance limiting the Amazin’s to two solo homers in six innings which also included a 79-minute rain delay.
Still, one would’ve expected Santana to rise to the occasion and shutdown the Bombers. Sure. He pitched well enough to win working six and K-ing eight looking flat out dominant at times. But the one frame where he lost the strike zone cost him two runs which the Yanks manufactured. And his balk of A-Rod to second allowed Robinson Cano to drive in the winning run. So there is some responsibility for why he’s now a .500 pitcher.
Not what the Mets are paying him for. This isn’t all on the likeable southpaw from Venezuela. It’s also on the talented Jose Reyes, who continues to baffle fans with his up and down play. Oh. The 25 year-old shortstop has turned his season around getting the average close to .300 and hitting for more power and stealing more bases. But sometimes, his lack of baseball instincts are alarming. How was it possible in a two-run game that he managed to get picked off second by Pettite with David Wright at the plate killing a potential two out rally?!?!?!?!?!
There’s just no way he should be going anywhere as WFAN radio man Howie Rose pointed out immediately when the inning ended. You have your most dangerous bat who had hit two Pettite pitches hard forcing Melky Cabrera to come up with a tough running catch near the track. You don’t go in that spot and take the bat out of Wright’s hands.
So, was it any shock that Wright ledoff the home sixth with a solo shot to cut the lead to one? Of course not. Instead of maybe tying or putting his team ahead, he made it 3-2.
From there, the Yankee pen of Jose Veras, Kyle Farnsworth (pitching bandaged up) and the impeccable Mariano Rivera closed the door to give the Pinstripes at worst a split of the four-game weekend series.
For the Mets, it proved costly as the Phils finally figured out how to win again for only the second time in 10 games beating the Rangers and gaining a game in the standings. They lead the Queens club by four (two in loss column).
Now, they’ll send out jekyll and hyde lefty Oliver Perez this afternoon trying to salvage the final game at Shea. That should be an advantage over Darrell Rasner if we’re going by paper. But these days, you can’t figure out much. Either Perez will be very good bouncing back from an abysmal outing that saw the lowly Mariners tattoo him or he’ll have a repeat performance and it will be a slugfest becoming a survival of the pens.
The Yanks meanwhile are seven over and need to keep winning just to not lose ground to Boston and Tampa, who almost never lose. They finally recalled promising relief prospect David Robertson. He was lighting up Triple-A Wilkes Barre/Scranton. We’ll see if he makes his major league debut later on.
July 2nd, 2008 at 17:42
[...] Random Thought The other day, I gave my view on the weekend Subway Series between what’s still a couple of mediocre New York teams which have disappointed until proven otherwise. Here’s another one on what’s taken place thus far with one game left later this afternoon: -It’s hard to believe the Mets dropped the next couple after blowing the doors off the Yanks at the Stadium to sweep all three for the first time in the history of the series. They had the match-ups and momentum but that proved to mean zilch w [...]
July 5th, 2008 at 11:28
[...] Random Thought It’s also on the talented Jose Reyes, who continues to baffle fans with his up and down play. Oh. The 25 year-old shortstop has turned his… [...]