Let's Not Get Ahead of Ourselves, But Man Was That Sweet
Last week I talked about this team's formula for success.
Get us 2 of 3 from Pedro, Glavine and Shitty.
and
Get me 1 of 2 from Hernadez/Soler and the Pen.
Win 3 of 5 and we are a 96 win team.
When I wrote this last week it all seemed too easy.
Until Monday night.
For 7 innings Alay Soler was a dominant starter. I had the pleasure of watching the Dodgers broadcast on League Pass and they were talking about this kid like he was the next coming of Pedro.
Seven innings of absolutely dominant ball. Save one pitch to Willy Aybar and we have one of our better starts of the season.
The formula for Soler appeared simple. Throw strikes, throw a lot of offspeed stuff (breaking balls down in the zone mostly), and make the Dodgers put the ball in play.
Unlike his previous starts where Soler struggled early, Monday, Soler got ahead of the hitters. Almost better still, Soler made Dodge batters looked overmatched even on counts when he fell behind.
So what does this all mean?
Of course the Happy Will's of the world are talking about Soler for Rookie of the Year and the Mets rotation in 2011 featuring Pelfrey, Heilman, Soler, Humber and some current 17 year old.
And that Soler, who has really dominated 2 of 3 starts, is the answer.
Well that's just not Sip. This guy doesn't have the stuff (particularly the velocity) to blow batters out of the water, which means that he will need command and savvy to win major league games. That's what we get out of Pedro by this point, essentially; to expect consistency like that of a rookie would be a little bit much.
But that does not mean Monday's game was not huge to me.
It was huge to me because it helped make my formula for success seem a little bit more realistic.
It made winning 1 of 2 starts pitched by our 4 or 5 guys seem extremely plausible.
Can you imagine saying that 3 weeks ago?
And equally important, the Mets were able to win this game without using any of the 3 guys at the end of our bullpen, Heilman, Sanchez and Wagner.
This to me will be the most important overlooked topic of the next four months.
The Mets can win and dominate the regular season. But if our big three guys in our 'pen aren't rested when it matters, then we will see what has happened to the Yankees for the last 6 years.
A dead bullpen = a playoff exit.
Willie Randolph spent years under Joe Torre so let's hope that Willie forgot Joe's tendency to overwork relievers like he did Joe's preference for fresh-toasted subs. It is of the utmost importance that the Mets can limit the innings on Heilman, Sanchez, and (to a somewhat lesser degree) Wagner.
The fact is, they have been overworked for the first two months of the season.
The biggest move I can advocate, bigger than any starting pitcher or bat would be to swap Xavier Nady and his cheap contract for one more competent reliever, preferably a lefty.
The fact is that Pedro Feliciano, as good as he has been, is not who we want in there against an important lefty. He gave up 8th inning hits to Kenny Lofton and JD Drew, both of who made him look like John Franco.
And more so, I just don't want to ever see Lastings go. The guy is just damn likable.
One more arm in bullpen could be the key to the season -- it may sound spoiled considering how great our Pen has been, but we've got a lot of baseball left to play.
For now, let's go for 3 of our next 5.
VCD,
SM
Get us 2 of 3 from Pedro, Glavine and Shitty.
and
Get me 1 of 2 from Hernadez/Soler and the Pen.
Win 3 of 5 and we are a 96 win team.
When I wrote this last week it all seemed too easy.
Until Monday night.
For 7 innings Alay Soler was a dominant starter. I had the pleasure of watching the Dodgers broadcast on League Pass and they were talking about this kid like he was the next coming of Pedro.
Seven innings of absolutely dominant ball. Save one pitch to Willy Aybar and we have one of our better starts of the season.
The formula for Soler appeared simple. Throw strikes, throw a lot of offspeed stuff (breaking balls down in the zone mostly), and make the Dodgers put the ball in play.
Unlike his previous starts where Soler struggled early, Monday, Soler got ahead of the hitters. Almost better still, Soler made Dodge batters looked overmatched even on counts when he fell behind.
So what does this all mean?
Of course the Happy Will's of the world are talking about Soler for Rookie of the Year and the Mets rotation in 2011 featuring Pelfrey, Heilman, Soler, Humber and some current 17 year old.
And that Soler, who has really dominated 2 of 3 starts, is the answer.
Well that's just not Sip. This guy doesn't have the stuff (particularly the velocity) to blow batters out of the water, which means that he will need command and savvy to win major league games. That's what we get out of Pedro by this point, essentially; to expect consistency like that of a rookie would be a little bit much.
But that does not mean Monday's game was not huge to me.
It was huge to me because it helped make my formula for success seem a little bit more realistic.
It made winning 1 of 2 starts pitched by our 4 or 5 guys seem extremely plausible.
Can you imagine saying that 3 weeks ago?
And equally important, the Mets were able to win this game without using any of the 3 guys at the end of our bullpen, Heilman, Sanchez and Wagner.
This to me will be the most important overlooked topic of the next four months.
The Mets can win and dominate the regular season. But if our big three guys in our 'pen aren't rested when it matters, then we will see what has happened to the Yankees for the last 6 years.
A dead bullpen = a playoff exit.
Willie Randolph spent years under Joe Torre so let's hope that Willie forgot Joe's tendency to overwork relievers like he did Joe's preference for fresh-toasted subs. It is of the utmost importance that the Mets can limit the innings on Heilman, Sanchez, and (to a somewhat lesser degree) Wagner.
The fact is, they have been overworked for the first two months of the season.
The biggest move I can advocate, bigger than any starting pitcher or bat would be to swap Xavier Nady and his cheap contract for one more competent reliever, preferably a lefty.
The fact is that Pedro Feliciano, as good as he has been, is not who we want in there against an important lefty. He gave up 8th inning hits to Kenny Lofton and JD Drew, both of who made him look like John Franco.
And more so, I just don't want to ever see Lastings go. The guy is just damn likable.
One more arm in bullpen could be the key to the season -- it may sound spoiled considering how great our Pen has been, but we've got a lot of baseball left to play.
For now, let's go for 3 of our next 5.
VCD,
SM
posted by Sippy Momo at 2:49 AM
4 Comments:
Soler for Rookie of the Year and the Mets rotation in 2011 featuring Pelfrey, Heilman, Soler, Humber and some current 17 year old!
if soler can locate that fine curve, he will have a lot of good outings. last night, however, was the only time he's been able to throw that curve effectively - so let's, like sm says, take it easy for now. i'm very excited to get bannister back. if soler can hack it, then el duque goes to the pen where he has proven to be effective, and that gives us that other arm down the stretch that SM aptly yearns for.
With the 62nd pick overall, the Mets drafted a kid projected across the board as a first rounder or at least a sandwich pick... sounds like a good risk to me... and he's a JERSEY boy!!!!! FAABUULOUS. No really, probably a damn fine pick. Can never have enough young arms.
Quoting from Baseball America ...
"30. Kevin Mulvey, rhp
School: Villanova. Class: Jr.
Hometown: Parlin, N.J.
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-1. Wt.: 170. Birthdate: 5/26/85.
Scouting Report: Mulvey, the top arm in the Northeast, could be a perfect fit for the Phillies, who have made an effort to target top local talent, such as Glen Mills, Pa., native Mike Costanzo-their top pick last year (second round) out of Coastal Carolina. Mulvey, who hails from Parlin, N.J., has been a weekend starter since he arrived at Villanova and has seen his stock rise this season even while posting rather pedestrian 3-7, 3.66 numbers. Scouts are impressed with his command of three average or better pitches: a 90-94 mph fastball, a slider that is effective against righthanded hitters and a curveball that some scouts like even better than the slider. He also has good feel for a changeup that can be used to get lefties out. Mulvey has loose, easy arm action and clean mechanics, and he has learned to eliminate distractions from umpires and defensive lapses behind him that tended to rattle him early in his college career. He always works around the zone and is not afraid to attack hitters. Mulvey doesn't figure to last past the Phillies at No. 37 overall and could go before that."
Willie: 2011 rotation definitely has you know whom in it.
Jared: This year's 62nd pick is a huge loser. He calls himself a "Yankees and Mets" fan. Anyway, see my email for my thoughts on that one. What a prick.
Post a Comment
<< Home