Mets Finally Send Ike Down...but What's Next?

This past weekend at Citi Field was more of the same for the 23-35 Mets.  It was an embarrassing display of baseball against the worst team in baseball and one of the worst in the history of baseball.  After Friday night's game was rained out, the Mets would lose a 20-inning affair (that I sat through) Saturday by a 2-1 score, and then Sunday they would blow a 4-1 lead and lose 8-4 in 10 innings.  Eight of the Marlins 18 wins this season have come against the Mets.

Yes, the New York Mets have lost eight times to the abysmal 18-44 Marlins.  That was the last straw.

Finally, Sandy Alderson decided enough was enough and made a couple of moves that had to be made.   The long awaited demotion of Ike Davis finally arrived after the game Sunday as he was sent down to triple-A Las Vegas.  Mike Baxter and Robert Carson were also sent down.

For Ike, it has been another disastrous start, but this time he has showed no signs of turning it around as he did last year.  Davis is hitting just .161 on the season with just five home runs and 16 RBI. He has struck out a ridiculous 66 times in 186 at bats.  That's an average of more than one time every three at bats.  The demotion was long overdue, but two more losses to the Marlins marked the end for Ike.  He will work out his troubles in triple-A Las Vegas and until he shows some significant improvement, he won't be back in Queens anytime soon.

Baxter also has been struggling in his limited playing time this season.  He's hitting just .212 with zero homers and four RBI in 85 at bats.  Don't expect Baxter to be back anytime soon either as he was not given much of a chance from the start.

Carson should have never been here in the first place.  The southpaw out of the bullpen has been completely overmatched since being called up to Queens.  Carson has been atrocious in 2013 in 18 innings giving up 18 runs, good for a whopping 8.50 ERA.  He has also given up eight home runs this season, which is good for third most on the team.  Carson shouldn't hear his name on the big league roster again in 2013, unless it's for September call ups.

So the Mets are now 23-35 and sitting in fourth place in the NL East, already 13.5 games behind the first place Atlanta Braves.  The question for this team is...what's next?  Well it's time Alderson and Terry Collins realize that if this team is in a rebuilding process, it's time to start players that are going to be a part of the future.  Yes, even if they are not major league ready, it's time to let them play.  What does the team have to lose at this point?  They are 13.5 games out of first place and are in no way, shape, or form going to be in a pennant race in 2013.  Saturday, the Mets finally designated Rick Ankiel for assignment.  Yesterday, they finally sent down Ike, along with Baxter and Carson.  That's a start.  Now it's time to see pieces of the future play.  So who are these pieces?

First of all, it looks like Zach Wheeler will finally get his time to shine.  Wheeler is set to make his major league debut in a doubleheader next Tuesday the 18th in Atlanta.  Coincidentally, Matt Harvey will start the second game of the doubleheader.  The future of the Mets pitching staff will be seen together on the same day, which will definitely be exciting for the fans.  Wheeler won't be the savior though.  The Mets are in desperate need of some bats.  We all know the Mets have Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard as well as Rafael Montero to look forward to in the rotation, but what about on offense.

Highly coveted catching prospect Travis D'Arnaud is on his way back as he begins to rehab and work his way back from a foot injury.  D'Arnaud was the big piece of the R.A. Dickey trade and the Mets are hoping that he can be this team's catcher for years to come.  Expect D'Arnaud to be called up to Queens sometime after the All Star break.  Wilmer Flores is another guy in the minors that needs to be called up this season.  The Mets need to move Flores to shortstop, because Daniel Murphy should stay the everyday second baseman.  Ruben Tejada has not earned the starting shortstop role, and should not return as the starter when he is back from the disabled list.  If Ike Davis can turn it around, the Mets infield in the last two months of the season and possibly for years to come come should be D'Arnaud, Davis, Murphy, Flores, and David Wright.  That could turn out to be a pretty solid infield for years to come.

The question marks once again remains in the outfield.  Lucas Duda is not expected to be a piece of this team's future and Alderson has made that clear.  He has been unable to win anyone over with his mediocre power bat.  Duda is hitting just .228 with 10 home runs and 20 RBI in 193 at bats this season.    The Mets don't have much help in the minors either in the outfield.  Their only potential outfielder in the future right now looks like Brandon Nimmo, but he is only with single-A Savannah right now.  Nimmo has been impressive so far hitting .316, but has just one home run and 18 RBI in 136 at bats.  Luckily, the Mets have around $30 million coming off the books in the offseason.  That means they will have some cap space to add a free agent outfielder, and possibly make a trade for another before the trade deadline in July.

What I expect the Mets to do is make a trade for Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier before the trade deadline.  While everyone wants Carlos Gonzalez or Giancarlo Stanton, that will cost the Mets too much and would force them to likely give away Wheeler or D'Arnaud or both.  Ethier would cost the Mets less prospects, and they can likely get the Dodgers to pay half of Ethier's five-year, $85 million contract.  While Ethier has struggled this season, a change of scenery could be good for him.  The Mets will then look to sign a free agent outfielder in the offseason.  Atop the list will likely be Shin-Soo Choo, Nelson Cruz, or Jacoby Ellsbury.  Those are the three games to keep an eye on that the Mets will likely make a move for.  Look for the Mets to sign one of those three free agents as well as make a trade for an outfielder this July as they will have a little bit of spending room this offseason.

It's going to be a rough season and it's been hard to watch the 2013 Mets thus far.  If Alderson can make the right moves with the money coming off the books, and some of the highly coveted prospects as in Wheeler, D'Arnaud, and Flores can pan out, the Mets are not too far away.  This team could be a winning one within the next two years.  If not, say goodbye to Alderson and Collins.

Mets Fans Relishing in Sweep of Yankees

It may only be two months into the season, but the Mets sweep over the Yankees is easily the highlight of the 2013 season.  Chants of "sweep" and "Let's Go Mets" were heard in full force last night at Yankee Stadium in the 9th inning as the Mets completed a four-game, two-stadium season sweep over their crosstown rival Yankees for the first time since the Subway Series began in 2000.

Mets fans made their presence felt last night in the Bronx in what was one of the quietest Subway Series games ever.  Yankees fans were nonexistent in their home park last night.  The 44,207 fans in attendance were silent until late where Mets fans took over.  While it was just another game for the Yankees and their fans, it was more of a pennant race atmosphere for the Mets and their fans.  The Yankees have dominated the Mets in Subway Series play with the Mets only winning two season series in the first 16 years of the rivalry.  The Yankees were 54-36 in those 16 years against the Mets in the regular season, also including a 4-1 series win in the 2000 World Series.

The overlooked, 4th place Mets squad took care of business this week in Queens and in the Bronx.  Their pitching was dominant getting terrific outings from Jon Niese, Matt Harvey, Jeremy Hefner, and Dillon Gee.  Gee recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts last night and Harvey had 10 Tuesday night in the Mets comeback walk-off victory.  While the Yankees were playing without many of their big names in Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson, Kevin Youkilis, and Alex Rodriguez, it still marked a very impressive week for a Mets team that had been struggling mightily.  This Mets team has zero expectations this season as they are in a rebuilding process, hoping for some young prospects to pan out for them soon in Zach Wheeler and Travis D'Arnaud.

While bitter Yankees fans will continue to say they don't care about this series, Mets fans have New York bragging rights.  Mets fans are fully aware that this team is rebuilding and will likely not be in the playoffs in 2013, and maybe even 2014.  This team is showing some heart and is giving the fans something to look forward to as they try and turn it around.  After a 17-29 start, the Mets have now won five straight games as they head to Miami to face the last place Marlins, who are in far worse shape than the Mets with a 13-41 start to the season.  Mets fans deserve to relish in this sweep.  In a rebuilding season, any stretch of wins, especially against the rival Yankees, is definitely something to smile about.  The Mets have some big division games coming up where they can work their way back to .500.  Terry Collins squad can make the dog days of summer in Queens a little more enjoyable as Wheeler and D'Arnaud will soon be on their way as the Mets continue to get younger and build a winning team for the future.

Mets Say Sayonara to Sandman in Memorable Fashion

Coming into this week's Subway Series matchup, the talk around New York was how the annual Mets-Yankees matchup has lost its flare.  Oh boy was that wrong.

Tuesday night in Queens was the most memorable game of the 2013 season thus far.  There were enough story lines after Tuesday's ulti-Met classic to write a short novel.  After being shutout for the first eight innings, the Mets bats came alive in the 9th scoring two runs capped off by a Lucas Duda walk-off single to give the Amazins a 2-1 victory.  They scored two runs on three hits off the greatest closer in the history of baseball, Mariano Rivera.  All of that happened with Rivera failing to record an out.  History was made as it was the first blown save for the "Sandman" where he failed to record an out in his 19-year Hall of Fame career.  It came after the Mets honored the future Hall of Famer before the game as he threw out the ceremonial first pitch as he said farewell to Queens.

A Daniel Murphy double, David Wright single, and a Duda base hit gave the Mets the two-game sweep at Citi over the Bronx Bombers, and a three-game win streak.  That ended what was a magical night, but that was not the only thing to take away from the game.  Matt Harvey was phenomenal per usual for the Mets going eight innings giving up just one run on six hits to go along with 10 strikeouts.  "Harvey Day" turned into Harvey night after the 90-minute rain delay had the young stud throw the first pitch at 8:40.  Fans in left field (including myself) had the big Harvey faces held up as well as "The Real Deal" orange t-shirts to show support for the new ace in orange and blue.  While Harvey was dominant, Yankees starter Hiroki Kuroda was even better tossing seven shutout innings, while giving up just four hits and striking out seven.  The Mets offense was hard to watch the first eight innings against Kuroda and David Robertson.

The one time the Mets did have a runner in scoring position in the 6th inning, it would not last long.  Ruben Tejada was picked off at second base after being called safe.  Second base umpire Adrian Johnson called the Mets shortstop safe and then immediately called him out in one of the more bizarre decisions ever seen in baseball.  Terry Collins came out ferociously to argue the call and was ejected.  It is extremely rare that an umpire calls a runner safe and then changes the call to call him out.  While Tejada looked out, it was handled poorly by Johnson.  The Mets skipper would watch the miraculous comeback from the clubhouse.

The Subway Series.  A rain delay.  Harvey vs Kuroda.  Rivera's final game in Queens.  A pitcher's duel.  A bizarre play at second base.  A manager ejected.  History made against the greatest closer in MLB history.  A walk off win.  Did I forget anything?  Mets fans had plenty of reasons to smile Tuesday night in a game that could give this team some momentum when they desperately needed it.  The Mets are now winners of three straight for just the second time this season as they head over to the Bronx for two more against their crosstown rivals.  They will hope to build on Tuesday's amazin' win as they look for a turnaround after a rough start to the 2013 season.

Mets Future is Bright After Dickey Trade

The Mets decided to put the pieces together for future success rather than winning now with the trade of R.A. Dickey, and Sandy Alderson did a great job doing it.

The Mets traded the Cy Young winner along with catcher Josh Thole and backup catcher Mike Nickeas to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for top catching prospect Travis D'Arnaud, their top pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard, veteran catcher John Buck, and young outfield prospect Wuilmer Becerra.

D'Arnaud is one of the top prospects in baseball and is expected to be the Mets catcher of the future with a good chance at starting behind the dish this season.  In 67 games last season in AAA Las Vegas, D'Arnaud hit .333 with 16 home runs and 52 RBI.  In 2011 for AA New Hampshire, the 23-year-old catcher hit .311 with 21 home runs and 78 RBI in 114 games.  Clearly, the young backstop has a lot of potential and fills the Mets hole at catcher.  This team has lacked a good power hitting catcher since Mike Piazza left, who happens to be the player D'Arnaud admired in his youth.  While his defense has been deemed average at best, D'Arnaud is a huge acquisition that finally gives the Mets a guy who can hit behind the plate.  Getting rid of Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas actually helps the Mets rather than hurt them.  The fact that those are the only other players the Mets gave up besides Dickey makes this deal a steal.

Syndergaard was the second best Blue Jays prospect right behind D'Arnaud.  So the Mets acquired the Blue Jays top two prospects for Dickey, just as Alderson had hoped.  Syndergaard had a terrific season in Class-A Lansing going 8-5 with a 2.6 ERA, including 122 strikeouts in just 103.2 innings pitched.  He's only just begun.  The 6'5" power arm is just 20 years old and is already shining in the minor leagues.  In two to three years, we may see Syndergaard join a starting rotation along side Matt Harvey and Zach Wheeler.

Buck gives the Mets a veteran catcher with some pop to start until D'Arnaud is ready.  Once D'Arnaud is ready to shine in the majors, Buck gives the Mets a much better second option at catcher than Thole and Nickeas.  The 32-year-old hit just .192 with the Marlins last season, but has power.  Buck had 12 home runs last season, 16 in 2011, and 20 in 2010.  Also, don't forget about the "non-elite" prospect the Mets get in this deal, Wuilmer Becerra.  Becerra is a 6'4" right-hand hitting outfielder and is just 18 years old. His season in the minor leagues ended after just 11 games when he was hit in the face by a pitch and broke his jaw.  Becerra has a lot of time to spend in the minors to grow, but we could be hearing his name in four to five years.

Parting with the 38-year-old knuckleballer was tough for the Mets, but his age was a big factor.  Dickey was tremendous last season going 20-6 with a 2.73 ERA and 230 strikeouts.  Alderson could not work an extension out with Dickey essentially lowballing him with a 2-year, $20 million offer and Dickey was looking for $26 million.  The Blue Jays pulled the trigger and made the trade and signed him to a 2-year, $25 million extension after he makes a bargain $5 million in 2013.

The Mets are building a young team that should have fans smiling to what looks to be a bright future.  Signing David Wright to a long-term deal was the start.  The Mets are building a team to win in the future with Wright, Ike Davis, Ruben Tejada, Harvey, Wheeler, Dillon Gee, Jenrry Mejia, and now D'Arnaud and Syndergaard.  The pieces are coming together for a team that probably won't contend in 2013, but 2014 and beyond can be the start of the Mets rise to the top of the NL East standings.

Now that Wright is signed and Dickey has been traded, the Mets need to go out and get a couple outfielders.  That is their biggest weakness right now.  First and foremost, they need to sign or acquire a power bat in the outfield like a Justin Upton or Cody Ross.  Rumors say the Mets are interested in Grady Sizemore, but he is coming off knee surgery and won't be ready to start the season.  Alderson needs to use the money that hasn't been spent this offseason to bring in at least two outfielders with one of them being a guy who can hit 20+ home runs.  Terry Collins has the pieces in place, now management needs to look for some offense to put up some runs for this very solid pitching staff.

No-Han No More? It's a No Brainer

Since Johan Santana's ankle was stepped on by Reed Johnson on July 6th, his remarkable 2012 season has taken a complete 180.  In his last 5 starts, Santana has allowed 6 earned runs or more in each start.  Everything has fallen apart for "No-Han," who threw the first no hitter in Mets history on June 1st against the Cardinals.

Since that injury, Santana has not been the same pitcher.  He went to the disabled list on July 21st with the ankle injury.  The Mets also wanted to get Santana some rest coming off his surgically repaired shoulder.  'No-Han' said he was ready to go and feeling much better when he returned against the Braves at Citi Field.  After getting tattooed in his return giving up eight runs in just 1.1 innings, Terry Collins was concerned but knew his ace was going to be a little rusty.  When Santana came out and got crushed again against the Nationals on Friday night, the Mets concerns grew rapidly.  It seems as if Santana might just be going through fatigue.

Shoulder surgery is never an easy thing to come back from.  Johan surprised everyone with the incredible first half of the season he had.  The no hitter he threw was enough for Mets fans to put him on a pedestal in Mets history as one of the greats.  He was brilliant in the first half and a big reason for the Mets success.

Everything has fallen apart though for Santana since the second half of the season has begun.  The Mets need to make the wise move and rest their ace for the season.  The Mets are nowhere near the playoff picture as they go into today at a season low nine games under .500 and a whopping 20 games behind the Nationals in the NL East standings.  Things have gotten truly ugly for a Mets team that was resilient and fun to watch in the first half.

Terry Collins and GM Sandy Alderson need to give Santana rest so he is fresh for next season.  The worst thing for the Mets would be to lose Johan to another injury because of poor management.  This season is over for the Mets for a shot at the playoffs.  For the last month of the season, Santana should rest, and the Mets should call up some of their young arms to fill in.  It is time to continue to build for next season.  A major part of next season will be a healthy Johan Santana.  Today, we should see Sandy Alderson announce that Santana's season is done.  It will be the best for the team in trying to put together a winning club in 2013.

A Nice Guy Who Can't Hit

There's been a lot of Mets fans doing what Jason Bay is doing in the photo above.

Since Jason Bay became a member of the Mets, his career has taken a bizarre turn for the worse on the baseball field.  Bay has lived up to nowhere near the 4-year, $64 million contract that he signed prior to the 2010 season.  His offensive statistics have been absolutely brutal in his three seasons thus far.  In 42 games this season, Bay is batting an abysmal .156 with 5 home runs and 11 RBI.  In his 260 games with the Mets, Bay is hitting .220 with 23 home runs and 115 RBI.  In 2009 with the Red Sox, Bay hit .267 with 36 home runs and 119 RBI along with 94 walks and a .384 OBP.  The guy had incredible numbers with the Red Sox...playing at Fenway Park.

The Mets brought in Bay hoping to see glimpses of what was seen from Bay in five years in Pittsburgh and his season and a half in Boston.  What they got was a guy who has completely lost all confidence and lost all the hitting ability that we saw from the former All Star left fielder.  It has been to watch Jason Bay struggle mightily at the plate in his time in New York.  Bay came to a ballpark that was a pitcher's park before the fences were moved in prior to this season.  That might have been a reason for his lack of success early with the Mets.  Then several injuries including multiple concussions forced Bay to miss 67 games in 2010, 39 in 2011, and two months this season.  The combination of injuries, the big ballpark, and a loss of confidence seem to have brought Jason Bay to an all time low in his career.

It really is tough to see Jason Bay struggle as he has.  Terry Collins has demoted him to a platoon player in left field where he will mostly face left handed pitchers.  Bay is a guy you really root for.  He comes to the ballpark every day wanting to help the team win.  He puts in the effort each and every night.  He is a solid defensive player, runs every ball out, and is a great guy in the clubhouse.  Right now for the Mets, Jason Bay is a nice guy who can't hit.  The problem is nice guys don't help teams win baseball games.  Bay is not getting paid $16 million a year to put the effort it and be a good guy.  He's getting paid to help the Mets win games with his much needed right handed bat.  He has done nothing in the middle of the Mets order for them to continue putting him in the lineup every night.

The smart move for the Mets would be to send a message and just release Jason Bay and essentially eat his contract.  Sandy Alderson said Bay's contract is not going anywhere.  Terry Collins did the right thing in making him more of a platoon player.  Collins also did it with class knowing how hard Bay plays and that the effort is there.  The results just are nowhere even near mediocre.  The skipper sat down with him and had multiple meetings giving him his chances to show him something.  The hits just never came.  Bay would have a rare single here and there and an occasional walk, but he just could not get it going this year.  That would be it for Bay as an everyday player in a Mets uniform.  

The Mets will platoon Bay with Mike Baxter and Jordany Valdespin in left field.  Bay will most likely just face left handed hitters for the remainder of the season.  His future in New York is unknown.  Bay has been a major bust in Mets history, but not the worst.  Mets fans were haunted with worse memories than what Bay has brought.  The contracts of Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo forever haunt Mets fans.  Those two names bring nightmares to Mets fans highlighted by the dropped ball in the Bronx and home runs flying out of ballparks.  Jason Bay had his chance here with the Mets, but don't expect to see him in a Mets uniform next season.  Don't be surprised if Jason Bay is dealt soon this month to the Marlins for Heath Bell and John Buck in a deal that brings the Mets a right hand hitting catcher and a reliever that has upside. 

Can The Mets Make a Run?

The Mets finally got back to their winning ways in San Francisco.  After splitting the four game series in Arizona, the Mets went out and took three out of four games against the first place Giants.  The Mets got their solid starting pitching back as well as their clutch hitting that we saw in the first half of the season.  R.A. Dickey, Jon Niese, Matt Harvey, and Chris Young all had very impressive outings.  Despite Harvey's loss in his second career start, he pitched very well only giving up two earned runs and striking out seven.  The Mets like what they see in Harvey. The young phenom has the makeup to be a front end starting pitcher in the Majors.

While the Mets were silent at the trade deadline, they were so with good reason.  The team did not want to trade away young pieces of their future to get a rental to help them win this season.  If the team did not lose 11 of 12 games following the All Star break it most likely would have been a different story.  The fact is they struggled following the break.  They went from being a half game out of the NL Wild Card to 8.5 back going into today.  They went from a reasonable 4.5 games back to 11 games back in the NL East.  The losing streak put a huge blow in the Mets playoff hopes, but with 56 games to go, Terry Collins crew still has hope.

The Mets will finally get back their closer Frank Francisco tonight in San Diego.  Their bullpen has missed Francisco dearly as Bobby Parnell struggled in the closer's role.  They will welcome back Francisco with open arms after missing over a month.  Parnell will now get to return to the setup role where he thrived in the first half of the season.  The rest of the bullpen will have less pressure on them as they will not be put in as many tough situations as they were in with the absence of Francisco.  Josh Edgin and Tim Byrdak can return to being lefty specialists out of the bullpen. Manny Acosta and Ramon Ramirez can return to being middle relievers.  The bullpen as a whole will get more rest with Francisco resuming his 9th inning role.

Johan Santana is also on his way back as he threw a bullpen session yesterday.  Santana will be back in the Mets rotation possibly next week when the Mets return home, but most likely the following week.  Once Santana returns, Terry Collins will consider going to a four man rotation with R.A. Dickey going on three days rest.  Dickey, Santana, Niese, and Harvey with Chris Young making spot starts provides the Mets with a formidable rotation down the stretch.  Starting pitching is what carried this team in their successful first half.  The rotation has stepped it up this last week and hope to continue their success into San Diego before they return home for six games against the Marlins and the  Braves.

There is still time for this team to go on a run.  The Mets still have nine games left, with six being at home, against the Atlanta Braves whom they trail in the Wild Card.  The team still has six games against the Nationals whom they trail in the division.  Any hope at winning a division title has taken a hit since their post All Star break struggles, but with the addition of a second Wild Card team, Terry Collins hopes that his bunch can string some wins together and make a run for that second Wild Card spot. The Braves and Pirates at the top of that race do not seem to be losing steam but its a long season and that is why they play the games.  56 games is still a lot of time for this team to make a run.  Mets fans hope that Citi Field does not become a ghost town come September as it has been since it opened in 2009.

Second Half Debacle

The second half of the season following the All Star break has spelled disaster for the Mets in each of the last three seasons.  It appears that 2012 is no different.  The Mets suffered another heartbreaking loss this afternoon at Citi Field where they left an astounding 14 men on base in an 8-3 loss in 12 innings.  For the first time all year, the Mets have fallen under .500 at 47-48.  They were swept by the Dodgers and have an abysmal 1-8 record since the All Star break.

It looks like the Mets are in their usual second half swoon mode as Terry Collins overachieving team has hit rock bottom.  The Mets are 8.5 games out of first place in the National League East and have fell five games out of the second Wild Card spot in the National League.  Their starting pitching, which carried them in the first half, has been brutal thus far in the second half.  The bullpen continues to struggle as they have all season leading the league with 20 losses.  Without closer Frank Francisco, they have had trouble closing out games in late innings. 

To add injury to insult, they lost Dillon Gee for the season and Johan Santana also was placed on the disabled list with an ankle injury.  Down two starters, the Mets finally chose today to call up young pitching prospect Matt Harvey to make his Major League debut on Thursday in Arizona.  Harvey will do his best to try and fill the void in the rotation until Santana gets back.  Santana and All Star R.A. Dickey have been the reason for a lot of the Mets success in the first half.  Both have struggled mightily in the month of July and are a part of the teams losing streak.  

The pitching problems of late are leading to the offense having to fight back early and often in games.  They are being put in too deep of a hole and as a result are pressing to try and get back in games.  The team is not getting the clutch two out hits that we saw in the first half.  David Wright cannot do it all by himself.  Wright, Daniel Murphy, and young Jordany Valdespin have been the only bright spots of late in the Mets offense.  While the offense has not been great, it all starts with the pitching staff.  They either are behind early or blow leads late because of a young and inexperienced bullpen. 

It could get worse as the Mets will face the first place Nationals for three games at Citi Field.  They could be double digit games behind them with another couple of losses. Then the Mets will go on an 11 game west coast trip to face the Diamondbacks, Giants, and Padres.  As the trade deadline is just nine days away, the next week will determine if the Mets are buyers or sellers.  If the poor play continues, look for the Mets to go with what they have and not trade pieces of their future to try and win this year. The debacle looks to have begun, but the Mets do have 65 games to go and crazier things have happened. Just ask the 2007 Mets...

Mets First Half Review

The 2012 Mets came into the season with no expectations by many. They were looked at as a team in a rebuilding process, a team with a rag tag no name lineup, and a very questionable pitching staff.  If I were to tell you at the beginning of April that going into the All Star Game, the 2012 Mets would be six games over .500, a half game out of a NL Wild Card spot, and 4.5 games out of the NL East, you would probably call me crazy.

Who would have thought? The Mets are going into the All Star game tonight with a record of 46-40 and within striking distance of a playoff spot with 76 games remaining.  It all starts with the pitching staff and the question mark at the top of the rotation began with Johan Santana. Coming off shoulder surgery, many were not sure how Santana would pitch.  He would come out looking like the Santana of old in the first half. Mets fans got to witness something they have been waiting 50 years for...a no hitter.  With the exception of a couple of starts this year, Santana has pitched tremendously. He comes into the half with a 6-5 record and a 3.24 ERA.

The major surprise for the Mets and for all of Major League Baseball has been the first half that knuckleballer R.A. Dickey has put together.  Dickey has been nothing short of spectacular coming into the break with a 12-1 record and a 2.40 ERA with 123 strikeouts. Dickey threw two consecutive complete game one hitters which is unheard of in baseball today.  He was snubbed out of starting the All Star game because of a poor decision by Tony LaRussa, but will still get his chance to pitch in the game for the first time in his career.

When Mike Pelfrey went down in April, Jon Niese and Dillon Gee knew that they would have to step up and they have done just that.  Niese signed a 5 year contract extension before the season as the Mets are expecting big things from the young southpaw. Niese is 7-4 with a respectable 3.73 ERA coming into the break. Dillon Gee has surprised many as the Mets fourth starter with a 6-7 record and a 4.10 ERA.  Chris Young has also stepped in and done a nice job as the fifth starter since his return on June 5th. Young has had a quality start every time he has pitched not allowing more than 3 earned runs in his six starts. The Mets rotation has surprised many and is a big reason why this team is in a playoff race.

Another surprise to many is how the Mets lineup has come together and done an excellent job, especially with two outs. This lineup led by All Star David Wright has come up with clutch hits every night with two outs. It has been a recipe for their success in the first half and something that needs to continue for them to have a strong second half. David Wright's numbers have been off the charts all season long. He has not slumped all year and day after day continues to show why he is the cornerstone of this franchise. He is hitting .351 with 11 home runs and 59 RBI coming into the break with an astounding .441 on base percentage.

Ike Davis who struggled mightily the first two months of the season has finally got it together in the month of June and so far in July. He has 12 home runs and 49 RBI in the first half. Lucas Duda, who has been streaky at times is also contributing in the middle of that lineup with 12 home runs and 44 RBI.  The guy who has surprised most has been Scott Hairston. Hairston is tied for the team lead with 12 home runs. Hairston has abused left handed pitching all season and has been monumental in the Mets first half success.  Guys like Daniel Murphy, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Mike Baxter, Ruben Tejada have also come in and have done a tremendous job for skipper Terry Collins.

The main weakness of this year's team has been the bullpen thus far. Frank Francisco has been very up and down and is currently on the disabled list as he works his way back in the coming week.  Manny Acosta who is in Triple-A Buffalo now was terrible when he had his time with the Mets. Ramon Ramirez has not been the guy the Mets hoped they would acquire in the trade for Angel Pagan. Pedro Beato has just returned and will be a pivotal piece of the Mets middle relief in the second half.  Two guys out of the bullpen who have been great all year for this team have been Bobby Parnell and Tim Byrdak.  Parnell has filled in for Francisco nicely at closer since he went down with injury and Byrdak has been the guy to come in and get lefty hitters out and he has done it with great success.

The question is if the Mets can keep up what we have seen in the first half. We saw a resilient team that following a loss or a tough streak would come back and string some wins together. This team never gives up and finds ways to come back and win ball games.  They start the second half with Dillon Gee going down with injury.  Gee will start the second half on the disabled list as he has a clot in his artery in his right shoulder.  For this team to win down the stretch, it is pivotal that they acquire an arm for the bullpen in a guy like Huston Street. They need a veteran relief pitcher who has been there before and that can help them shut down games late. Also, with Jason Bay failing to stay healthy and his failure to produce, this team needs a right handed hitter with some power to help out a predominately left hand hitting lineup.  A guy like Carlos Quentin would fill that role perfectly.  If this team could add those two pivotal pieces, don't be surprised if the Mets are playing meaningful games in September.  This team has shocked all of baseball and if their rotation continues to pitch the way it has, they can make a run at one of those two NL Wild Card spots.  Nobody in the NL wants to face R.A. Dickey if it comes down to a one game playoff.

Johan Shines, Mets Start Season With Shutout

April has arrived and baseball season is back.  Johan Santana took the mound against the Braves on a beautiful Thursday afternoon at Citi Field.  Santana made his first start since 2010 and he looked like he had not missed a step.  Santana went five strong innings giving up no runs, two hits, and striking out five.  David Wright hit an RBI single in the sixth to drive in the Mets only run.  That would be enough to beat the Braves, 1-0.

The Mets bullpen did something that they had trouble doing all of last season.  The bullpen held the one run lead throwing four shutout innings.  Ramon Ramirez, acquired from the Giants, threw two scoreless innings.  Jon Rauch also made his Mets debut throwing a scoreless inning.  New closer, Frank Francisco, threw a perfect ninth inning and the Mets started the season with an impressive victory.  The Mets have won 33 of their last 43 Opening Day games after losing their first eight.

Andres Torres left the game in the seventh after trying to run down a ball in center field.  Torres is headed to the disabled list with a left calf strain.  The Mets have brought up Kirk Nieuwenhuis to replace him in centerfield.  Terry Collins is expected to platoon Nieuwenhuis with Scott Hairston, who replaced Torres yesterday.

Citi Field finally felt like home for the first time since it has opened.  The walls are now blue and it finally has more of a feel as the Mets home ballpark.  The 42 thousand plus fans left the ballpark feeling good with Let's Go Mets chants breaking out along the concourses.  It marked my tenth straight Opening Day and it was one of the more memorable ones as it is the Mets 50th anniversary.  The Mets honored the late Gary Carter before the game and unveiled a sign on the left center field wall in honor of "The Kid." The Mets continue the series with the Braves Saturday afternoon at Citi Field as R.A. Dickey takes on Jair Jurrjens.