Angel Berroa to join Mets tomorrow in Atlanta

Tonight, Angel Berroa is playing shortstop and batting third for the Brooklyn Cyclones.  Tomorrow, Berroa will join the Mets in Atlanta.

Berroa will take the roster spot of Argenis Reyes, who was demoted on Sunday.  Berroa was signed on Saturday after the Yankees released the former Rookie of the Year earlier last week.

Through six innings in Brooklyn, Berroa is 1-4 with a strikeout, a run scored and an RBI.

A. Reyes optioned (again) to Buffalo

After the game on Sunday, the Mets once again optioned Argenis Reyes to Triple-A Buffalo.

No corresponding move has been announced, but one must think it might be Angel Berroa.  Berroa was recently signed to a minor league deal after the New York Yankees released him earlier this week.

Lineup for Game 84; F-Mart to DL, A. Reyes recalled

Fernando Martinez has hit the disabled list with inflammation in his right knee.

Argenis Reyes was recalled from the minor leagues after heading down only on Tuesday when the Mets needed to make room for Oliver Perez.

Here’s the lineup for the finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers, noticeably without Daniel Murphy after two doubles and a gem of a play yesterday.

1. Luis Castillo – 2B
2. Nick Evans – LF
3. David Wright – 3B
4. Gary Sheffield – RF
5. Fernando Tatis – 1B
6. Ryan Church – CF
7. Omir Santos – C
8. Alex Cora – SS
9. Livan Hernandez - RHP

A. Reyes optioned to Buffalo, Perez activated

The Mets are keeping as many arms as possible at the Major League level.  Rumors were that Elmer Dessens would be sent down when Oliver Perez was ready to come back. 

Instead, they sent down a position player.

Argenis Reyes was optioned back to Triple-A Buffalo to make roster room for Perez.

Perez will be making his sixth start of the season tomorrow against the Los Angeles Dodgers.  He is 1-2 with a 9.97 ERA and 2.262 WHIP in 21 2-3 innings.

Brewers 10 – Mets 6

GOOD

• Ryan Church: 4-5
• Church’s outfield assist (even if it was Braden Looper running).
• Gary Sheffield: 3-5, HR, 3 RBI
• Elmer Dessens: 1.2 IP, 0 H
• Three run 9th inning rally
• Five extra-base hits

BAD & UGLY

• Too little, too late
• Braden Looper: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 2 K
• Argenis Reyes leading off
• Brian Stokes: 1 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, HR (GS)
• Fernando Nieve: 11 H in 3.1 IP.  He had allowed 10 hits over last three starts.

Game Ball: Ryan Church

How to fix the Mets

Yesterday, I asked my Twitter followers for two internal roster moves they would make as general manager.  Today, I’m expanding on that to a few more moves and trading some players.

Here’s my plan to get the Mets back on the winning side of things.

Put Jose Reyes on the DL

Tendinitis or no tendinitis, the man is in pain.  I may not be a doctor, but I know the basics of being an athlete.  Ever stub your toe, then limp around on the other leg for a while?  Doesn’t that other leg start to hurt more from the added effort?  Think of that, but multiply it by 100. 

He’s better served to the Mets sitting out for two weeks in May than two months.  They would be able to call up another player, preferably one with pop and not named Fernando Martinez.  Javier Valentin, who only has seven hits after signing last week, also has two home runs in his short stint.

Don’t call up F-Mart

Unless the top prospect is going to get into five games a week, it’s not worth it.  Having to compete with Ryan Church, Fernando Tatis, Gary Sheffield and Angel Pagan for playing time is unfair for all the players.  The outfield is already overstuffed with players.  Don’t throw another name into the mix.

Trade J.J. Putz

This one might be a little drastic, but hear me out.

The Cleveland Indians need a closer (Kerry Wood’s 7.71 ERA just isn’t cutting it) and the Mets fancy Mark DeRosa.  The contract numbers are fairly similar, with Putz owed $5 million this year and DeRosa earning $5.5 million.

Putz does have a team option for next year, another reason the Mets would probably land another player as well.  Putz should be able to return at least another major league player, and maybe two decent minor leaguers.  I could see the Mets getting two major leaguers and two B-level minor leaguers for Putz.

The Indians have a few players that could be up for the taking, such as Victor Martinez, Cliff Lee and Kelly Soppach.  Obviously, to snag Lee, the Mets would have to sweeten the deal with F. Martinez and a few other very good players (Jon Niese, Eddie Kunz, Nick Evans).  V. Martinez is intriguing as he can play both catcher and first base.  He has seven home runs this season and is batting .400 over 42 games. 

Bobby Parnell would take over in the 8th inning for the Mets.  This means the Mets would have no backup option if Francisco Rodriguez did suffer an injury, but I think it’s worth the trade.

If the Mets could somehow land DeRosa and Martinez, a lot of answers would be solved.

Send Ramon Martinez packing

He can’t hit, can barely field and is a waste of a roster spot.  I’d rather see a player with a much better glove (Argenis Reyes) trying to learn a “new” position and stinking at the plate over a player who is bad on both sides of the ball.  Promote A-Rey in place of R-Mart.

Keep Daniel Murphy at first base

Say the Mets do land Martinez from the Indians, let him be the backup at first base and catch most of the games.  Begin grooming Murphy for his future role at first base or keep him there as a showcase if you plan on trading him this season.  I think Murphy could be a very good first baseman, but power needs to be found elsewhere in the lineup.

Play a consistent roster

With Interleague Play coming up, stick Sheffield at DH, batting fourth, for the whole shebang.  Play Church in right field for the next 15 games.  On the other side of the outfield, play Pagan for the next 15.  Consistency helps players and the constant roster shuffling is nauseating.

Jeremy Reed is a late-game defensive replacement and not much else.  Fernando Tatis is the super-utility player.  Let him come in every two weeks for a start, have him pinch hit (even is he’s pretty awful at it) and keep the same seven fielders fielding, day in and day out.

These are just a few fixes that you may or may not agree with.  I think if the Mets brass pulls a few of these moves (or non-moves) the team would be in better shape.

What to do with Jose Reyes?

Put him on the DL immediately.

Calf injuries are one of the toughest injuries to overcome.  Even when they feel healed, the slightest over-exertion will bring the pain right back.

Jose Reyes will travel with the team to Boston, then he and trainer Ray Ramirez will fly to New York City for tests.  Reyes, without a doubt in my mind, will end up on the disabled list and will be there for more than 15 days.

The question for the Mets is: Who will take his place?

• Ramon Martinez.  Called up to take Alex Cora’s spot on the roster, but has gone 0-12 with three strikeouts.  He also has committed two errors in the three games.
  Verdict: Not the answer.
• Argenis Reyes.  Mostly a second baseman, Reyes is hitting .272 with Triple-A Buffalo.  He has played only 20 games at SS in his pro career.
  Verdict: A possibility.
• Jose Coronado.  Recently demoted to Double-A Binghamton after hitting just .141 with Buffalo.  He’s hitting .500 with Binghamton in four games, if that means anything to you.  Most importantly, he’s actually a shortstop.
  Verdict: Probably the best option.
• Jonathan Malo.  Another second baseman that would have to be converted.  A Jerry Manuel favorite who is batting .290 with Binghamton and .174 with Buffalo in ‘09.
  Verdict: Another possibility.

Obviously, there is also the possibility of a trade.  Mark DeRosa would probably be the best option for the Mets and is available.

The Mets need to make a move to fill in the hole that will be vacated by Reyes.  He needs to spend enough time on the DL to fully heal before he comes back.  Reinjuring the calf is way too easy to do.

2008 MotY: Blue Bracket voting

Voting closed. Here are the results.

This is the final voting in Round 1. The Blue Bracket in the Piazza Division.

Here are today's matchups. (There are four polls. I notice the top poll has more votes than the others, so make sure you scoll down for the others!)

The Mets will make the playoffs because Damion Easley won't be on the team

Damion Easley has never played in a postseason game. If the Mets can manage to make the playoffs in 2008, it doesn't look like he'd be able to participate. The man is cursed.

Easley has played the most games in the league without playing in the postseason. My friend and colleague Andrew Beaton has a great post (two, actually) looking at Easley and his postseason-less run.

Easley may be out for a week, or even more with a tear in his hamstring. He suffered the injury legging out a double-play ball a few games ago, and hasn't made an appearance since.

What to do with second base? Well, it seems Luis Castillo has been delegated to the bench, so I guess he's not an option. Daniel Murphy has only seen limited time at second, and hasn't really impressed. That leaves the Mets with Argenis Reyes manning second for the stretch run and hopefully beyond.

Are you comfortable with A-Rey at second? He's a light hitter, like Castillo, but he doesn't look like he's in pain 99 percent of the time. He's quicker, and seems to have a good relationship with his fellow namesake Jose Reyes, as they can turn some pretty double plays.

The Mets will make the postseason in 2008, it's just too bad that Easley won't be able to participate. The curse continues.

Omar Minaya realizes his mistake: To shop Luis Castillo

There couldn't be much better news than this.

Adam Rubin writes:

Luis Castillo signed a four-year, $25 million contract last winter. But the Mets are signaling they intend to shop the second baseman this offseason, even if it means eating some contract.

I know of a few readers who might be moved to tears after reading that. Tears of joy, that is.

The Mets have options at second, and it looks like they're going to move Daniel Murphy there full time. Murphy will play in the Arizona Fall League after the season is over, and is expected to see almost all of his time at second base.

To me, Murphy just doesn't look like a normal second basemen. I'm so used to seeing guys like Roberto Alomar, Kaz Matsui, Damion Easley and Castillo at second. They're smaller and quicker. Murphy is a bit larger, and wouldn't seem to have the same range as the players previously mentioned.

Can't forget Argenis Reyes, who might be the backup at second and short next season.

Either way, if the Mets could find a suitor for Castillo, they better be ready to eat a lot of contract. I can't think of any team that would want the gimpiest player in the league, but if the Mets can get a bag of balls for him, they must pull the trigger.

Told ya so

Nelson Figueroa is in Philly, but he may not be activated tonight. My source said otherwise.

Also, Ramon Castro has landed on the DL with a strained hamstring. Robinson Cancel has been called up in his place.

Update, 4:52: Argenis Reyes, as predicted, is heading to the minors. He will be called up after he spends time in the minors, I believe 10 days.

Nelson Figueroa has been called up

This is from my only true "inside source."

Nelson Figueroa was phoned late last night and boarded a plane for Philadelphia, which means he will be activated before the Sept. 1 roster expansion. According to my "source," Figueroa will be in the bullpen for tonight's finale against the Phillies.

Figueroa will likely be the long man, if needed. Aaron Heilman threw 60 pitches last night in his spectacular three innings, so look for him to be unavailable tonight.

Ramon Castro might be going to the DL with a hamstring strain, so Figueroa might be taking his spot on the roster. Robinson Cancel was rumored to be coming up if Castro has to go on the DL, which makes sense because otherwise the Mets would have only one catcher.

I think Argenis Reyes will be demoted for a few days to make room for the extra arm of Figueroa.

Luis Castillo up in place of John Maine; Mets have three second basemen?

Well this makes no sense.

With John Maine on the DL, it made it much easier for the Mets to bring Luis Castillo back from his extended stay on the disabled list.

This leaves the Mets with Castillo and Argenis Reyes, who can pretty much only play second base, and Damion Easley, who can play first, second and left. Too bad Daniel Murphy and Nick Evans are seemingly entrenched in left, and Carlos Delgado is playing well at first.

Way too clogged. Someone has to go to add an arm for a few days. Sorry Argenis, but I think you have to head to the minors for a few days. The Mets need another arm out of the bullpen, I think.

Luis Castillo will not return tonight

Luis Castillo has asked out of tonight's game and will not be activated from the DL.

This can be taken one of two ways: On one hand, this could be taken as a sad move, where he just wants to keep sitting and collect his money. I don't think that's the case, as I think (hope) it's more likely that he's just doesn't feel ready and feels bad that he'd be taking the spot of another player, and for the good of the team, he'll continue to work his way back.

At least Argenis Reyes gets to stick around.

Update, 5:51 pm: Here's an update from Rod Boone over at Newsday:

According to Manuel, because the team is playing so well Castillo did not want to affect the team chemistry. So he won't be activated today and there's no telling when. Manuel said it wasn't a health-related issue and Castillo will travel with the team to Philly. He will be activated before the rosters expand Sept. 1.

Valiant move, Castillo. I like this. A lot.

Luis Castillo to return tomorrow

Groan!

Luis Castillo is scheduled to return tomorrow, as the Mets will be back at "full strength" for the first time in a while.

I know the Mets are paying this guy $25 million, but I honestly think the team would be a lot better off cutting this guy loose. Damion Easley and Argenis Reyes have done more in his absence than Castillo ever could. Reyes even reminds me of Castillo, with his slap swing. He's like the younger, more capable version of him from years well past.

I have to guess that A-Rey is the guy getting the short end of the stick, and heading back down to the minors for eight days. Nick Evans and Daniel Murphy are working too well in left field lately.

The Mets will welcome back Ryan Church tonight with open arms, but welcome Castillo back with a shifty smile and a polite shake of the hand tomorrow.

Game Recap: Mets 6 -- Braves 3

Tonight was Mike Pelfrey's night, from beginning to end.

Pitching Performance

Nine very strong innings for Pelfrey in his first complete game of his career.

Simply beautiful.

Pelfrey allowed one run in the third inning on a single. The other two runs were added in the sixth, one on a double play and the other on a wild pitch. Pelfrey only allowed three hits, walked three, and you guessed it, struck out three.

Threes were wild tonight. Pelfrey's line: 9 innings, 3 hits, 3 run, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts, lowering his ERA to 3.86 for the year.

What more is there to say? He threw only 108 pitches in the nine innings, but only 62 went for strikes. He looked great. I called that tonight was going to be special on Mets Lounge when I said "I have a good feeling about tonight."

We're finally seeing Pelfrey blossom into everything we expected from him, and more. I thought the Mets wanted to limit his innings down the stretch as he's reaching unknown territory with his innings count, but he kept coming out and proved why he should be out there.

Offensive Output

The Mets jumped out early in the first, as they almost always do, for five runs aided by some terrible play by the Braves defense.

Daniel Murphy drove in the first runs of the game, singling in Carlos Delgado and Argenis Reyes, who continues to impress me with his glove and his bat. Fernando Tatis bounced a ball to third, which Chipper Jones fielded and threw wide. Tatis was granted a single, driving in Carlos Beltran, and moved to second on the throwing error that allowed Murphy to score.

Pelfrey then helped his own cause, serving a single to right field, driving in Tatis.

I absolutely love when the Mets score early and often. No better way to shake the opposition then to put a beating on them in the first.

Jair Jurrjens did settle down nicely after the disaster first, only allowing one more run the rest of the way. That run came on a David Wright solo shot to deep left field, well into the bleacher section.

Good stuff, but I wish the team could continue scoring runs when it's not the first inning. It's bitten them before and it will bite them again. Whatever Jerry Manuel says in the locker room before the game, he should reissue that statement before the third, sixth, and ninth innings.

The Rest of the Story

Almost a sub-two hour game. Clocked in at 2:08.

Murphy was the only Met to strike out.

Chipper Jones accounted for two of the three Braves K's.

Game Ball: Mike Pelfrey.

Game Recap: Pirates 5 -- Mets 2

Put away your brooms...

Pitching Performance

The man with the quick pitch count, John Maine, labored through five innings today, as he threw 96 pitches but only allowed two hits. Maine walked four and struck out three, but can't seem to keep his PC below 75 through four innings. Maine didn't factor in the decision, as the Mets offense sputtered and the bullpen played the part of "sieve" and watched the sweep disappear from their grasps.

Maine has been pitching OK lately, but this pitch count issue is something that needs to be addressed. I've never seen a pitcher throw so many pitches in only a handful of innings. He's getting too deep in counts and allowing too many foul balls to work deep into games.

The bullpen from Hell reared it's ugly head again today. Brian Stokes was tagged for a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning, erasing any work Maine did on the bump. Scott Schoeneweis finished out the seventh inning for Stokes.

The trouble came in the 8th, when Pedro Feliciano only recorded one out, but allowed one hit before he was removed for Duaner Sanchez. Feliciano and the Mets could only watch as Sanchez faced four batters, intentionally walking one and giving up three hits, including a two-run double for the Pirates final runs. Joe Smith came in and recorded two outs to stop the bleeding.

Sanchez looked like he got his act together recently, struggled with his velocity again. He's just not the pitcher the Mets thought he would be through the entirety of the season. He doesn't have the stamina to get through a whole season like this. Maybe Steven Register could have helped this team through the season...

Offensive Output

Wasted chances. That was the theme today for the Mets. The team was only able to scratch out two runs, both on productive outs.

Outside of the sac-fly in the first from Carlos Beltran, scoring Argenis Reyes and an RBI groundout in the fourth off the bat of Carlos Delgado, plating David Wright, the Mets left runners on base in a handful of innings and it came back to bite them in the end.

The Mets had runners on second and third with nobody out twice, both times resulting in one run. The Mets got a leadoff double from Nick Evans in the 6th, and with one out he stood on third while the Carloses struck out, stranding him.

In the 8th, the Mets got a two-out single from Evans, then consecutive walks from Wright and Beltran, bringing Delgado to the plate with the bases drunk, but the Pirates were able to induce a pop up and get out of the jam scott free.

They had a ton of chances to open up this game and put distance between themselves and the Buccos, but they failed to convert. When the bullpen let the lead slip away, the missed chances were enhanced, as always.

The Rest of the Story

Overall, a great road trip, as they went 6-1 and beat up on teams they should have. A sweep would have been great, but 3-4 against Pittsburgh is good. Guess the Mets should never play the Pirates on a Monday in the summer.

Game Ball: John Maine, I guess.

Game Recap: Mets 2 -- Pirates 1

The Mets jumped out, fell asleep, and then barely hung on to a win in Pittsburgh...

Pitching Performance

Another beautiful performance almost slipped through the Mets fingers, but the bullpen staved off the Pirates to secure the win for Mike Pelfrey and the Mets.

Pelfrey threw another spectacular game in his best season so far in his young career. Pelfrey threw seven shut out innings, walking none and striking out only one. He threw 98 pitches, and got the benefit of a perfect throw from Carlos Beltran in the seventh inning, but more on that later.

Pelfrey looked great. He scattered his seven hits, and trusted his players to make the outs tonight. Gotta love Big Pelf.

Duaner Sanchez apparently does not like easy wins, as he gave up a solo home run in the bottom of the 8th inning to make it a one run game. Sanchez allowed a double and intentionally walked one batter before recording the third out in the inning.

Whew! That's all I have to say.

Aaron Heilman started the inning with a spectacular, heads up play by Argenis Reyes to make the first out of the inning. Heilman issued one walk, but induced a game ending pop-up to finish it off and earn his third save.

Again, whew.

Offensive Output

Anything the Mets had, they showed it early and then shut down. The Mets strung together three straight hits before an out was recorded in the first inning for their only two runs of the game. Jose Reyes, Argenis Reyes and David Wright each singled, with Wright's hit driving in Jose. Argenis later scored on a wild pitch.

From there on out, the Mets bats were stifled. Carlos Delgado and Brian Schneider each had doubles, but nothing much came from the rest of the game.

The Rest of the Story

Besides Pelfrey's great outing, defense was the main reason the Mets won this game. I can thing of at least five plays off the top of my head that the Mets made in the field to help get outs.

The two of note were made by Beltran and A. Reyes. Beltran, in the bottom of the seventh inning, gunned down Adam LaRoche at home plate after fielding a single off the bat of Brandon Moss. Beltran threw a perfect ball to Schneider, who didn't do a great job of blocking the plate, but managed to make the tag and record the out.

In the top of the ninth, leading off the inning, Andy LaRoche bounced a ball to first. Delgado backed up, but the ball ate him up and skipped by him. Thankfully, A-Rey was aware enough to sprint over and slide in behind Delgado on the outfield grass and field the ball. Heilman did his job and got over to cover first in time for Reyes to make the quick throw and avert some trouble in the ninth.

There were other great plays, but these were critical in the game. I really like the way A-Rey has played in his limited time. Does Luis Castillo really have to come back?

Game Ball: Mike Pelfrey

Double play!

That was a tense 8th inning if I've ever seen one.

Bases loaded, none out, and the Mets manage to hole the team to only one run and maintain their lead? What alternate universe have I fallen into?

A great inning ending double was turned by Argenis Reyes, Jose Reyes, and Nick Evans. Joe Smith induced a ground ball that A-Rey had to lay out to field, then flipped the ball up to J-Rey at second. J-Rey's throw to first pulled Evans to his right, where he had to literally lay out to field the ball. He did, and the Mets escaped the inning with limited damage.

Johan Santana was very grateful.

But, the Mets still have to get three more outs before this game is sealed up.

Early Morning Madness: Lifeless edition

Flat. Dead fish. No oomph. Nada. Zip. Zilch.

This team looks dead. It has no spark, no fight. What we saw nearly three weeks ago, the 10 game winning streak, feels like it happened months ago. Such an abrupt fall from grace. After battling back strong, getting within a few games and finally taking over sole possession of first place, the Mets have fallen back to reality, hard.

A 1-5 road trip, one marked by bullpen disaster after bullpen disaster, was not easy to swallow. Almost every game, it seemed the Mets had a chance. Even Sunday's game, where they had men on base and threatening nearly every inning, but failed to push across any runs.

This team needs a spark. Maybe the youth infusion could do it. I'd love to see Jerry Manuel pull out all the stops and stock the lineup full of these young guns. Throw Nick Evans in left, Daniel Murphy at first. Argenis Reyes can man second base. Eddie Kunz can close. While we're at it...have Jon Niese start and Fernando Martinez in right (or left, and move Evans. It doesn't matter).

I like the way the team is moving. Instead of promoting the old guys hanging around at AAA, it's moving towards getting younger and healthier. There will be a bit of a learning curve, there is no doubt about that. But these kid are young and fresh and ready to go. If they're chomping at the bit, let them run.