Verducci on Pelfrey and the Verducci Effect [Quote]

“At this time last year Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey tried to convince me why he should not be on my 2009 list despite his 48-inning jump. He was a big guy, he said, who learned to be more efficient with his pitches. What happened?
His ERA shot up from 3.72 to 5.03.”

-Tom Verducci

Pelfrey: I had a terrible year [Quote]

“I was pretty upset with not only how the team played, but with how I played last year, knowing that’s not me. I had a lost year. I had a terrible year.”

-Mike Pelfrey on his 2009

Your 2010 Mets rotation (as of right now)

1. Johan Santana
2. Mike Pelfrey
3. Oliver Perez
4. John Maine
5. Fernando Nieve

According to Ken Davidoff, Omar Minaya said that as of now, Nieve is penciled in as the fifth starter in the rotation.  Davidoff further clarifies that Nieve is ahead of Jon Niese as the Mets “want to take it slow” with Niese.

He also mentioned that the Mets still want to add another arm, be it John Smoltz, Jon Garland or Ben Sheets (not in that order).

Pelfrey, the head case?

A few people are calling for a psychiatrist to take a look into Mike Pelfrey’s cranium.

But this isn’t news.  If you may remember in early September…

"I was so upset, I had to get outside," Pelfrey said Wednesday afternoon. "I had to get some fresh air. I had to breathe."

Once he found himself standing in the middle of the parking lot, Pelfrey began running laps, each about 13 blocks long, as his teammates struggled through the late innings of an 8-3 loss to Colorado.
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"If you had talked to me in the sixth inning," Pelfrey said, "I would have done something I would have regretted."

Am I worried?  No, not at all. 

Are you?

Mets pick up option on Pelfrey

The Mets picked up the option on Mike Pelfrey’s contract for next season, worth $500,000.

Pelfrey went 10-12 last season with a 5.03 ERA and 1.514 WHIP in 31 starts.  He surrendered 18 home runs, walked 66 and struck out 107.

Pelfrey is not arbitration eligible until 2011.

Wright homers twice in dramatic win

Mike Pelfrey got shelled (again), but David Wright and the rest of the Mets bats were able to bail him out.  Six runs in the last three innings propelled the Mets to a 10-9 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday afternoon.

Pelfrey gave up eight earned runs in six innings, allowing 10 hits while on the mound.  He walked one while striking out three.

So up and so down.  What a crazy year.

Ken Takahashi allowed one earned run in relief.  Sean Green, Pedro Feliciano and Francisco Rodriguez closed out the thriller.

The Mets jumped on Jamie Moyer early, plating four runs in the first inning.  Wright drove in two runs with a single in the first inning as the Mets led off the game with five straight hits.  Carlos Beltran followed with a two-run home run to center field.

From there, though, the Mets went quiet.

Moyer ended up tossing seven innings, only allowing another run in the seventh on a Wilson Valdez RBI groundout.

In the eighth, Wright added a two-run home run to pull the Mets within two.  Daniel Murphy later singled to make it a one-run game.

As the Phillies struggle to find a closer, Ryan Madson was the pitcher of choice on Saturday.  A two-out single by Fernando Tatis brought Wright to the plate, who drove the first pitch he saw from Madson into the left field stands, giving the Mets the lead.

As mentioned above, K-Rod came in and closed it out.

This was probably one of the most exciting games of the year.  Too bad it helped the Mets avoid 100 losses.  In a dismal season, this was a bright spot.  This is why I love baseball.

Poll: Pelfrey’s the resident ace right now

In a somewhat joke of a poll, I asked fans who the ace of the Mets rotation was now that Johan Santana is on the DL. 

Here are the results…I’m shocked how many votes Pat Misch and Nelson Figueroa garnered.

Now if only Mike Pelfrey can turn in his last performance for the every start.

Next Poll: Is Omir Santos your starting catcher in 2010?

Pelfrey spectacular for eight innings, Mets win first series since July

Mike Pelfrey has had a roller coaster of a season.  In terms of a roller coaster, this may have been the peak.

Pelfrey turned in eight spectacular innings, allowing only one earned run against the Chicago Cubs.  The Mets rode Pelfrey’s arm and Daniel Murphy’s bat to a 4-2 victory.

The win gave the Mets the series victory over the sinking Chicago Cubs, their first since they took three-out-of-four from the Colorado Rockies July 27-30.

Pelfrey surrendered five hits and one walk while striking out five.  Pelfrey needed only 105 pitches to power through the eight innings on the mound.  Seventy of those pitches landed for strikes.

As Pelfrey dominated on the mound, Murphy had the Cubs’ pitchers numbers at the plate.

Murphy went 3-4, driving in all four Mets runs. 

In the fourth Murphy blasted a solo home run into the Pepsi Porch for his 9th of the season.  He is now second on the team in home runs, behind Gary Sheffield.

Murphy drove in one in the next inning with a single to center field.  Two innings later, he tripled in two runs, the eventual winning runs, off of beleaguered reliever Kevin Gregg.

Great to see these two guys perform.  These are two big question marks for 2010 and both showed their promise today.  If only fans could see that all the time.

Mike Pelfrey went a little crazy in the thin Denver air

David Lennon has a report in today’s Newsday that after Mike Pelfrey was pulled from the game in Colorado on Monday night, he need to blow off some steam. A lot of steam. At least he wasn't driven to baseball betting.

I’ll let Lennon take it from here. It’s truly a fascinating look into the mind of a frustrated baseball player.

"I was so upset, I had to get outside," Pelfrey said Wednesday afternoon. "I had to get some fresh air. I had to breathe."

Once he found himself standing in the middle of the parking lot, Pelfrey began running laps, each about 13 blocks long, as his teammates struggled through the late innings of an 8-3 loss to Colorado.
---
"If you had talked to me in the sixth inning," Pelfrey said, "I would have done something I would have regretted."

It seems this long, miserable baseball season is starting to get to some of the players, and who can blame them?

Especially Pelfrey, who has had quite an up-and-down season. One start he looks like an ace, the next he looks like a bum. If you're into sports betting, it'd be a good idea not to put money on Pelfrey.

I like stories like this, not for the reason behind the meltdowns, but for the human aspect of the game. Sometimes we forget that baseball players are people too and they are susceptible to every day emotions. It’s stories like these that remind us of that.

Pelfrey struggles as Mets fall to Rockies

Mike Pelfrey is likely the most talented pitcher in the Mets rotation right now.  But a miserable start in Colorado was no indication.

Pelfrey lasted only four innings, surrendering seven runs (six earned), as the Mets fell to the Rockies by a score of 8-3.  While throwing 96 pitches, only 55 landed for strikes.  No surprise that Pelfrey walked five batters.  He did strike out four, but also let up two home runs, including a three-run home run to Todd Helton in the fourth inning.

This is a season Pelf would likely want to forget.  He’s given up five runs or more in seven of his 26 starts.  He’s let up nine runs in a game twice.  Yeesh.

The Mets looked to have Rockies’ starter Jorge De La Rosa on the ropes in the first inning, even with a base running gaffe by Angel Pagan.

Pagan led off with a single but misread a ball hit by Luis Castillo, thinking the ball was caught, he attempted to go back to first base, which was already occupied by Castillo.

Still, the Mets managed to score two runs, one on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jeff Francoeur and another on a double down the right field line by Fernando Tatis.

Since Tatis had gotten some steady playing time at third base with David Wright recuperating, he’s been swinging a hot bat.  Maybe that’s the trick.

The Mets were held in check by De La Rosa until he exited after the sixth inning.  Cory Sullivan returned to Colorado with a one-out pinch-hit triple to center field.  Pagan followed that up with a triple of his own, easily chasing in Sullivan.

And that was that.  It could be considered a victory because no one got hurt.  Except Pelfrey’s ERA.

Chase Pelfrey isn’t named for the field or the Utley

Mike Pelfrey made his first start in seven days last night for the Mets after the birth of his first child, Chase Pelfrey. He got roughed up to the tune of five earned runs in six innings of work. He surrendered eight hits, walked two and struck out five.

One would have thought for a player returning with a new son named Chase, making his first start in Chase Field would be some sort of magical destiny.

Just the opposite, in fact.

Brendan Bilko of Priced Out of the Citi notes that even though the Mets are 13-3 in Chase Field since 2005, Pelfrey is the losing pitcher in all three games. Bilko goes on to explain that Pelfrey is 0-3 with an ERA north of seven (7.16).

In 16 1-3 innings, Pelfrey has surrendered 20 hits and 13 earned runs. He’s also walked 10 batters, while only striking out seven. That’s good for a WHIP of 1.837.

Oh, and for those who are wondering, Chase Utley hits to the tune of .278 AVG / .381 OBP / .833 SLG against Pelfrey. In 21 plate appearances, Utley’s cranked three home runs off of Big Pelf.

But if you’ve been reading this blog, you know that Chase Pelfrey isn’t named for the field or the Utley, but rather for the pennant chase.

Well, he sure wasn’t born in to one.

What I missed while I was hugging the porcelain throne

Last night was terrible.  Hopefully it’s only a 24-hour bug.

Anyway, here’s what I missed…

- Bobby Parnell will make a start on Saturday, filling in for Mike Pelfrey.  Pelfrey will be back with the Mets in Arizona, starting on Monday.

I like the idea of seeing what the Mets might have in Parnell, but don’t you think they should stretch him out a little more?  Though he was on the mound for three innings on Wednesday, he only threw 30 pitches.  I guess the Mets are hoping to get just five innings out of him, as he will be held to a 60-75 pitch limit, reports Adam Rubin.

- Angel Berroa DFA’d to make room for Anderson Hernandez.

Oh, goody.

- Gary Sheffield and Luis Castillo may not be as injured as we all thought.

Sheffield was in one of the lineups for the Mets last night, but ended up sitting out.  Castillo may return as early as Saturday, said Jerry Manuel.

- Mets lose to Padres by a score of 8-3.

Not much to see here.  Livan Hernandez had a rough first inning, as usual, but couldn’t stitch together much after that.

No Pelfrey in San Diego

Mike Pelfrey will miss his scheduled start on Saturday in San Diego for the birth of his first child.  Pelfrey did not make the trip to California.

That, coupled with Jon Niese’s injury, leaves two holes in the Mets rotation over the next week.  Here’s how the pitching matchups look for the next five games…

• Livan Hernandez, RHP (7-5, 4.77) @ Clayton Richard, LHP (4-3, 4.47)
• Oliver Perez, LHP (2-3, 7.03) @ Kevin Correia, RHP (7-9, 4.73)
• TBA @ Mat Latos, RHP (3-1, 2.66)
• Johan Santana, LHP (12-8, 3.10) @ Tim Stauffer, RHP (1-3, 3.12)
• TBA @ TBA (First game of Arizona series)

The way I see it, Pelfrey can work the first game of the Arizona series, slotting back in behind Santana.  That means the Mets will need just one pitcher to fill in on Saturday.

Nelson Figueroa was more than serviceable yesterday, coming off a disaster of a start against the Diamondbacks.  Bobby Parnell’s named has also been tossed around as a starter, so that could be an option.

And don’t bother looking down at the minor leagues.  No pitcher is near the “major league ready” level of Jon Niese, so don’t expect a call-up to fare well.

Another day, another loss

Daniel Murphy worked a walk in the sixth inning of tonight’s game.  It was the Mets first walk since the third inning on Sunday night against the Braves.

I really have nothing else to say that hasn’t already been said.  Mike Pelfrey was very good but the bats are just dead.

And yet, Omar Minaya says the Mets are going to be buyers, not sellers.  Ugh.  Where’s the Advil?

Game Recap: Dodgers 8 – Mets 0

Twenty-two straight scoreless innings for the Mets.

The Los Angeles Dodgers (54-30) beat the New York Mets (39-44) by a score of 8-0.

Mike Pelfrey was dreadful.  Five runs (four earned) in three-plus innings.  He needed 95 pitches.

Tom Verducci is putting a checkmark next to Pelfrey’s name in a worn-out old notebook.  I know it.

The bullpen, charged with the task of working through six innings fared decently well.  Tim Redding, appearing in relief, allowed one run on a pinch-hit solo home run by Blake DeWitt.  Brian Stokes needed 40 pitches to get two outs in the eight inning, walking three and allowing two runs to score.

Stokes used to be my go-to guy in the bullpen, but no more.  He has fallen on hard times, like the rest of the Mets.

For the bats, it was another quiet night.  Clayton Kershaw held them to only three hits over the first six innings, striking out seven batters while on the bump.

The team did pick up four hits overall, all singles.  They haven’t had an extra-base hit in 27 innings.

Just pitiful.

Game Recap: Mets 1 – Brewers 0

A gem from Mike Pelfrey.

The New York Mets (38-39) beat the Milwaukee Brewers (42-36) by a score of 1-0.

Pelfrey was as good as could be.  Seven and 2-3 on the mound, surrendering six hits, two walks while striking out six.  It seemed like anytime he was in a jam, he induced a double play.

Just what the doctor ordered.  With this anemic offense, the Mets needed a strong start just to stay close.  They got exactly that.

Pelfrey cam out with runners on first and second and two outs in the 8th in favor of Sean Green.  Green got a ground ball to third base to end the inning and the threat.

A huge out.  Well done.

Francisco Rodriguez entered for the 9th inning and let up a leadoff single to Ryan Braun.  Unphased, K-Rod set the next three batters down on a line drive and two groundballs to preserve the victory and the win.

And his control was much, much better this time around.

For the game’s only run, credit is due to Luis Castillo and Ryan Church. 

Leading off the sixth inning, Castillo dropped a hit just inside the line in left field for what ended up being a ground-rule double.  After David Wright struck out for the third time that game, Church came to the plate and snuck a single under the glove of Craig Counsell and into centerfield, plating Castillo.

And that was all the Mets needed.  Thank you, Pelfrey.

Game Ball: Mike Pelfrey

Game Recap: Yankees 9 – Mets 1

Slppy.  Slopy.  Lopy.  Sloppy.

The New York Yankees (40-32) beat the New York Mets (37-34) by a score of 9-1.

Three errors led to two unearned runs off of Mike Pelfrey, who surrendered four runs total over five innings. Pat Misch pitched well for his 1 1-3 innings on the mound.  Elmer Dessens escaped trouble in the seventh, then surrendered two home runs in the 8th inning.

Bobby Parnell got one out, but also balked and threw a wild pitch.  Sean Green allowed two runs on three hits in mop-up duty.

Overall, not a great night for the Mets pitchers.

Also, not a great night for the Mets batters.

The Mets managed just three hits and CC Sabathia carried a perfect game into the fifth inning.  Gary Sheffield broke up the bid with a solo home run to deep left field.  Sheffield now leads the Mets in home runs with nine.

That says something when a 40-year-old outfielder who doesn’t play everyday leads your team in home runs.  Yeesh!

Pitches / Plate Appearance for the Mets pitching staff

If you follow the blog or my tweets, you know that Francisco Rodriguez has thrown the most pitches out of the bullpen and Johan Santana has thrown the most pitches overall.

Here’s a chart of the Mets pitchers and their pitches per plate appearance.  Look who is “leading” the way…

Mike Pelfrey to name his son ‘Chase’

This nugget is just too good to pass up.

The doctors have told the first-time parents their child will be a boy -- but only after they had been told a girl was on the way. Pelfrey called Angela from the clubhouse in Spring Training. She told him, "We're gonna have a girl." Pelfrey was surprised.

"I had my mind set on having a boy," Pelfrey said. "But I made the adjustment. I started thinking it would be cool to have a little girl.

"Then [five months into Angela's pregnancy] I was all for it, so when they said, 'No, it's a boy,' it was a little disappointing. I had my mindset on having a girl. But I got over that, too. Now I just want a healthy baby."

The chosen name for the boy is Chase -- as in Utley, but baby Pelfrey won't be named after the Phillies' second baseman. It was suggested to the father-to-be, his son could be named after the pennant chase. And he liked that idea.

I love it.

Wright shows fire, excites Mets fans everywhere

Even if the Mets lost last night, I think a lot of fans would still be pleased at one thing that happened during the game.

OK, maybe not.  But they should still be (and are) very excited to see David Wright stepping up and getting vocal.  Sure, it was with one of his best buddies on the team, Mike Pelfrey, but it still counts for something.

After the sixth inning ended, an inning Pelfrey just couldn’t finish, Wright was shown jawing at the pitcher in the dugout.  Things looked heated, but positive, and ended with a nice slap on the rear, meaning things were well.

Sure, Wright is the King of Cliché, and if you caught his interview on Joe Buck Live earlier this week, you know what I mean.  Still, he never trips up and always has the right things to say about himself or the team.  I just wish he would be negative once in a while.  Seems we got something of that sort last night.

A lot of fans, myself included, would like to see Wright step up as more of a leader on the Mets.  With Carlos Delgado, the unnamed leader on the team, out with a hip injury, someone needs to step up in his place.  Wright, the young stud third baseman, would be perfect for the role.

He’s already the face of the franchise, why not be the leader in the clubhouse?

It may be only one incident that the cameras were lucky enough to catch, but it’s a sight for sore eyes for some Mets fans.  If Wright can step up and become a leader that other players rally around while putting up spectacular numbers at the plate, he will cement himself as the MVM (Most Valuable Met).