Beltran May Or May Not Have Pink Eye

Carlos Beltran announced after today's game that he may have pink eye in his right eye. His eye was swollen and prevented him from playing in today's lineup.

Two thoughts:

1. Pink eye isn't that difficult to diagnose. Either you have it or you don't. None of this may nonsense.
2. Please buy this team some Purell.

Doctors gave Beltran antibiotic eye drops and he will see if he is available to play in tomorrow's series finale against the Astros.

Dickey Struggles In Mets Loss

The Mets lost to the Astros 7-3.

• R.A. Dickey went 5.1 innings, giving up six runs on eleven hits, while striking out two. Dickey struggled this afternoon. It took 45 pitches for him to get through the first inning. Dickey has not won a game since April 3.

• In the third inning, Justin Turner singled to drive in Jose Reyes and put the Mets on the board. 

• Daniel Murphy homered in the fourth inning. It was his third home run of the season, and he is now hitting .308 against left-handed pitching.

• The Mets didn't score again until the ninth inning, when Jose Reyes singled to allow Jason Pridie to score.

Next up: The Mets finish up their series with Houston, Sunday, at 2:05 p.m.

Mets And Astros: Game Two Preview

May 14, 2011

4:05 PM ET

Minute Maid Park, Houston

TV: WPIX

RADIO: WFAN 660

NEW YORK METS

Starting Pitcher: R.A. Dickey (1-4, 4.50 ERA)

The last time Dickey faced the Astros this season, he went eight innings, allowing four runs on eight hits. Lifetime against the Astros, he is 1-1 with a 2.49 ERA. 

 

HOUSTON ASTROS

Starting Pitcher: J.A. Happ (2-4, 5.75 ERA)

Happ has had a rough start to his season, however, he was decent in his last start, in which he went six innings and allowed just two runs. Against the Mets, he is 1-2 with a 5.17 ERA.

Mets Morning News 5-14-11

It's a slow news morning, but here are a few interesting reads:

Could you see Carlos Beltran going to the Yankees? Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post thinks it's not so far fetched.

Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal writes that no matter how bad you think this current team is, they aren't nearly as bad as the bunch from '62.

Homer Happy Mets Come From Behind, Beat Astros

The Mets came from four runs down to beat the Astros 6-4.

• Dillon Gee went just five innings, giving up four runs on five hits, while striking out six and walking four. Gee technically allowed just two runs, but Ryota Igarashi relieved him in the middle of the sixth inning and allowed two inherited runners to score.

• Jason Bay hit his second home run of the year to put the Mets on the board in the seventh inning. 

• In the eighth, Fernando Martinez and David Wright each hit two-run homers. Martinez's homer was crushed. It'll be nice to see what he can do if he stays healthy long enough.

• Jason Pridie has an RBI double in the ninth inning to give the Mets an insurance run.

• I'd also like to give a shout out to Houston's third base coach, Dave Clark, for essentially ruining his team's night on the base paths. Bad for Houston. Good for the Mets. I'll take it. Keep up the good work, Clark.

Next up: The Mets continue their series with the Astros Saturday in Houston. Game time is 4:05 p.m.

Mets Send Gee To The Mound To Take On Astros

May 13, 2011

8:05 PM ET

Minute Maid Park, Houston

TV: SNY

RADIO: WFAN 660

NEW YORK METS

Starting Pitcher: Dillon Gee (2-0, 3.80 ERA)

Gee goes for win number three tonight in Houston. Gee is in the rotation, replacing the injured Chris Young. He is expected to remain in the rotation.

 

HOUSTON ASTROS

Starting Pitcher: Bud Norris (2-2, 3.16 ERA)

Norris went seven innings in his last out, giving up three runs on seven hits, while striking out nine. He is 1-1 with a 4.82 ERA against the Mets.

Mets Look To Close Out Series With A Win

May 12, 2011

3:10 PM ET

Coors Field, Colorado

TV: SNY

RADIO: WFAN 660

NEW YORK METS

Starting Pitcher: Jon Niese (1-4, 4.71 ERA)

Niese is going for his second win of the season. In his last start, Niese went 5.2 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits, while striking out five and walking three. 

COLORADO ROCKIES

Starting Pitcher: Ubaldo Jimenez (0-2, 5.88 ERA)

Jimenez is still looking for his first win of the season. He missed the beginning of the season with a thumb injury that left him on the disabled list. He was impressive in his last start, however, allowing just one run and striking out seven. 

Cohen Not Buying Minority Stake

According to the New York Post, Hedge Fund manager Steve Cohen is no longer interested in buying a minority stake in the team.

Great. Can the team now look for potential investors who are not being questioned by federal prosecutors about insider training?

Criticism vs. Personal Attacks: There's A Difference

Josh Thole is no longer on Twitter.

This alone is not news. I could care less if a player is on Twitter or not.

What is news, however, is the reaction fans have had in regard to his exit, and the kinds of messages he received that led to this whole situation in the first place.

There were the obvious messages from wannabe experts telling Thole how he should approach his at-bats. Many of the messages were of fans voicing their displeasure over his slow start so far this season. 

While receiving these kinds of tweets day-in and day-out is undoubtedly annoying, there were particularly nasty messages that contributed to Thole's exit.

They included personal attacks, name-calling, and one tweet in which Thole was asked to "die". Yes, die.

At what point in time did it become acceptable to spew hatred on the Internet?

It's funny how many people suddenly find the ability to speak their mind when protected by a computer screen. 

When it was announced that Thole had quit Twitter, a number of Mets fans took to their own Twitter accounts to say that Thole was not mentally tough, and could not handle the criticism.

Fans also argued that athletes should expect harsh comments from fans once they join a network such as Twitter, especially in a town like New York.

First of all, there's a difference between criticism and hateful messages.

Second, here's the wonderful thing about Twitter. It's voluntary. Athletes are not required to use it, and have the right to cancel their account if they so choose.

It has nothing to do with someone being "mentally tough." 

Why would anyone, athlete or not, voluntarily stay somewhere where people are constantly sending them nasty messages and telling them how to do their job?

I'm sure it gets old, fast.

Twitter is a way for players to connect and interact with fans, but when fans take to Twitter to call players names and attack them, who can blame any of them for leaving.

Mets Morning News 5-11-11

Mike Puma of the New York Post writes that after two successful outings from Mike Pelfrey, it may not be long before Ronny Paulino receives the title, "Mike Pelfrey's Personal Catcher."

Ike Davis wore a protective boot after last night's game. Davis left the game in the fourth inning after colliding with David Wright. He was diagnosed with a strained left calf muscle.

According to Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal, Sandy Alderson has stated that if the Mets intend to re-sign Jose Reyes, they "probably won't trade him."

Mets Get Solid Start From Pelf, Beat Rockies

The Mets beat the Rockies by a score of 4-3.

• Mike Pelfrey went 6.2 innings, giving up three runs on six hits, while striking out two and walking one. Pelfrey gave up three solo home runs in the game before having to exit in the middle of the seventh after a rain delay.

• Ike Davis drove in the Mets first two runs of the game in the first inning with an RBI single. Davis left the game in the fourth inning with a strained left calf muscle after colliding with David Wright in the infield.  He will be re-evaluated tomorrow.

• Pelfrey helped himself out at the plate in the top half of the fourth inning with a two-run double to center field.

• Francisco Rodriguez recorded his tenth save of the season.

Next up: The Mets send Jon Niese to the mound in the series finale tomorrow at Coors Field. Game time is 3:10 p.m.

Quite Possibly The Nerdiest Correction Ever

Thank you New York Times...and R.A. Dickey.

From: geekologie.com

Even after the correction, I still have no clue what is being written here.

Mets Look To Rebound From Last Night's Loss

May 10, 2011

8:40 PM ET

Coors Field, Colorado

TV: SNY

RADIO: WFAN 660

NEW YORK METS

Starting Pitcher: Mike Pelfrey (2-3, 6.06 ERA)

Pelfrey is coming off one of his better starts this season. Against the Rockies, he is 5-2 with a  2.91 ERA. He has a career 3.24 ERA at Coors Field.

COLORADO ROCKIES

Starting Pitcher: Jason Hammel (3-1, 2.63 ERA)

In his last start, Hammel went seven scoreless innings against the Diamondbacks. He hasn't faired well against the Mets in his career, going 0-2 with a 6.91 ERA.

Mets Morning News 5-10-11

In case you missed it, Chris Young has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a torn anterior capsule in his right shoulder. It's expected, however, that Young is done for the season.

Jenrry Mejia will undergo Tommy John surgery in the near future. Team doctor David Altchek will perform the surgery.

According to Adam Rubin, Terry Collins blames David Wright's recent woes at the plate due to a potential back injury. Wright downplays the injury, which he suffered after making a diving tag against Houston's Carlos Lee, back in April. 

Kevin Kernan of the New York Post talks with 2010 draft pick Matt Harvey. Harvey could soon be headed for Double-A Binghamton.

Mets Waste Solid Start By Capuano

The Mets drop the series opener to the Rockies, 2-1.

• Chris Capuano 6.2 innings, giving up two runs on five hits, while striking out four and walking three. He also allowed the go-ahead run in the seventh after Chris Iannetta hit a solo shot to left field.

• Jason Bay scored the Mets only run in the sixth inning after Ian Stewart committed a throwing error.

• Willie Harris remains a Met killer. After getting on base with a pinch-hit single, Harris got caught stealing at second base.

• The Mets were 0-7 with runners in scoring position. They left ten men on base and left the bases loaded twice.

Next up: The Mets send Mike Pelfrey to the mound as they continue their series against the Rockies at Coors Field tomorrow. Game time is 8:40 p.m.

Hits Just Keep On Coming For Mets

Assistant General Manager John Ricco announced today that Chris Young has a torn anterior capsule in his right shoulder. This is the same injury Johan Santana suffered last season and required surgery to repair.

Young has not decided whether he will have surgery or not. After suffering a similar injury last season, he chose rehab over surgery.

In all likelihood, Young will be out for the rest of the season.Unfortunately for the Mets, Young has been one  of the more consistent starting pitchers this season, posting a 1-0 record with 1.88 ERA in four starts.

In other injury news, Jenrry Mejia will undergo Tommy John Surgery. Mejia met with Dr. James Andrews seeking a second opinion. Andrews agreed with team doctor David Altchek's diagnosis. Altchek will perform the procedure.

Due to all of this, Dillon Gee will remain in the starting rotation, where he should have been all along.

Mets Head West To Take On Rockies

May 9, 2011

8:40 PM ET

Coors Field, Colorado

TV: SNY

RADIO: WFAN 660

NEW YORK METS

Starting Pitcher: Chris Capuano (2-3, 5.40 ERA)

Capuano looks to have better luck against the Rockies this time around as he takes the mound. In April, he allowed seven runs in 5.2 innings of work against Colorado.  

COLORADO ROCKIES

Starting Pitcher: Jhoulys Chacin (4-2, 2.85 ERA)

In his last outing, Chacin went seven innings, giving up just three hits. Against the Mets, he is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA.

Mets Drop Series Finale Against Dodgers

The Mets ended their home stand on a low note, losing to the Dodgers 4-2.

• R.A. Dickey went seven innings, giving up four runs on ten hits, while striking out three and walking two. 

• Mike O'Connor pitched two perfect innings of relief. 

• Ronny Paulino went 2-4 with an RBI in the first inning. 

• Jose Reyes knocked in the Mets' second run in the ninth inning with a triple. Reyes now has four triples in the past four days.

Next up: The Mets head to Colorado Monday to take on the Rockies in a three game series. Game time is 8:40 p.m.

Young To DL, Misch Recalled

According to Andy McCullough, Chris Young has been placed on the 15-day disabled list due to tightness behind his right shoulder. This is Young's second stint on the DL this season. He was sidelined earlier in the season because of bicep tendinitis.

With this comes roster moves. Pat Misch has been recalled from Triple-A Buffalo, and for there to be room on the 40-man roster, the Mets decided to place Johan Santana on the 60-day DL.

Santana will not be affected by this move since it is back-dated and he isn't expected to return until late this summer anyway.

Young underwent an MRI this morning, but the results have not been released.

Mets Hope To End Home Stand With A Sweep

May 8, 2011

1:10 PM ET

Citi Field

TV: SNY

RADIO: WFAN 660

NEW YORK METS

Starting Pitcher: R.A. Dickey (1-3, 4.62 ERA)

Dickey had a no-decision in his last outing. In his one and only time facing the Dodgers, Dickey threw 5.2 shutout innings. 

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Starting Pitcher: Clayton Kershaw (3-3, 3.38 ERA)

Despite having impressive starts so far this season, Kershaw has given up six home runs in seven games. Lifetime against the Mets, Kershaw is 2-0 with a 2.04 ERA. 

Mets Morning News 5-8-11

John Harper of the Daily News states that despite all that Jose Reyes brings to the table offensively and defensively, his baserunning blunders are what might cause Sandy Alderson to question whether it's worth keeping the star shortstop around.

Steve Serby of the New York Post sat down for a Q & A with Mets reliever Jason Isringhausen.

Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger says Carlos Beltran has proved he's healthy enough to play every day.