Random Observations From Blogger Night

The Mets invited bloggers to a game earlier this week, and I'm finally getting around to posting about it. Better late than never I suppose.

Before the game, the Mets along with the Council of Fashion Designers of America, launched their 50th anniversary clothing collection. Proceeds from all sales will be split between the Mets Foundation and CFDA Foundation. All items can be  purchased at Citi Field or at Edition01.com.

For photos of the collection, check out Mets Police.

Now for a few observations...

• Nobody did the wave. Thanks for that.

• Ever watch a game on t.v. and ask yourself, "Why are they cheering so much for Scott Hairston?" as he steps up to the plate? I noticed this at a game once before and again earlier this week. What you and I don't realize while watching at home is that the Mets put up the noise meter on the scoreboard asking fans to cheer as loud as they can. Hence the occasional cheering for random players (e.g. Scott Hairston).

A Few Thoughts on Matt Harvey

I couldn't fit this thought into 140 characters, so I've taken to the blog...

Fans have been calling for Matt Harvey to be called up for some time now. Many were upset when the Mets announced that Miguel Batista would get the start on Saturday instead of Harvey.

Looking back, would it really have made that much of a difference?

While Batista was stinkin' up the joint in Queens, Harvey was doing the same up in Buffalo.

Let's say the team's decision had been different. Harvey was called up and he got the start yesterday. What if he pitched the same way for the big league club as he did for Buffalo? What help would he have been?

His confidence would no doubt have taken a slight blow, and lord knows the nonsense that would have been talked about on Twitter and throughout the media.

I'm not saying that I expect Harvey to never struggle. He will. It's just a part of baseball and a part of life. Everyone struggles sometimes.

The Mets were on hand to evaluate Harvey's previous start, and they apparently weren't impressed enough with what they saw.

I'm going to go ahead and guess that they know more about Harvey and the situation than you or I.

If he hasn't been called up, and doesn't get called up, there's probably a good reason for it.

He's not the savior. He shouldn't be treated as such.

You know that if he gets called up, is put on this pedestal, and fails miserably, fans will be enraged wondering why the team would put him in such situations and how he was thrust into a position when he wasn't ready.

Don't deny it. You know it would happen.

ICYMI: The Week In Review

Turns out, it wasn't Harvey-Time this past week. Despite all of the hoopla surrounding Matt Harvey, the Mets decided to leave him in Triple-A Buffalo and have Miguel Batista start in the rotation. Did the Mets make the right move? Well, both pitchers were smacked around in their starts on Saturday.

The Mets have recalled Elvin Ramirez for some help in the bullpen. So far, there has been no corresponding move. Kirk Nieuwenhuis or Miguel Batista could get the boot.

Jeremy Hefner was called up to take Johan Santana's spot on the roster.

To make room for Jason Bay, who was coming off the disabled list, the Mets traded Omar Quintanilla to the Orioles for cash.

R.A. Dickey won his 13th game of the season on Thursday, extending his winning streak to 11 games. He has gone unbeaten in 16 straight starts.

Terry Collins called a team meeting to address a quote from Pedro Beato following Tuesday's loss, suggesting that Josh Thole could have made a better attempt at catching his wild pitch. Here's the quote: "I tried to get it down...on the floor, so he can swing over it. And I yanked it a little too far. Unfortunately, Thole wasn't able to get to it and it got away from him." I don't know. Maybe it's just me, but I don't see a problem with the quote. 


In another example of quotes being blown way out of proportion, Miguel Batista told reporters this past week that the Mets are better than the first place Nationals. Read the quote and judge for yourself. Of course it didn't help that Batista made the comments after surrendering two runs to the Nationals.

On the injury front...

The Mets placed Johan Santana on the disabled list with a sprained ankle. Santana has struggled lately. He told reporters after Saturday's game that he doesn't attribute his struggles to the 134 pitches he threw in his no-hitter, or the surgery he had on his shoulder. Instead, he found that he was changing his delivery on the mound to support his ailing ankle.

Frank Francisco is expected to throw a bullpen session today. Francisco could begin rehab games next week.

Mike Baxter has moved his rehab games to Double-A Binghamton.

Jon Rauch had both of his knees drained earlier in the week. He was unavailable for one game, but entered Wednesday's game and pitched a scoreless inning of relief.

Lucas Duda returned to the lineup on Wednesday after receiving a cortisone shot to help with his strained left hamstring.