Tag Archives: New York Mets

MLB Round-Up 6/28 Edition

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MLB Round-Up is back for the week. Let’s get it started.

Team of the Week

American League – Texas Rangers. The Rangers become a two time winner in the team of the week category. They continued their hot play over the last seven days. Too bad their ownership situation will probably keep them from acquiring a much-needed ace and making them into a true pennant contender.

National League – San Diego Padres. The National League’s best team (yes, that’s correct) continued their solid play by ending the week with a sweep of the Florida Marlins. Instead of wondering where Adrian Gonzalez would be headed in mid-July, the Padres will be buyers at the deadline.

Position Player of the Week

American League – Miguel Tejada (Baltimore). The former MVP continues to produce despite questions of his age. Tejada batted .481 for the week with 13 hits and 7 RBIs.

National League – David Wright (New York). Arizona’s Justin Upton was deserving of this award, but considering Wright had been the offensive catalyst for New York’s resurgence, he gets the nod. Wright batted .500 with 8 RBIs and 2 homers.

Pitcher of the Week

American League – Tommy Hunter (Texas). The 24 year old pitcher has provided a boost to the Texas rotation, especially last week. He started twice, registering 12 innings combined with an ERA of 2.25. Most importantly, he won both starts.

National League – Jaime Moyer (Philadelphia). The ageless lefty helped Philly start to play better baseball with his 1.80 ERA in 15 innings in the last 7 days. Moyer also recorded 15 strikeouts.

MLB Round-Up 6/14 edition

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The weekly MLB Round-Up post is back amidst World Cup phenomenon. In case you forgot, we will detail a team of the week, position player of the week, and pitcher of the week in each league. Let’s begin.

Team of the Week

American League – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Los Angeles’ other team swept the Dodgers over the weekend Interleague series and, in the process, have reached a season-high 6 games over .500. The Angels have also closed their AL West deficit to a .5 game. The Angels seem to lose key players and replace them with less than high profile free agents, yet they always start playing great baseball around the end of May. Watch our for them.

National League – New York Mets. Has there been a more up-and-down team in the majors this season? One week, the Mets look like serious division and pennant contenders only to look like a team competing for a high draft pick the next? A patchwork rotation has allowed the Mets to close Atlanta’s division lead to 1.5 games.

Position Player of the Week

American League – Johnny Damon (Detroit). The Tigers off-season acquisition played in 6 games in the past week posting a .476 batting average. Damon was the catalyst for a Tigers offense that helped them sweep the Pirates over the weekend.

National League – Brandon Phillips (Cincinnati). The Reds are just 5-5 in their last 10 games, but Brandon Phillips cannot be blamed for the mediocrity. He batted .538 and slugged .808. Phillips added 3 RBIs and 6 runs scored.

Pitcher of the Week

American League – Colby Lewis (Texas). Despite a shrinking division lead, Lewis kept his Rangers in first place with 2 wins in the past 7 days. His 1.80 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 15 innings was as impressive as anyone in the same time span.

National League – Matt Cain (San Francisco). When a hugely-hyped phenom gets 2 wins in his first 2 starts in the majors while giving up 3 runs, they usually get Pitcher of the Week honors. Unfortunately for Stephen Strasburg, Matt Cain was just better. Cain posted a 0.56 ERA in 16 innings helping the Giants gain ground on the first place Padres.

Series of the Week – Tampa Bay Rays vs Atlanta Braves. It doesn’t get any better than a 3 game, mid-week series between 2 first place teams. The Rays take a 22-8 road record to Turner Field where the Braves 19-6, which is the fewest losses at home by any team in the majors. Something has to give in Hotlanta.

MLB Round-Up 5/24 Edition

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So, the weekly MLB Round-Up post will be undergoing another transformation this week. However, this one will be minor. In order to avoid league bias, I’ll be awarding the various accolades to a team from each league as well as a position player and a pitcher from both the NL and AL.

Team of the Week

American League: Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays went 6-1 over the last 7 days including a come-from-behind win over the Astros Sunday after young phenom David Price was hammered early. Tampa also increased its AL East lead to 6 games over the 2nd place Yankees. Their major league best record now stands at 32-12.

National League: Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers have been on a hot streak for a few weeks now climbing to the summit of the NL West standings (2nd place as of now). They went 5-2 last week even after losing Andre Eithier to the DL on May 15th. The Dodgers visit the Cubs to start a week in which they will look to retake first place.

Minnesota first baseman Justin Morneau

Position Player of the Week

American League: Justin Morneau (Minnesota). Morneau has arguably been the best first baseman in the American League this season. This past week made that assertion all the more believable. In 7 games, he posted a .481 avg, .576 OBP, .828 slg, and tallied 13 hits, 5 doubles, 2 homers, 9 RBIs, and 6 walks.

National League: Jason Bay (New York). The Mets off-season acquisition designed to add power in Citi Field has been off to a slow start. This past week, and especially last night against the Yankees, Bay began to take on his old, reliable form. He batted an even .500, posted a .577 OBP, and a .864 slg. He also had 2 doubles, 2 home runs, and 3 RBIs.

Florida Marlins ace Josh Johnson

Pitcher of the Week

American League: Gio Gonzalez (Oakland). Another one of the young Oakland arms pitched two solid games this past week, including one head-to-head with San Francisco pitcher Matt Cain. Gonzalez won both of his starts, only gave up 6 hits in 15 innings, and recorded an ERA of 1.80.

National League: Josh Johnson (Florida). My preseason pick for Cy Young in the National League was knocked around a little bit early, but this past week showed why he will be a Cy contender for the foreseeable future. Johnson won 2 starts, pitched 13 innings, gave up 8 hits, and 0 earned runs.

Two Questions: NL East

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Last week, EJSIC previewed the Major League Baseball season by looking at two questions surrounding the American League teams. Now, we’ll check out the Senior Circuit and begin with the NL East.

Atlanta Braves

null1. How good will Jason Heyward be? At the beginning of March, this question was actually, Will Jason Heyward make the team out of Spring Training? Now that manager Bobby Cox has announced he will be the starting right fielder, how well will the twenty year old phenom perform? If Spring Training is any indication, he will make the transition relatively smooth. He has posted a .347 batting average with a .467 on-base percentage. Perhaps the best stat has been his patient approach at the plate with 9 walks.

2. Do the Braves have enough offense? Atlanta has one of the best pitching staffs in the majors, but the offense is not as potent. Franchise player Chipper Jones will need to have a come back season after his struggle for most of the second half in 2009. The Braves are also hoping for a healthy Troy Glaus at first base. If they get some more consistency and power in the lineup, the Braves will be contenders for the NL East crown.

Florida Marlins

null1. Does Chris Coghlan pick up from his rookie season? Coghlan won the NL Rookie of the Year award last season after a spectacular offensive campaign. He routinely got on base and portrayed great base running skills. The Marlins need him to get on base consistently again this season. He sets the table well for MVP candidate Hanley Ramirez.

2. Do the Marlins have enough rotational depth to catch the Phillies? Florida has a good rotation mixed with young talent and settled veterans. But to catch the Phillies, the Marlins will need the consistency at the lower end of the rotation. Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco are set at the top. Can Anibal Sanchez, Chris Volstad, and Andrew Miller step up?

New York Mets

null1. How healthy are the Mets? There’s no doubt that the Mets have talent on the team, but rarely were fans treated to a full lineup at Citi Field last season. Jose Reyes missed most of last season and has experienced thyroid problems in Spring Training. The Mets offense is just not the same without him at the top of the lineup.

2. Does ace Johan Santana get any help? Santana was hurt a lot last season, but when he’s healthy, he’s one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. Truthfully, he’s the only pitcher in the Mets rotation that is consistent. Mike Pelfrey, John Maine, and Oliver Perez need to step up.

Philadelphia Phillies

null1. Can the Phillies make it to three straight World Series? No National League team has accomplished the feat since the 1942 to ’44 St. Louis Cardinals. The addition of Roy Halladay makes it seem more of a possibility. Plus, the Phils have one of the best offenses that is hard to shut down for 9 innings.

2. Does Cole Hamels return to form? In 2008, Hamels was dominant all season and it culminated in the World Series victory. He was a disappointment in 2009 however. Now, he has Roy Halladay all season for help. If Hamels can pitch effectively, it gives the Phils a lefty-righty combo at the top of the lineup that can shut down any team.

Washington Nationals

null1. How soon do we see Stephen Strasburg? The Nationals were in the headlines positively before last summer’s amateur draft. Will they take Strasburg and if they do, can they sign him? They took the Scott Boras client and they signed him. He’ll start in the minor leagues, but if he performs as well as some envision him, he may be pitching in D.C. by late summer.

2. Does the defense improve? The Nationals had a lot of problems last season, but their offense was serviceable for most of the season. They really struggled in the field though, committing 143 errors. Baseball has seen a resurgence in emphasis on pitching and defense. The Nats can help themselves by improving with the leather.

New York Mets Scrambling to Find Way to Blow 4th Place NL East Finish

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With Major League Baseball deep in the throes of its annual stretch run, many teams are positioning to achieve a playoff berth. Meanwhile, the New York Mets, baseball’s most lovable losers, are determined to outdo their late season collapses of the past two seasons by finishing in last place in the National League East division.

“We have conditioned our fans to have a certain set of expectations, and we intend to meet them,” Mets General Manager Omar Minaya stated. “You saw us lose it in style in 2007, then we repeated with in 2008; just wait until you see what we’ve got in store for you this year,” Minaya said with a wink and a smile.

In 2007, the Mets led the NL East division by 7 games on September 12th before making history, losing 12 of the last 17 games to succumb to the surging Philadelphia Phillies and miss the playoffs. They repeated their late season swoon in 2008 by falling in 10 of the last 17 to lose the division lead again, as well as their chance at the Wild Card in their final game. This season, the Mets find themselves secured in fourth place in the NL East after September 21st with 11 left to play: 15.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves, 13 games ahead of the Washington Nationals, and 23.5 games behind the first place Phillies.

With just 11 games remaining and a 13 game lead over the MLB-worst Washington Nationals, it is mathematically impossible for the Mets to be overtaken. When the numbers were laid out for Minaya, he didn’t seem to understand. When the subtraction was done for him on a nearby whiteboard, Minaya discourteously snapped, “What are you, some kind of astronaut? We’re just trying to lose baseball games here.”

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