http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/21633 Recent articles about Joe Smith en-us Tired of seeing the Mets' pen blow leads? Me too. Here's a program for Jerry Manuel to get the team back on track. Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:55:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/305617 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/305617 Jack Curry of the New York Times presents a very sobering statistic this morning: The ERA of five members of the bullpen since the All Star Break... Scott Schoeneweis, 5.14. Duaner Sanchez, 5.40. Pedro Feliciano, 8.10. Joe Smith, 9.53. Aaron Heilman, 11.32. Wow. 11.32?! And he's still in the majors? I thought it was bad, but I didn't think it was this bad. Something needs to be done. Fri, 08 Aug 2008 05:39:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/302916 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/302916 Billy Wagner's arm troubles could doom the Mets postseason chances. There are zero solid options in the bullpen behind Wagner, and the best fantasy option just might be an untested rookie. Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:58:54 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/300746 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/300746 Jon Niese's first start with AAA New Orleans: 7 IP, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 2 walks, 7 strike outs, 96 pitches, 65 for strikes. Now that is quality. Depending on how Pedro Martinez does against the Astros on Friday and beyond and how Carlos Muniz or Joe Smith fares in the bullpen over the next few weeks, I am absolutely convinced we will see Niese making a few appearances for the Mets in the near future. Thu, 31 Jul 2008 05:35:15 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/298526 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/298526 I just wanted to take a moment and personally thank Jerry Manuel on behalf of every Phillies fan out there for taking Johan Santana out of last night's game. Santana was cruising along last night in complete control of the game. Through eight innings (105 pitches) he had given up eight hits but only two runs. The Phillies just could not get anything going and looked dead. Then the Mets' manager decided to do the Phils a favor and didn't bring Santana back in to finish out the game in the ninth inning, instead opting for Duaner Sanchez. The Mets were up 5-2 at that point and the Phillies had appeared so lifeless all game, I for one wasn't optimistic they were going to be able score no matter who was on the mound. Sanchez then loaded the bases without getting a single out. So long Sanchez (0.0 IP, 3 ER, INF ERA). In comes Joe Smith. With the bases loaded and Carlos Ruiz at bat, I was sure we were about to see a game ending triple play. I've said repeatedly that the best way to get the Phillies out is to let them load the bases and Ruiz has become known as the "Rally Killer" among the Phillies' faithful. Little did I know but the Mets' pitching was so bad last night that they actually allowed Ruiz to not only not hit into a triple play (although let me be fair here, Ruiz tried very hard to hit into a double play, but was helped out by a showboating Jose Reyes who tried to make the out at second all by himself and failed), but allowed him to get his second hit of the game. That's right. As soon as Ruiz got his second hit (and even an RBI!) I knew the game was in the bag. Smith (0.0 IP, 1 ER, INF ERA) exits stage right. In comes Pedro Feliciano. The other indication that the game was in the bag for Phils? So Taguchi not only got a hit, but drove in two runs to tie the game at 5. Ruiz and Taguchi, an unbeatable combination. After giving up the game tying hit to Taguchi, Feliciano gave up a double to Jimmy Rollins, scoring both Ruiz and Taguchi. Chase Utley would then ground out, moving Rollins to third. Pat Burrell is intentionally walked, then Ryan Howard grounded out to the pitcher, scoring Rollins. Out goes Feliciano (0.2 IP, 2 ER, 90.00 ERA). In comes Aaron Heilman who would eventually get the final out with no more damage done. Johan Santana: 8 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 2.25 ERA Mets' Bullpen: 1 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 54.00 ERA Thank you Jerry Manuel. ShareThis Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:00:07 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294364 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294364 There are two sides to every coin. On one hand, I leave Johan Santana out there for the 9th inning to work his magic. That's why he's getting the big bucks. On the flip-side, I can see why you don't want to run your "ace" out there and run up his pitch count, especially with Pedro Martinez ailing. But, your closer is unavailable, and no one has really shone through as a viable replacement. Why not give Santana a shot? Maybe you keep him on a very short least, if he gives up a hit or two, you yank him. Easy as that. Just have the bullpen ready to go as soon as possible. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 04:55:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294199 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294199 I can honestly say, this is something I've been waiting to happen for years. Jerry Manuel has finally assigned defined roles to the bullpen. Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:49:47 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280828 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280828 The language is rated R, so be careful blasting this around children. Joe Smith got heckled in the outfield in Chicago, and did not enjoy it. He yelled back. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:33:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/256493 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/256493 Mets reliever Joe Smith told the Wrigley Field Bleachers that they "ain't shit" the other day. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:11:25 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/256362 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/256362 The Mets won a marathon game, with Angel Pagan delivering with a single up the middle in the bottom of the 12th inning over the Phillies Thursday night by a score of 4-3. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 23:58:49 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/234899 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/234899 This will by my final installment of polls for determining the best of what the NL East has to offer. The Mets have been crowned the NL East's best rotation, while the Phils have garnered top honors for outfield and infield. I'm not even going to bother debating coaching staffs, or get into farm systems. I'll stick with concrete tangibles that you can see on display at the MLB level, which leaves me with the bullpens. *Career era and whip, and pitching arm in parentheses. Atlanta Braves: Closer- Rafael Soriano (2.93, 1.02, R). Key Cogs- Mike Gonzalez (2.29, 1.23, L), Peter Moylan (2.23, 1.13, R), Manny Acosta (2.28, 1.14, R), Will Ohman (4.33, 1.42, L), and Tyler Yates (5.15, 1.56, R). Filler- Royce Ring (3.12, 1.38, L), Jeff Bennett (4.59, 1.43, R), Blaine Boyer (3.71, 1.49, R), Buddy Carlyle (5.96, 1.43, R), and Chris Resop (5.48, 1.83, R). Overall this is a solid group of relievers. There are question marks about Soriano's ability to handle the closer's role (13 career saves), but when Gonzalez gets healthy he's a great fallback plan. Never underestimate the Braves knack for turning mediocre arms into quality pitchers. Florida Marlins: Closer- Kevin Gregg (4.12, 1.33, R). Key Cogs- Justin Miller (5.33, 1.59, R), Matt Lindstrom (3.09, 1.30, R), Lee Gardner (2.46, 1.31, R), Henry Owens (3.00, 1.37, R), and Taylor Tankersly (3.46, 1.47, L). Filler- Daniel Barone (5.71, 1.68, R), Logan Kensing (5.50, 1.55, R), and Renyel Pinto (3.46, 1.40, L). This is a rag-tag group the outperformed expectations last year, but I expect some growing pains this season. Gregg is not a great closer, and I think he'll end up being a 1 season wonder. Lindstrom and Owens have upside, but they're surrounded with a losing atmosphere that trades their young talent away when it gets too expensive...that'll play tricks with your psyche. New York Mets: Closer- Billy Wagner (2.40, 1.02, L). Key Cogs- Aaron Heilman (4.04, 1.27, R), Pedro Feliciano (3.20, 1.34, L), Matt Wise (4.18, 1.26, R), Jorge Sosa (4.59, 1.46, R), and Matt Schoeneweis (5.01, 1.46, L). Filler- Ruddy Lugo (4.39, 1.48, R), Joe Smith (3.45, 1.56, R), currently DL'ed Duaner Sanchez (3.81, 1.37, R), and Brian Stokes (6.46, 1.80, R). I hate that rat bastard Billy Wagner, but he's still a top closer. Heilman and Feliciano are nice setup men, and Wise was a decent cheap offseason pickup. This is a seasoned group that has proven they can pitch and mixed with the Mets outstanding rotation is a great pitching staff collectively. Philadelphia Phillies: Closer- Brad Lidge (3.30, 1.20, R). Key Cogs- Tom Gordon (3.93, 1.35, R), JC Romero (4.30, 1.50, L), Ryan Madson (4.14, 1.38, R), and Chad Durbin (5.75, 1.57, R). Filler- Mike Zagurski (5.91, 1.69, L), Clay Condrey (4.84, 1.53, R), Scott Mathieson (limited experience), Francisco Rosario (6.02, 1.76, R), and Fabio Castro (3.30, 1.21, L). I'm glad to have Lidge because it allows Bretty Myers to go back to the rotation, but I am leary of his ability to lock down leads with high frequency. To be honest, I dislike this bullpen, as Gordon is fragile, Romero has a flair for imploding, Madson is a crapshoot, and the rest are less than stellar to say the least. Washington Nationals: Closer- Chad Cordero (2.79, 1.19, R). Key Cogs- Jon Rauch (3.74, 1.22, R), Luis Ayala (2.82, 1.20, R), Ryan Wagner (4.79, 1.59, R), Jesus Colome (4.54, 1.50, R), and Saul Rivera (3.58, 1.44, R). Filler- Ray King (3.43, 1.34, L), and Chris Schroder (4.40, 1.21, R). They may not have a lot of depth, but this is a decent group. Chad Cordero is a very good young closer, if on a contending team (ie. BoSox or Yanks) would get much higher praiser. John Rauch is the biggest dude to ever chuck pitches in MLB, Wagner is a former 1st round pick of the Reds, Colome can bring heat, and King is like a Weeble- he wobbles but he doesn't fall down. Click on URL to vote in the poll. Fri, 15 Feb 2008 06:58:28 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/143066 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/143066 Being a fanatical baseball fan, I have no idea how I have never heard of Candy Cummings (that's not exactly an easily forgotten name like Joe Smith). Born William Arthur Cummings, Candy claims to have been the first person to ever pitch a curveball in a game back in 1867, and for this he's in the Hall of Fame. Candy, or Mr. Cummings, pitched for such noteworthy teams as the New York Mutuals, Baltimore Canaries, Philadelphia White Stockings, Hartford Dark Blues, and the Cincinnati Red Stockings. Those were some great team names back in the day, weren't they? Career stats: 145 wins, 241 starts and 231 complete games (rubber arm?), 2.49 era, and 1.22 whip. My favorite stat, Candy pitched 2149.7 innings while only striking out 130 batters...were they batting with telephone poles? Candy Cum (is that appropriate?) even played some outfield when he wasn't pitching and was a decent batter with a career .212 average and 227 hits. I think it's time we pay our respects to the late William Arthur "Candy" Cummings for what he's done for the game of baseball and what's he's done for amusing names of the world...Thanks! Tue, 12 Feb 2008 08:09:15 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/139979 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/139979