Yardbarker: Pedro Martinez

Minaya has some concerns about K-Rod!

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 23:20:19 -0500

Minaya will go back to work

If the Mets were all-in with general manager Omar Minaya, they had to be all-in with manager Jerry Manuel. It was Manuel who turned the mood positive and got the Mets playing productively after he replaced Willie Randolph in mid-June, so he was rewarded with a two-year extension.

But Minaya still has his work cut out. Top priority: closer. Could this be where Francisco Rodriguez ends up? It makes sense, considering the Mets have the resources to offer something in the $15 million- to $18 million-a-year category, but insiders say Minaya might be concerned about K-Rod's drop in velocity. He might be more apt to go for a cheaper closer like Brian Fuentes. This will not electrify the masses.

The Mets spent roughly $140 million on payroll this season but will have deductions (Pedro MartA?nez, Oliver Perez, Moises Alou, and others) that give them about $40 million to play with. Minaya would need to either re-sign Perez or go after CC Sabathia or Derek Lowe.

Minaya made a huge splash last offseason when he traded for Johan Santana, who was worth every bit of the outlay in talent and money. Now he'll likely be tempted by one of the free agent starters.

Minaya likely will pick up the $12 million option for MVP candidate Carlos Delgado, who a year ago would have been gone, his career likely over. Manuel played a huge role in reviving Delgado's career.

Minaya has to take into consideration that the Phillies aren't going away and are a better overall team; they also will delve into the market for a starter to augment their potent offense.

Minaya will be tempted to bring MartA?nez back in the hope that he can reinvent himself, but he has to be sure MartA?nez can be a solid fifth starter. Minaya, too, will be competing with the team across town, who like the Mets are moving into a new stadium and have a lot of money to spend.

Source: Boston Globe

Looking at the roster....

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 20:53:35 -0500

Ok, here's a closer look at the 40 man roster, without changing the core of the team there will still be a significant change to the roster......

Free agents this year:

Pedro Martinez, Oliver Perez, Orlando Hernandez, Luis Ayala, Nelson Figueroa, Brandon Knight, Ricardo Rincon, Al Reyes, Tony Armas, Matt Wise,

Damion Easley, Fernando Tatis, Moises Alou, Gustavo Molina, Ramon Martinez, Argenis Reyes, Trot Nixon

Option Year:

Carlos Delgado

Under Contract:

Johan Santana, Scott Schoeneweis, Mike Pelfrey, Billy Wagner ( 60 day)

Brian Schneider, Ramon Castro, Luis Castillo, David Wright, Jose Reyes, Marlon Anderson, Carlos Beltran, Endy Chavez

Arbitration years:

John Maine, Ryan Church, Angel Pagan, Aaron Heilman, Duaner Sanchez, Pedro Feliciano

Under Control(option players):

Adam Bostick, Ambiorix Burgos, Eddie Kunz, Carlos Muniz, Jonathan Niese, Bobby Parnell, Joe Smith, Jason Vargas, Nick Evans, Daniel Murphy

Of the group of free agents the only ones I see that have a chance of getting a major league contract is Luis Ayala, Tatis and maybe Damion Easley. The rest will move on or get minor league deals with invites, I believe Ollie will out price himself. As they already indicated Delgado will be pick-up. Those under contract Castillo, Anderson and Schoenweis have to go and I could see one of the catchers moving for a more durable or offensive minded player. Arby player, Heilman has to be moved and Sanchez might go as well.

When all is said and done under my estimation 14 players without options will be returning with the 10 option players on the 40 man roster. So with Santana, Maine, Pelfrey, Feliciano, Ayala, Delgado, Wright, Reyes, Beltran, Church, Pagan, Tatis, Chavez, Schnieder staying and Castro, Sanchez and Easley on the ropes. That doesn't include guys like Smith, Parnell, Murphy, Evans and Niese who have options but could or will make the team. Even without making a drastic move the Mets roster this year will look significantly different.

It's Official, Minaya gets a extension

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:17:38 -0500

Omar Minaya, the man most responsible for shaping the Mets' roster and their future, has been rewarded with a contract extension.

Minaya was appointed as general manager and executive vice president of baseball operations nearly four years ago. He has one year remaining on his current five-year contract, and the extension will take it through 2012 with clubs options for the following two season. The announcement was made on a Thursday morning conference call.

The Mets have produced a winning record in each of their four seasons under Minaya's leadership, winning 83, 97 and 88 games under the GM's chosen manager, Willie Randolph. New York won 89 games this season, achieved with Randolph managing 69 games before being replaced by Jerry Manuel.

The club reached the seventh game of the National League Championship Series in the 2006 season, losing the decisive Game 7 at Shea Stadium to the Cardinals. The Mets were eliminated from the postseason on the final day each of the last two seasons.

Under Minaya, the Mets have spent lavishly to bring in players such as Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran and Johan Santana.

Contracts and Trades in the offseason..

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:17:37 -0500

CONTRACT ISSUES

Free agents: Alou, OF; Fernando Tatis, OF; Damion Easley, 2B; Perez, LHP; Martinez, RHP; Hernandez, RHP; Luis Ayala, RHP; Ricardo Rincon, LHP; Matt Wise, RHP.

Eligible for arbitration: Ryan Church, OF; John Maine, RHP; Pedro Feliciano, LHP; Aaron Heilman, RHP; Duaner Sanchez, RHP.

Player options: None

Club options: Delgado, 1B, $12 million, $4 million buyout

Non-tender possibilities: None

Like last season, they have their reasons. Though general manager Omar Minaya's starting lineup is all but set with the exception of 2B and LF. The Starting Rotation might need some retooling and the Bullpen has to get a new look.

Oliver Perez and Pedro Martinez, two significant pieces of this season's rotation, will both hit free agency in the days following the World Series. And the few pitchers waiting in the wings represent a combination of youth and inexperience. It's a combination that the Mets, historically, have tried to avoid.

And so a team that boasted one of baseball's largest payrolls -- roughly $137 million at season's end -- is likely only to add to that figure. Assuming the Mets exercise their $12 million club option on Carlos Delgado's contract, they will shed four significant salaries: those of Martinez, Perez, Moises Alou and Orlando Hernandez. After accounting for increases in other salaries, that's roughly $25 to $30 million off the books.

It's a near certainty that the Mets will reinvest all of it.

Mets have plenty of needs especially in relief, but the rotation could be revamped. The Mets can go out and try to trade for a pitcher like Jake Peavy, Zach Grienke, or a Matt Cain. If the Mets go out and try to get one of these elite young pitchers they will have to use one of their Top Prospects including Fernando Martinez. Even though the Mets think F-Mart has a high ceiling and he is only 19 yrs old, they may make a move here. It is not imposible...

The bullpen needs a obvious facelift. Guys like Aaron Heilman and Scott Schoeneweis should be moved and apparently have some value left. Joey DeMayo on Mike Silva's NY Baseball Digest lastnight suggested that maybe the Mets can make a trade including Aaron Heilman with the Oakland A's for Huston Street. Billy Beane has always made it known that he likes Heilman and would make him a starter in Oaktown. Stay tuned....

The Mets need a closer and everyone in baseball thinks the Mets can go out and get themselves Francisco Rodriguez. If they fall short in the bidding for the record breaking saves leader. They might go out and see if Brian Fuentes will come to NY. They had some interest in him before the trade deadline but the Rockies were still in the range of the playoffs and they did not want to trade him.

Look for the Mets to compliment who ever they get at closer. They will be in the hunt for middle relievers. They need a left hander specialist and I think the Mets should look at Jeremy Affeldt who is a free agent.

Here are his numbers:

		G	GS	W	L	SV	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP	BAA
Total		74	0	1	1	0	0	0	78.1	78	36	29	9	25	80	3.33	1.31	.260

Considering he pitched in Cincinatti, He might be better suited for Citi-Field.

Other guys I would look at are Juan Cruz. People are saying Juan Cruz, who is he??

Check out his numbers:

		G	GS	W	L	SV	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP	BAA
Total		57	0	4	0	0	0	0	51.2	34	17	15	5	31	71	2.61	1.26	.192

In only 51.2 innings, he gave up 34 hits and struck out 71...

In speaking of second base, the Mets have many of options here. They have the incumbent Luis Castillo who I would trade for anything, but Joey DeMayo (NY Baseball Digest) has said that the Mets might be able to get a Eric Byrnes from the Arizona Diamondbacks for Castillo since they want to get rid of Byrnes contract and they need a second basemen (2B Hudson will be a free agent) . If that happend, I would be jumping for joy! Byrnes is a high energy player who brings some grit and toughness the Mets lack.

They also have Dan Murphy who can be the second basemen next year. He is currently in the ArizonaFall league trying to get more work at 2B. If that fails, he might be a platoon outfielder in left.

They also can go out and get Orlando Hudson who is a All-Star 2B. He is a switch hitter who can hit and play great defense.

Of Course if the Mets don't make deal for Eric Byrnes they could look at Free Agent Manny Ramirez who always has been high on Omar Minaya's list or they can get themselves a compliment to Murphy like a Free Agent Juan Rivera who is right handed bat that hits lefties.

We will see what goes on, but these are some things to think about....................

Bringing back Omar Minaya

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:39:37 -0500

Omar Minaya received a three-year extension, carrying him at least to 2012, with team options for '13 and '14. I'm all for it. In Omar We Trust, as they say.

Definitely Listen to This

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:31:06 -0500

If you didn't already know, I love listening to Rocco after each and every game. You can listen to any show [here], but [this very short clip] called "Double Entendre '08" is absolutely hilarious. I demand that you click that link and listen to it right now. Silly and not very baseball-related (to say the least), but it is pretty darn funny. It comes at the very end of his [last show], but you can jump straight to the good stuff [here].
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Some other links:
Colin Dunlap of the PG covers [Pedro Alvarez's first Pirate workout] in extensive detail, including some towering bombs and a grounder off his cheek.
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[This MLBTR link] may raise some eyebrows. Potential players the Pirates might seek in free agency:

Casey Blake could make sense, or maybe Wily Mo Pena if he declines his $2MM player option. There's no obvious fit though.

Veteran starters such as Paul Byrd, Mike Hampton, Pedro Martinez, Odalis Perez, or Kenny Rogers could help tutor young Pirate pitchers. Randy Johnson could be an interesting signing as well. The righthanded setup man market includes Juan Cruz, Rudy Seanez, LaTroy Hawkins, Chan Ho Park, David Weathers, Bob Howry, and Kyle Farnsworth.
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Say what? Somehow I don't see any of the above happening, but it is true the Bucs have $10-15M to spend.
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Dejan [says thank you] and offers [his top games of the season] (something I will be doing in the near future). First of all, thank you, Dejan, for amazing, relentless coverage of the Bucs all season long. Second, the coverage here will continue. Obviously there is a lot less Pirate news now that the season's done, but look for more analysis and humor instead of game previews and recaps day in and day out. Posting may drop off a bit, but there's always football and basketball to write about if we get too bored. I'd like to stick to what I know best, though, and that is Pirate baseball.
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Lastly, I think [this statement by Pat] sums up the year pretty well:

From [late 2005 through the end of 2007,] all I ever really wanted was for the Pirates to throw up their hands, say, "This team sucks and our minor league system is really bad. The only way we're ever going to be relevant again is by tearing apart the team, giving up on a couple of years, and rebuilding this thing from the ground up." In 2008, the Pirates actually did that.

Definitely Listen to This

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:31:06 -0500

Mets Rumors and Speculation : The Off-season has begun!

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:35:34 -0500

MLB Trade Rumors has offered some interested tidbits to what the NY Media has been talking about since the secondary collapse:

Ken Davidoff suggests the Mets patch up their bullpen with Francisco Rodriguez. It'd be an obvious overreaction, and would ignore past history of big money tossed at relievers. The Mets had a firsthand look with their own Billy Wagner signing. $43MM for 193.3 innings - was it worth it?

David Lennon believes Luis Castillo is as good as gone, though I'd be surprised if eating half of his contract is enough. Would Castillo get a three-year, $9MM deal on the open market right now given numerous palatable one-year options?

Adam Rubin sees the Mets trading Castillo, Aaron Heilman, and Scott Schoeneweis (he suggests eating 90% of Castillo's contract).

As for the rotation, Lennon doesn't see the Mets involved on C.C. Sabathia, Ben Sheets, A.J. Burnett, Oliver Perez, or Pedro Martinez. I imagine the Mets will add one starter to follow Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, and John Maine though. Freddy Garcia could make sense. Rubin says Derek Lowe and Brian Moehler are rumored possibilities, though Moehler already re-signed with Houston for '09.

Bob Klapisch wonders if the Mets should consider trading Jose Reyes, David Wright, or Carlos Beltran to shake up the team.

Should they stay or should they go? [Pitchers]

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:35:00 -0500

As we solemnly shift into the 2008-2009 off-season, I guess it's never too early to look ahead. Here's a list of all the pitchers who made an appearance with the Mets in 2008, and whether they should stay or go, and why:

Red Sox Fishwrap: Surprising Playoff Rotation, ALDS Schedule, Manny speaks out

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:34:13 -0500

Just when you thought one of the best postseason playoff pitchers (say that 10 times fast) in recent memory was good to go for this Wednesday's opener against Los Angeles, things changed with the tweak of an oblique.

Josh Beckett - he of the 2007 dominance - suffered a right oblique injury during a 40-pitch side session on Friday, meaning he will now throw Game 3 in Boston on Sunday instead of Game 1 on Wednesday. Ugh. For Beckett, this is just another side note in a season that has gone worse than expected with various injuries and run support problems that left him with a 12-10 record and a 4.03 ERA.

So the comeback kid himself - Jon Lester - will get the call in Game 1 with his 16-6, 3.21 ERA, while Daisuke Matsuzaka (18-3, 2.90 ERA) takes the ball in Game 2. Not a bad way to start the series, but I think Boston was hoping to start Lester in Game 3 as he has been lights-out in Fenway Park all year. Regardless, if you asked most teams if they'd take two starters to open up the series who have 16 wins or more, I think they'd take it.

For Anaheim, Jon Lackey (12-5, 3.75) goes against Lester while Ervin Santana (16-7, 3.49) matches up against Dice-K. Joe Saunders (17-7, 3.41) will match up with Beckett.

-Here's the schedule for the ALDS. Get those coffee pots going...here we go again:

Game 1: Wed., Oct. 1 at Anaheim, 10 p.m.
Game 2: Fri., Oct. 3 @ Anaheim, 9:30 p.m.
Game 3: Sun, Oct. 5 @ Boston, TBA
Game 4: Mon., Oct. 6 @ Boston*, TBA
Game 5: Wed., Oct. 8 @ Anaheim*, TBA

*if necessary

-Well, you knew this was only a matter of time. In a column printed by LA Times columnist TJ Simers, Manny Ramirez was very candid about his time in Boston, being complimentary of the fans but quite indemnifying against the media:

On not wanting to be a Red Sox player: "The first time I stepped foot in Boston, I said to myself, 'Whoa.' I told Pedro Martinez, 'Damn, man, I just want to get traded and get out of here; this place is not me.' I was unhappy for eight years in Boston but still put up great numbers."

Uhhh, ok. What about the expectation of winning?

"Baseball in Boston is like a Sunday football game, but played every day. We lose in L.A., I go to breakfast and people say, 'Well, you'll get them tomorrow.' In Boston, it's 'Hey, what's going on, the Yankees are coming.' It's just a different atmosphere. The fans in Boston got your back no matter what, but I'm talking about the people who write all this bull because it means so much to them. If your happiness depends on Boston winning or losing, you have to get a life."

That is interesting. Definitely check out the whole piece and then the follow-up where Manny discusses the incident from earlier this season with the Sox' traveling secretary that includes a funny story about apparently how cheap Greg Maddux is.

I expect the eventual Boston response to this to be as equally printable.

Josh Nason started Small White Ball in 2007 and is the main contributor of content for the site. A long-time writer, his work can also be read at sites like RopesRingandCage.com, EmailMarketingGuy.com and others. He also does radio appearances and was on TV once, albeit for a lame public television game show. He can be reached at josh@smallwhiteball.com.

Final Thoughts........

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 23:51:29 -0500

As the Mets made the final out and the game was over. I was in disbelief that the season was over. The Mets did have a admirable year considering the cards dealt to them.

They fired the Manager Willie Randolph who took great criticism and replaced him with a gangsta, named Jerry Manuel (his bench coach). Jerry was very funny and candid, he did a great job. The Mets went 55-38 under the interim manager..

The Offense:
They did not have Moises Alou all year nor did they have Ryan Church, but they found success in players like Fernando Tatis, Daniel Murphy and Nick Evans who filled in nicely which kept them moving in the right place. The offense did not function all the time but they found there grooves. Carlos Delgado can consider himself the NL Comeback player of the Year with the second half he had. David Wright, Mr. Consistancy had a career year in HR's and RBI's but sputtered late in the season to find the big hits. Carlos Beltran had another 20+ HR year with 100+ RBI's in a year with nagging injuries all year long. Jose Reyes led the NL in hits, even though his stolen base numbers were down, he had a great year! Luis Castillo could not find himself at all this year due to injuries...The Brian Schneider/Ramon Castro project worked well when healthy, but when they were not healthy they had to resort to Robinson Cancel.

The Starting Pitching:
The starting pitching who was lead by Johan Santana, who should of had more wins than 16 because the bullpen let him down. John Maine was hurt in the latter part of the season, but pitched decent enough in the earlier part of the year. Mike Pelfrey became a reliable option and matured under Dan Warthen. Oliver Perez had a typical Jeckle and Hyde season, some good starts and some bad starts..Pedro Martinez tried to come back from all his previous injuries but he did not have the killer instinct or quality pitches to succeed in 2008.

The Bullpen:
The bullpen was shot down by the absence of Billy Wagner and had to resort to Luis Ayala who was a late pickup. He did what he can do, but he was not serious closer material. Aaron Heilman looked like a overused wash rag this year. He did not pitch up to his capability. Duaner Sanchez tried to come back from a unusual surgery, but he did not provide us with what he once had. Scott Schoeneweiss had a decent year, but he also had moments of displeasure. Joe Smith was a reliable righthanded sidearmer that will get better with age.. Pedro Feliciano had his ups and downs as well...

Believe it or not this team was a 89 Win team, with all there problems they lacked one game to get in the playoffs. Even though I did not think much of this team because of the problems, I still wanted them to get in. The failures that lagged them last year and this year, will also be with them next year as well.

How do we fix it:
I believe the Mets are on the right path, they have to build on some of the players that they have and bring in new ones to replace the older and injured crop from this year! There will be no Pedro next year, No Moises next year, no Castillo next year! In my mind they have to keep Oliver Perez, he is only 26 and get better. They have to find somewhere to ship Aaron Heilman, because his welcome has become outdated. The bullpen has to be revamped and the Mets have to find a reliable closer. K-Rod will be the easy choice, but Brian Fuentes is not to shabby....
If you look on paper this team had success when the offense did, but you can't go score 10 runs everynight. Pitching is key and it will win championships everytime...

Final Thoughts:
Even though the game did not meet our needs and wants as Mets fans, there still was a closing ceremony at Shea. The names from 1969, 1973, and 1986 teams were there and many others. Yes, Dwight Gooden was even there.. It was a very good and emotional day for me to see some of the players I loved to watch as a kid. Who could forget Tom Seaver throwing the final Pitch at Shea Stadium to Mike Piazza, that was classic (even though it was a 55 footer). They walked to center field together, two Hall of Famers (One current and one future) and they closed the centerfield gates of Shea forever...

Top 200 Players of All Time: Through 6th

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:04:36 -0500

Working from the 20th to the 5th best fantasy players of all time, the FBHOF is one step closer to naming the greatest player in history.

Recap: Beltran's single wins it for the Mets in the ninth, 7-6

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 22:39:41 -0500

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
CHC (96-62)	2	0	1	0	0	0	3	0	0	6	11	1
NYM (88-71)	1	0	0	2	0	0	1	2	1	7	10	1

Final

Mets Boxscore:

New York Mets
Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
J Reyes SS	4	2	1	1	1	0	0	.299
D Murphy LF	5	0	0	0	0	2	2	.325
D Wright 3B	2	1	1	1	2	1	1	.300
C Delgado 1B	4	0	0	0	1	1	3	.273
C Beltran CF	4	2	2	1	1	0	1	.282
R Church RF	3	1	3	2	1	0	0	.284
R Martinez 2B	4	0	1	1	0	1	4	.286
R Cancel C	4	1	2	1	0	0	0	.245
P Martinez P	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	.154
R Rincon P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
B Stokes P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.667
a-M Anderson PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.213
S Schoeneweis P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
b-D Easley PH	1	0	0	0	0	1	2	.270
P Feliciano P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
J Smith P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Totals	34	7	10	7	6	7	13
a-grounded to shortstop for B Stokes in the 7th b-struck out swinging for S Schoeneweis in the 8th
BATTING 2B: R Church (14, R Harden); R Cancel (2, C Gaudin) RBI: D Wright (124), R Church 2 (49), J Reyes (68), R Martinez (2), R Cancel (5), C Beltran (110) SF: D Wright 2-out RBI: R Church 2, R Martinez, R Cancel, C Beltran GIDP: C Delgado Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: D Murphy 1, R Martinez 2, D Easley 1 Team LOB: 8
BASERUNNING SB: J Reyes 3 (55, 2nd base off K Hart/K Hill, 2nd base off R Harden/K Hill 2); C Beltran (25, 3rd base off B Howry/K Hill) CS: R Church (3, 2nd base by R Harden/K Hill)
FIELDING E: D Wright (16, ground ball) DP: 1 (R Martinez-J Reyes-C Delgado).

New York Mets
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	PC-ST	ERA
P Martinez	6.0	7	5	5	4	9	1	99-67	5.61
R Rincon	0.1	2	1	1	0	0	1	8-6	4.50
B Stokes	0.2	0	0	0	1	1	0	15-7	3.41
S Schoeneweis	1.0	1	0	0	1	1	0	22-13	3.20
P Feliciano	0.0	1	0	0	0	0	0	5-3	4.08
J Smith (W, 6-3)	1.0	0	0	0	1	1	0	16-8	3.61
Totals	9.0	11	6	6	7	12	2	165-104
PITCHING WP: J Smith Batters faced: P Martinez 29; R Rincon 3; B Stokes 3; S Schoeneweis 5; P Feliciano 1; J Smith 4 Ground Balls-Fly Balls: P Martinez 8-1; R Rincon 0-1; B Stokes 0-1; S Schoeneweis 2-0; P Feliciano 0-0; J Smith 2-0 Game Scores: P Martinez 43

Scoring Summary
			CHC	NYM
	1st	M Hoffpauir homered to right center.	1	0
	1st	C McGehee singled to right, J Edmonds scored, M Fontenot to second.	2	0
	1st	D Wright hit sacrifice fly to center, J Reyes scored.	2	1
	3rd	M Hoffpauir doubled to deep center, R Theriot scored.	3	1
	4th	R Church doubled to right, D Wright and C Beltran scored.	3	3
	7th	M Hoffpauir homered to right, F Pie and R Theriot scored.	6	3
	7th	J Reyes grounded out to shortstop, R Cancel scored.	6	4
	8th	R Martinez singled to left, C Beltran scored, R Church to second.	6	5
	8th	R Cancel singled to right, R Church scored, R Martinez to third.	6	6
	9th	C Beltran reached on infield single to first, J Reyes scored, C Delgado to second.	6	7

Game 158 Thread / Cubs @ Mets (4 of 4)

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:32:21 -0500

Game Chat | Press Pass | BR Preview

SP	Rich Harden	SP	Pedro Martinez
(NL)	5-1, 1.66, 85 K, 25 BB, 65 IP		5-6, 5.50, 78 K, 40 BB, 103 IP
A	A	A	A
LF	*Felix Pie	SS	#Jose Reyes
SS	Ryan Theriot	LF	*Daniel Murphy
1B	*Micah Hoffpauir	3B	David Wright
CF	*Jim Edmonds	1B	*Carlos Delgado
2B	*Mike Fontenot	CF	#Carlos Beltran
3B	Casey McGehee	RF	*Ryan Church
RF	*Kosuke Fukudome	2B	Ramon Martinez
C	#Koyie Hill	C	Robinson Cancel
P	*Rich Harden	P	Pedro Martinez

The Cubs play their last-ever regular season game at The House That Jesse Gonder Built. In 44 years of play at Shea (the Mets played their first two years in the Polo Grounds), the Cubs have a 146-164 record.

Mark DeRosa and his strained calf muscle will enjoy tonight's game from the bench. Rich Harden makes his first-ever start against the Mets and Pedro Martinez, who is making his first start against the Cubs in 11 years, when he was still with the Expos.

A Cub win will give the team 97 wins for the first time since 1945.

WIth last night's extra-inning battle taxing the Mets' bullpen, Jerry Manuel has said he would consider using starter John Maine out of the pen tonight if/when he has to lift Pedro, who has only won twice in his last 11 starts.

I can't wait for all of these exhibition games to end so we can get down to real baseball.

Cubs at Mets open game thread

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:09:57 -0500

B-REF PREVIEW | GAMEDAY | WEATHER | ACB CHAT ROOM Pedro Martinez vs. Cubs hitters: .169/.219/.292 in 89 at-bats Rich Harden vs. Mets hitters: 4-25, HR When and Where: 6:10 on CSN+