Yardbarker: Oliver Perez

Decisions, Decisions Part Two- FA Starting Pitchers

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:57:46 -0500

As you all know, the Yankees are looking to boost their club using sources outside of their system. Meaning that Brian Cashman and the Yankees are expected to be extremely this winter. Part two of Decisions, Decisions will focus on free agent starting pitchers. Starting Pitchers CC Sabathia- CC has proved himself to be a Cy Young-type player in both the American League and the National League. However, his increasingly high inning totals may be somewhat of a concern to the Yankees, as he threw 253 innings in 2008, 241 innings in 2007, and 192.7 innings in 2006. Although these rising numbers may cause concern about Sabathia's shoulder or arm in the future, it would be worth the signing, both next year and for years to come. I see CC signing with the Yankees. A.J. Burnett- Although A.J. Burnett has been known to be a "Yankee Killer," he has also been known to be quite injury-prone. Following the Carl Pavano incident, the Yankees may be scared away by this fact. Unless CC Sabathia goes elsewhere, don't expect to Burnett in pinstripes. Ben Sheets- Ben Sheets is an example much like A.J. Burnett. Despite the fact that he is a great pitcher, he is rarely healthy enough to show it. Also, Sheets has little experience against American League batters, which would also scare the Yankees away a bit. Following the recent announcement of his injury, I don't see Sheets signing with the Yankees. Derek Lowe- Despite the fact that Derek Lowe has been known to do well in both the American League and the National League, those days are behind him. Lowe is 36 years old and the Yankees are looking to get younger. Unless both Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina retire, I can't see Lowe as a Yankee. Oliver Perez- Oliver Perez may seem like a great fit after 2008. However, he has seen very little American League batting and has not been good against the little that he has faced. Also, Perez seems to be very inconsistent. Despite his young age, Perez's high ERA and lack of experience in the AL will result in a deal with a team other than the Yankees. Jon Garland- Jon Garland has been a steady pitcher in the American League for a while now, having consecutive 10 win seasons dating back to 2002. Although he does have about a 4.50 lifetime ERA, Garland would not be expected to be a number one starter, but more of a three or four starter (should CC Sabathia be signed). Also, Garland is will only be 29 years old at the start of the 2009 season, which would help somewhat in the youth movement. Unless he resigns with the Angels, I can see Garland in the Yankees' rotation. Ryan Dempster- Following Ryan Dempster's great 2008 season after a move from the bullpen to the rotation, I can't see the Chicago Cubs letting him go quite yet. However, this may be better for the Yankees, as Dempster has seen very little American League batting and had a great jump in innings totals from 2007 to 2008, going from 66.7 innings to 206.7 innings. If the Yankees have been known for anything regarding starting pitchers lately, its that they like to build up on innings. I can't see Dempster pitching for the Yankees in 2009. John Lackey and Brad Penny- I don't see the Angels or the Dodgers going for the buyout on either of these number one starters. Unfortunately, neither of these guys will be wearing pinstripes in 2009. John Smoltz, Pedro Martinez, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson, Livan Hernandez, and Kenny Rogers- Despite the fact that each of these pitchers have been great in their careers, that was long ago and the Yankees are looking for youth. There is no way that the Yankees sign any of these pitchers. Check out the original post and the rest of the blog at pinstripespublished.blogspot.com

Contracts and Trades in the offseason..

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:06:55 -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....................

Minaya has some concerns about K-Rod!

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:06:54 -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

2009 Offseason: Starting Pitching

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:53:07 -0500

In this 2009 offseason extravaganza I plan on looking at each area of the team including, starting pitching, relievers, positional players, bench, and what ever else I feel like coming up with. In this section I'm going to start with the teams starting pitching.

In 2008 the Reds starting pitching ranked 14th in the NL with an ERA of 4.97. While that seems terrible the fact is that the starting pitching wasn't all that terrible outside of the 5th spot. I define the 5th starter as every pitcher who gets a start that isn't a pitcher who is in the top 4 in starts for a team. I really don't care what anyone else defines it because only my opinion matters right now. If you don't like the way I play the game get the shit out of my kitchen pussy, but please keep reading and click on the ads kthanks. I love you.

The Reds got 748 2/3 innings of 4.41 ERA baseball with a combined record of 47 wins 47 losses (126 starts) out of their top 4 starters (Harang, Arroyo, Volquez, Cueto). The rest of the teams starters added up to 168 2/3 innings of 7.47 ERA baseball with 4 wins and 21 losses (36 starts). Just to put those numbers in context a little the worst any other team in the NL Central did with their 5th starter(s) is an ERA of 6.64 by the Pirates 5th starter.

Now how the shit do we go about improving that 5th starter?

We could:

Spend the money to bring in a guy
Hope one of our young pitchers can fill the void
Make a trade
Go with a 4 man rotation like the good old days.

Personally I'd just flat out love it to go out and sign someone because I have no money invested in the team and really don't care if it can afford it or not. Those options can be seen here. It's a long list of free agents so I'll just list a few of the not so shitty options.

A.J. Burnett (can opt out of his contract)
Ryan Dempster
Jon Garland
Rich Harden (team option)
Randy Johnson
Derek Lowe
Pedro Martinez
Mike Mussina
Brad Penny (team option)
Oliver Perez
C.C. Sabathia
Ben Sheets

Obviously as all Reds fans know most of those guys are probably not going to be even an option. If I was going to pick which one of those guys has a decent shot at becoming a Red I would have to say Derek Lowe. He's a groundball pitcher, probably wont take an absurd amount of cash or years to sign him, and he was also one of Bronson Arroyo's closest friends when they both were with the Red Sox.

Option number 2 is probably the route the Reds will go just because of the many options they have and the fact that they will come cheap. Ramon Ramirez, Homer Bailey, and Daryl Thompson are probably the main guys that really have a legit shot to be on the opening day roster next year. You could toss Matt Maloney in there as well seeing that

Option 3 and 4 are a waste of my time to even discuss. Hard to predict trades, and the 4 man rotation is never coming back.

That's it for now because honestly this is getting quite long for my attention span, and I really don't feel like typing any more right now. Plus Blogger doesnt feel like saving this so I'm going to just go ahead and post it, and possibly return to talk more about the starting pitching later.

Minaya has some concerns about K-Rod!

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

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.

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

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

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

Rules for engagement: How Omar should approach the offseason!

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:08:58 -0500

This is how I think Omar Minaya should approach the Off-season:

1) Go and get a closer via Free Agency - Francisco Rodriquez, Brian Fuentes

2) Package Aaron Heilman and a prospect (Maybe Daniel Murphy/Fernando Martinez) for a Starting pitcher. The Mets this Off-season are going to have to part with one of their top prospects to get something done. Heilman has wore out his welcome in New York, I think if he gets out of town he will be a much better pitcher. Also my thinking of Fernando Martinez is now they have Wilmer Flores on the rise, I think they can afford such a move... Mets have to be creative here....My thoughts on Murphy is he has built a little value now, so maybe you will get something for him..Even though I would hate to get rid of him

2a) If you do trade Daniel Murphy, you are have to go and get 2B. Sign Orlando Hudson, he is a proven defensive second basemen, a switch hitter and can flat out hit.

3) Sign Manny Ramirez - I know he is going to be 37, he is a great hitter and he will take the pressure off the young hitters in the lineup. He will probably demand a 2 yrs commitment..

4) Sign LHP Jeremy Affeldt, RHP Juan Cruz

5) Trade Luis Castillo for anything...(Minor leaguers)

6) Trade Scott Schoeneweis for role players may be bench help....

7) Sign Juan Rivera for outfield help, he can give Ryan Church days off against Left hand Pitching..

8) Sign Nick Punto (IF) , He can play 2B, 3B, and even SS... Will take the place of Damion Easley.

9) Sign Oliver Perez - Give him the money! Not to many LHP that are 27 and are in the top 5 in strikeouts. Boris might price him out of NY!!!

If I had it my way this is how the Roster would stack up:

Lineup:

1) Reyes-SS (S)
2) Hudson-2B (S)
3) Wright-3B (R)
4) Ramirez-LF (R)
5) Delgado-1B (L)
6) Beltran-CF (S)
7) Church-RF (L)
8) Schneider-C (L)

Bench:

Rivera-OF (R)
Evans-OF/1B (R)
Punto-UT (S)
Chavez-OF (L)
Castro-C (R)
Murphy-IF/OF* (L)
Pagan-OF (S)

*unless traded

Starting Rotation:

1) Santana (LHP)
2) Maine (RHP)
3) Perez (LHP)
4) Pelfrey (RHP)
5) Who ever they get for Heilman and Prospect(s)

Bullpen:

LR- Parnell
MR- Smith
MR- Feliciano(LHP)
MR- Affeldt(LHP)
SU- Cruz
CL-Rodriguez/Fuentes

Looks great on paper, but let's see what Omar Minaya does..It's easier said than done.

What do you think? Email me or make comments on this!

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:

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...

Final Thoughts........

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

GameDay #162 at Padres

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 21:40:36 -0500

Pirates (66-95) at Padres (63-98)
4:05--Petco Park, San Diego
Ross Ohlendorf (1-4, 6.83) vs. Cha Seung Baek (6-10, 4.87)
[Preview]
------------
Ah, the 162nd and final GameDay. Who knew we'd make it this far back on [GameDay #1]? Or any GameDay, for that matter? [This link] will take you to each and every one of them.
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Ohlendorf is still looking for his first win as a Pirate. He's been bad ever since his first start up here.
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Baek was the guy on the hill on that fateful day when Xavier Nady was pulled in the second inning. I was at the game, and returned home after a Pirate loss to discover Nady and Damaso Marte had been dealt to the Yankees for....Ohlendorf, Jose Tabata, and (though we didn't know it at the time) Jeff Karstens and Dan McCutchen. Ironic.
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Around MLB, the Brewers and Mets enter today tied for the wild card. Oliver Perez pitches for the Mets against Florida, while CC goes on short rest AGAIN for the Brewers against the Cubs.
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Minnesota leads the White Sox by a half game in the AL Central. The Twins finish agains the Royals today, while the White Sox play the Indians. Guess who's starting for the Indians? BRYAN BULLINGTON. If the teams are still within a half game of each other after today, the Sox still have to make up a game against Detroit tomorrow.
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Enjoy the final day of Pirate baseball. I know it's probably a good thing for all of us that they're about done, but it still makes me sad. Try and catch some of the game on radio today. And don't miss Rocco afterwards, I'm sure he'll have a great show.

Samardzija In, Gaudin Out?; Playoff News

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 21:13:14 -0500

Lou Piniella has announced that Jeff Samardzija will in fact make the 2008 Cubs playoff roster. Having already announced an 11 man playoff pitching staff, this may be bad news for the Chad Gaudin. The final 2 bullpen spots are going to come from Samardzija, Gaudin, and Bob Howry. While the major media outlets (as in, even more major than TD) are all speculating that the announcement of Samardzija getting the nod spells bad news for Gaudin, don't forget that Bruce Miles said just last Tuesday that he'd be "surprised" to see Howry make the roster.

Gaudin has been solid since the trade from Oakland that also netted Rich Harden in exchange for a Patterson, Sean Gallagher, and a warm case of Old Milwaukee, but a recent injury and resulting lack of confidence in his breaking stuff may have Gaudin watching the playoffs from the sidelines. If Gaudin can somehow convince the Cubs managerial staff that he can hack it, maybe he gets the nod over Howry. But it's not looking good.

It's also looking like, against my learned and always uber-impeccable advice, that Jason Marquis is going to make the playoff squad in a relief role. To tune up for the role, Marquis pitched in relief in last night's dub against the Brewers. How'd it go? 0.1 IP, 1 BB, 2 H, 2 Ernies. Dude sucks guys. Dude sucks. But hey, poor Jason's "passion" is starting...""Starting's my passion, starting is what I feel my best at," Marquis said Saturday. "But we have four pretty good starters, too. We all have confidence in each other. They made a decision to go with the other four [starters], and that's fine." (Link to his dumb quote)

Here's how the hurlers will line up:
SPs: 1. Dempster, 2. Zambrano, 3. Harden, 4. Lilly
RPs: Wood, Marmol, Samardzija, Marquis, Marshall, Cotts, & Howry/Gaudin?

Lou is set to announce the position players for the playoff roster probably today.

*****

In playoff news-it's all coming down to today's last day of the regular season. With the 3 NL division winners set (Cubs, Dodgers, Phillies) it's up to the New York Metropolitans and the Milwaukee Choke...Brewers to determine the wild card. New York is home to the Marlins, who Johan Santana beat yesterday 2-0 on short rest. Oliver Perez goes for the Mets, Scott Olsen for the Marlins. The Cubs, of course, are on the road to Milwaukee. Some dude named CC Sabathia going for the Brew Crew, Angel Guzman (!) for the Cubs. (Sidebar: This matchup seems so wildly uneven doesn't it? The arguable NL Cy Young/MVP vs. a dude who's pitched 94 innings of 6.13 ERA ball across 3 seasons. A team fighting for their playoff lives against a team that clinched over a week ago. But just watch...the Cubs will win this game today. The Brewers, somehow, will blow this...again. And it will be funny. Not to mention helpful-we want the Mets, not the Dodgers.)

If both the Mets and Brewers win today, they will remain tied and will be forced into a one game playoff on Monday in New York. If both lose, same thing.

If the Mets win and the Brewers lose-the Cubs, with the best record in the NL, will face the wild card Mets in the NLDS.

If the Brewers win and the Mets lose-the Cubs will instead face the Dodgers as a division winner can not face a wild card team that comes from its own division in the first round of the playoffs.

We've got to be rooting for the former situation here. I think we want to face the Mets over the Dodgers. The Cubs, at least Alfonso Soriano, agree. The Mets have been battling to make the playoffs while the Dodgers, like the Cubs, have had it sewn up for a while. The Dodgers have been resting players and aligning their pitching staff. The Mets have been forced to throw Johan Santana on short rest, play their balls off, and struggle to even get in. Additionally...the Cubs didn't fare too well having to travel way out west last year to play the Dbacks.

Actually...the best possible situation for the Cubs would be if the Mets/Brewers had to play this playoff game on Monday and have the Mets win that. More innings equals more tired, mentally and physically, players, and less rest for the pitchers. Were that to occur, the Mets would then have to go on the road and somehow be ready to begin the playoffs in Chicago on Wednesday. I'll take it.

Should be interesting to see how this plays out. Either way, though...the Cubs playoff run begins Wednesday. Check in often to TD as we run up to and through the playoffs with the great in-depth and statistically heavy analysis you've come to expect from us. We gon' bring it, and we gon' bring its good.

Shea farewell....., Mets Lose 4-2

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 19:06:26 -0500

Line score:

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
FLA (84-77)	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	0	4	8	0
NYM (89-73)	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	2	4	0

Final

Mets Last Box Score:

New York Mets
Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
J Reyes SS	4	0	1	0	0	1	2	.297
C Beltran CF	3	1	1	2	1	0	1	.284
C Delgado 1B	4	0	1	0	0	1	2	.271
D Wright 3B	4	0	0	0	0	0	1	.302
N Evans LF	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.257
E Chavez LF	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.267
R Martinez 2B	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	.250
L Ayala P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
P Feliciano P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
R Parnell P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
d-D Easley PH	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.269
R Church RF	4	0	0	0	0	3	1	.276
R Castro C	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	.245
b-D Murphy PH	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.313
B Schneider C	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.257
O Perez P	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.107
J Smith P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
a-R Cancel PH	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	.245
B Stokes P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.667
S Schoeneweis P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
A Reyes 2B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.218
c-M Anderson PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.210
L Castillo 2B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.245
Totals	31	2	4	2	3	7	8
a-walked for J Smith in the 6th b-struck out swinging for R Castro in the 8th c-grounded to second for A Reyes in the 8th d-walked for R Parnell in the 9th
BATTING 2B: J Reyes (37, K Gregg) HR: C Beltran (27, 6th inning off S Olsen 1 on, 1 Out) RBI: C Beltran 2 (112) Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: C Delgado 1 Team LOB: 5

New York Mets
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	PC-ST	ERA
O Perez	5.1	4	2	2	3	6	0	85-50	4.22
J Smith	0.2	0	0	0	1	0	0	13-6	3.55
B Stokes	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0	17-10	3.51
S Schoeneweis (L, 2-6)	0.0	1	1	1	0	0	1	3-2	3.34
L Ayala	1.1	2	1	1	0	1	1	23-13	5.71
P Feliciano	0.1	0	0	0	0	1	0	6-3	4.05
R Parnell	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	5-3	5.40
Totals	9.0	8	4	4	4	9	2	152-87
PITCHING IBB: D Uggla (By O Perez) Batters faced: O Perez 23; J Smith 3; B Stokes 4; S Schoeneweis 1; L Ayala 6; P Feliciano 1; R Parnell 1 Ground Balls-Fly Balls: O Perez 3-7; J Smith 1-1; B Stokes 1-1; S Schoeneweis 0-0; L Ayala 0-3; P Feliciano 0-0; R Parnell 0-1 Game Scores: O Perez 55

Scoring Summary
			FLA	NYM
	6th	J Baker singled to center, C Maybin scored.	1	0
	6th	J Willingham walked, J Baker scored, J Cantu to third, D Uggla to second.	2	0
	6th	C Beltran homered to left, R Cancel scored.	2	2
	8th	W Helms homered to left center.	3	2
	8th	D Uggla homered to left.	4	2