Mets Week Eight: Cuban arms buildup

After a couple of bad weeks, things got back to normal for the Mets these past seven days. As usual, they beat up on division opponents, won four out of six games and debuted a couple of new starting pitchers. And somehow the Braves still gained ground on them.

The suddenly mortal Carlos Delgado had a bad week, with just two singles in twenty at bats. But the offense continued to produce, scoring thirty-two runs in six games, thanks to big weeks from several other Mets. David Wright's huge .478/.500/.870 week led the way. Carlos Beltran continued to produce, with a 1.178 OPS in these six games. And Cliff Floyd finally showed some signs of life with an 1.147 OPS that raised his season numbers all the way to .219/.320/.374. If Floyd can put up numbers resembling those of his very good 2005 this season, the Mets will have plenty of offensive weapons to survive slumps like the one currently troubling Delgado.

Of course, the more important questions about the Mets continued to concern the pitching. Both Alay Soler and Orlando Hernandez made their Mets debuts this week and each gave up three runs in games eventually won by the Mets. But Soler's outing was clearly the more encouraging of the two. Not only did Soler last six innings as compared to Hernandez's five, but he was much more impressive once he finished giving up runs. Apparently nervous about his first major league start, Soler couldn't find the plate early on and walked the first three batters he faced. That, and an error by Chris Woodward, accounted for the three runs. After escaping the first inning, Soler looked much more comfortable and effective. Hernandez struggled more consistently throughout his start and looked less likely to be a solid part of this rotation in the coming weeks and months.

Pitching uncertainties aside, the Mets keep winning. They now hold a four game lead over those damn Braves in the NL East. Up next is a series with the NL West-leading Diamondbacks, who they've beaten six times in a row. Then the Giants, from whom they took two out of three a month ago, come to town. This will probably not be the week that the Mets lose their grip on first place.

I'm gonna pass out

The Tigers won again Saturday -- eight in a row and 15th in last 16. The Detroiters have a 3.5 game lead over the White Sox in the AL Central. They are 35-14, which isn't quite 35-5 like in 1984, but damn, it's unreal.

They've won with pitching and they've won with hitting when necessary, like Thursday when they rallied from a 6-0 first-inning deficit. Polanco, Pudge, Maggs, Shelton and Guillen all are hitting over .300 and Granderson is up to near .280 in the leadoff spot. Plus, it seems Inge, who is hitting around .220, comes up big when needed. So does Monroe. Even Infante is swinging a magic wand.

As noted earlier, the road gets tougher in the next four series -- NYY, Boston, CHW and Toronto -- but the Tigers got the first hurdle behind them by winning the Cleveland series. And it was nice to see KC, which looked so bad against Detroit, beat the Yankees on Friday. (They thudded back to Earth on Saturday.)

Has the roar been restored? Time will tell. I'm just going to enjoy the ride ... if I don't pass out.

Blindsided

The Orioles won a 2-0 decision over the Mariners yesterday afternoon in Seattle. Rodrigo Lopez won for the first time since Opening Day by tossing 7 1/3 innings of 2 hit, 1 walk, shutout baseball. The lone walk came with 1 out in the eighth, prompting manager Sam Perlozzo to immediately go to closer Chris Ray who closed out the Mariners in what has been his normal fashion thus far.

The defense played errorless ball.

Brian Roberts (2nd game back from a 25 day stay on the DL) scored both runs after lead off doubles in the 1st and 3rd innings.

So, the O's won a baseball game on the road with excellent pitching, excellent defense and "just enough" offense.

Geez, that's what good teams do.

Throwing pitchers at the wall to see who'll stick

In the series that ended today, the Mets took two out of three from the Phillies without sending either of their ace pitchers to the mound. And at the same time, they did a bit to bolster their starting rotation. Yesterday they sent Jorge Julio to Arizona for Orlando Hernandez and today they acquired Dave Williams from the Reds for minor league pitcher Robert Manuel, who is twenty-two years old and has yet to reach AA. Last year across two levels he posted a 2.04 ERA with 54 strikeouts and four walks in 61.2 innings. Neither Julio nor Manuel represents much of a loss for the Mets, so the only question is whether or not the guys they acquired are of any use. Both have certainly struggled this season. Hernandez has an ERA of 6.11 in 45.2 IP and Williams has a 7.20 in 40.

But a closer look at Hernandez's stats is slightly encouraging. His 52:20 strikeout ratio is solid, it's just the eight home runs that are scary. But six of those eight were allowed in Arizona, where he's posted an ERA of 8.16, as opposed to just 2.65 on the road. He was pretty bad last year, too, with a 5.12 ERA in 128.1 IP for the White Sox. But the way he's pitching this year, relocation to Shea Stadium might go a long way toward rectifying his problems.

Williams is another matter. So far this year he has sixteen strikeouts, sixteen walks and nine home runs allowed, all of which is terrible. And he's been significantly worse on the road than at home, allowing seven home runs in nineteen innings with a 12.79 ERA away from the Great American Ballpark. The best thing that can be said about him is that last year he had a 4.41 ERA, which wouldn't be so bad for the Mets' fifth starter. But the Mets got him for basically nothing and he's only twenty-seven, so giving him a chance to remember how to pitch in AAA isn't a bad idea at all.

Neither of these deals is a huge upgrade for the Mets, but both have their strong points. At the very least they give the Mets some more options to plug into the back of the rotation in hopes that one might work out.

The heat is on

Justin Verlander tossed a his first ML shutout (in just his ninth start) last night for the Tigers. He still was hitting 99 mph on the gun in ninth inning. Jim Leyland said he couldn't ever recall seeing a starter doing that.

I heard Leyland on ESPN radio's Mike & Mike the other day. He said he likes his teams to play like they're in first place and prepare like they're in second.

Right now, I'd say Kenny Rogers is the team's MVP for the apparent role he's had on the pitching staff. Maggs is moving up on the list.

The leader for Most Valuable Moment is Brandon Inge. His 15-pitch at-bat on April 20 helped the Tigers rally for a 4-3 win in Oakland. That, even more than Leyland laying down the law on April 17, might be the turning point of the season. Detroit was 1-1 following Leyland's outburst and would have dropped the Oakland series if not for that comeback. The Tigers are 22-7 since Inge's at-bat.

Mets Week Seven: Our long national nightmare is over

After a disappointing road trip that saw them lose six of nine, the Mets were able to rebound upon returning home. A series victory over a local team of aging veterans and no-name youngsters helped them extend their division lead. And at long last something was done about the Lima problem.

Having compiled an ERA of 8.79 in 14.1 innings over the course of three starts, Jose Lima was designated for assignment, hopefully never to return. He will be replaced in the rotation by Cuban defector Alay Soler, who was excellent in his brief stay in the minor leagues. In eight starts in high-A and AA ball, he put up an ERA of 2.03 with 54 strikeouts and 11 walks in 47.2 innings. Cuban pitchers and guys who've never pitched above AA are far from sure bets, but it's nice to see the Mets taking a chance on a guy with some potential rather than another washed up veteran. Soler will start on Wednesday against the Phillies. We'll just have to wait to see if he can provide some stability to the back end of the Mets' rotation.

One thing that will be very stable about that back end of the rotation is that it won't contain Victor Zambrano. Surgery on Zambrano's elbow was more severe than expected, leading some to speculate that his career might be over. The elbow was injured the day the Mets acquired him and he was apparently pitching through pain without telling anyone earlier this season. Meanwhile, Scott Kazmir leads the American League in wins and is second in both ERA and strikeouts. Hopefully the current Mets regime can at least learn something from this trade that looked terrible the day it happened and just keeps getting worse. But I'd settle for it haunting former Mets GM and current Orioles VP of baseball operations Jim Duquette until the end of his days.

On a brighter note, the Mets have a three-game lead in the NL East and begin a series with the suddenly struggling Phillies on Tuesday. The Phillies are lucky in that neither Pedro Martinez nor Tom Glavine will pitch in this series. But with Lima gone, even the back of the Mets' rotation holds reason for optimism. It is a new day in Flushing.

No time to let down

My mentor, Sparky Sr. (aka Sparky Anderson), used to call this a reverse lock: The Tigers, baseball’s hottest team, head to KC to play the Royals, baseball’s most dismal squad. So, in other words, Detroit is in big trouble.

The Tigers are rolling right now and the pitching staff continues to lead the way. The starters have gone 7-1 with a 2.61 ERA in the last 10, which explains Detroit’s 9-1 record during that span. The Tigers are 7-2-2 in their last 11 series. They lead the big leagues with a .674 win percentage.

Hopefully, they can keep the pedal down against KC. You don’t want to give away any games against the Royals, especially with Cleveland, NYY, Boston, CWS and Toronto looming on the horizon. Those five teams all are playing .500 ball or better. That will be when we can start to determine how good this team is.

Didn't See That Coming

Two time All Star 3rd baseman Melvin Mora is signing on with the Orioles for 3 more years.

This brings Mora into the fold along with Ramon Hernandez, Miguel Tejada and Jay Gibbons (already signed through 2009), leaving only Brian Roberts as a standout member of the every day lineup not locked in.

It's all moot if the Orioles cannot solve the pitching problem.

Good Game!

The Orioles snapped a 13 game losing streak in head-to-head contests with the Boston Red Sox last night with a 4-3 victory at Camden Yards.

Erik Bedard pitched 7 innings allowing 1 ER, 2H and 3BB earning his 5th victory of the season. LaTroy Hawkins pitched a 1-2-3 8th. Chris Ray got banged around in the ninth, allowing 3 hits and 2 runs, but when the closer gives up 2 runs with a 3 run lead, it's called a Save.

The O's defense played errorless ball. The offense took advantage of the few mistakes BoSox starter Tim Wakefield made, including scoring the eventual winning run on a passed ball with 2 outs in the 6th inning.

I watched the game on TV; and I enjoyed watching the game. It's the first game I've seen this season where the O's looked like a major league team all around from first pitch to last.

With the O's now embarking on a 10 game road trip against the Nationals, Mariners and Angels (all 3 struggling themselves), I'm tempted to become hopeful that the O's might play well enough to get back over .500. A review of the O's starting rotation, however, convinces me that I'd better savor this one.

Mets Week Six: At least we've still got Glavine

This past week saw the Mets begin their toughest road trip to date and as a result they had a pretty bad week. Losing two games in Milwaukee and one and a half (if we're being honest) in Philadelphia left them just one game up in the NL East. For once the offense wasn't to blame, as they had a pretty good week, scoring more than six runs per game and at least four in every game that lasted more than five innings. Rather, as one might expect when a team starts both Jose Lima and Jeremi Gonzalez in a week, the pitching was the source of the trouble.

With forty percent of their starting rotation tied behind their back, the Mets really couldn't afford subpar relief pitching or a merely human week from Pedro Martinez. But that is what they got. Pedro gave up seven runs in fourteen innings en route to two Met losses, though the fact that he also struck out twenty makes it hard to be too concerned about his future prospects.

The bullpen was not quite so mediocre, however. Met relievers pitched 13.2 innings this week and allowed 14 runs. The newly touchable Duaner Sanchez was the lead culprit, allowing his first six runs of the season in just 2.1 innings of work. But Heath Bell and Chad Bradford struggled as well. On the bright side, Billy Wagner pitched two innings and allowed just one hit while striking out six.

One encouraging bit of news from the week was the performance of Jeremi Gonzalez. True, if you look at the box score, he appears to have allowed three runs in five innings. But the third of those runs scored after Aaron Heilman relieved Gonzalez. And the second was a clearly blown call by the home plate umpire, awarding Prince Fielder a home run on a ball that bounced off the top of the fence and back into play. Gonzalez isn't going to be anything special for the Mets and he might not even be competent from here on out, but right now he looks like he'll at least be less embarrassing than Lima.

Now the Mets limp on St. Louis and, from there, home to face the Yankees. It is worth noting that even in losing four out of six, the Mets outscored their opponents 37-34 over the course of the week. Despite all of their problems, they're not getting blown out. Still, if they let Jose Lima pitch again, someone needs to sit Omar Minaya down and give him a stern talking to. It's for his own good.

Speak out

The Phillies are 12-1 since Charlie Manuel blasted them for their poor play during a game in Florida.

Meanwhile, the Tigers are 17-7 since Jim Leyland lit into them for their play in failing to take a series from Cleveland in mid-April.

What's impressed me about Detroit so far is the team's ability to bounce back. The Tigers rallied after Leyland's tirade. Then, after losing three in a row this month, all by two runs or less, the Tigers have run off four in a row.

I don't know if that's the sign of a good manager, but it is encouraging.

The view from the top

The Tigers are tied for first place in the AL Central, at least for a few hours until Chicago plays tonight, after sweeping the Indians for the first time in Cleveland since 1990. Detroit’s pitchers shut down the AL’s best hitting lineup, holding the Indians to six runs in three games. The Tigers haven’t been in first place this late in a season since 1993. What a dry spell!

Detroit is 24-13 and is 16-7 on the road. The Tigers are doing it foremost with pitching, topping the AL with a 3.25 ERA, which is a half-run better than the second-place Yankees and more than a run better than No. 3 Chicago.

Maroth, Rogers, and Robertson rank among the top eight in individual ERA. All of Detroit’s starters, adding Bonderman and Verlander, rank in the top 19. Verlander has the worst ERA among them, at 3.77.

Offensively, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Detroit is eighth in the AL in runs. No Tiger ranks first in OPS at his position. Pudge (.776) is sixth among catchers, Shelton (1.041) is third among first basemen, Polanco (.591) is 12th and Infante (.698) is 10th at second, Guillen (.890) is third at shortstop, Inge (.856) is eighth at third, and Maggs (.922) leads the Tigers’ outfielders at 10th.

Ramblings

Aaron Rowand was placed on the DL after breaking his nose last night on a spectacular catch. This is bad news for the Phils, who have won 9 of 10 to climb back to respectability. Rowand was .348-4-12 in last 13 with a 1.083 OPS.

Nobody hustles from base line to dugout better than Sal Fasano.

The Cole Hamels era begins tonight in Cincy. Cory Lidle says about Hamels adjusting to the bigs: "Hey, getting a Triple-A hitter out isn't much different than getting a major leaguer out." In the case of the Royals and Marlins, it's the same thing.

If Barry Bonds really wants to do something memorable that would be, I think, the ultimate thumb to the nose, he should hit No. 714 and retire. That way, his name is connected with the Bambino forever, which really seems to bother people.

No truth to rumor Orioles petitioning to have Cubs moved to AL East.

Albert Pujols is not of this world.

When it comes to triples, today's players don't come close to threatening any records. Steve Finley is the active leader with 119 -- which ranks 98th in history.

V for victory; V for Verlander

Justin Verlander picked up his fourth win of the season last night. With the exception of an awful start against the White Sox, the 23-year-old has been solid. He has a 3.77 ERA and 1.26 WHIP.

Take out the Chicago start, where he gave up 7 runs in 2.2 innings, and he's got a 2.45 ERA. Not too shabby for the No. 5 starter.

It never fails

Mention how great a guy is doing -- i.e. Fernando Rodney -- and watch it come to an end soon thereafter. Oh well.

O's Fever? Is that anything like bird flu?

Pudge played his first-ever game at first base, and did well. But his quote afterward in the Detroit News doesn't make it sound like he's planning on staying in Motown beyond 2007, when his contract expires. Said Pudge: "Doing this kind of thing is good because managers, general managers and owners can see that I can play another position and they can have my bat pretty much every day. So it's good for me to do this."

Jim Leyland said he never thought about moving Jones from the closer role, noting that he wouldn't panic that soon.

O's Fever - Catch It!

The Baltimore Orioles snapped a 5 game losing streak last night with a 7-6 victory over the Detroit Tigers. It is more accurate to say the Tigers snapped the O's losing streak.

Daniel Cabrera started on the mound for the O's and turned in a typical performance: 5 IP, 7 BB, 6 K, 1 WP, 1 Balk, 5 ER. Of the 5 runs the Tigers scored on Cabrera, 4 of those runners reached base via the free pass.

O's Fever no longer surprises O's fans, however, I was surprised to see that the Tigers caught the bug (and only in town 1 day!). Nate Robertson started for the Tigers. He's been decent so far this year and he's left-handed. The O's are notoriously weak hitting versus left handed pitching and a decent left hander is usually a prescription for an O's loss. Robertson kept the O's in the game early by walking 5 in 5 1/3 IP, leading the attending physician to become suspicious.

Carlos Guillen displayed the symptoms which confirmed the early diagnosis - he booted two routine ground balls, both with two outs, which led to 3 unearned runs for the O's, including the winning run scored in the bottom of the 8th.

O's fans have become accustomed to watching the Birds perform under this affliction. We've rarely seen it from the opposition. Perhaps this game is an indication that the O's have built up some level of immunity to the effects of O's Fever and have evolved to become a carrier.

It's Worse Than I Thought

Previous Predictions of a 4th place finish for the O's were premature. With the recent spate of injuries, the lousy pitching and the lousier defense, the Orioles are the worst team in the American League (with the possible exception of Kansas City).

While I have been favorably impressed with some of Perlozzo's managerial tactics, the defense is bad and bad defense is inexcusable. The Orioles lead the AL in errors. This statistic does not count stupid plays, such as failing to record an out when a runner is caught in a rundown, or a pitcher not stepping on first base to record an out scored as 3-1.

The outlook is bleak. I can't imagine that any player would want to play for Baltimore. I can't imagine that any player on the current O's roster would want to stick around.

I'm not certain that a house cleaning would do any good either, but maybe the O's should hire Howie Mandel, just in case.

A needed day off

The Tigers lost the final two games of the Minnesota series -- one in tough fashion as Todd Jones failed to preserve a 1-run lead Saturday. Detroit lost back-to-back games for the first time since mid-April, a span of 17 contests. So Monday's day off was a good time to regroup.

Jones leads the team with six saves despite missing time, but also has an 6.14 ERA. Fernando Rodney, who has five saves, hasn't given up a run in 13 IP this year. The Detroit papers are speculating that Leyland won't hesitate to use Rodney more often as the closer, but that Jones probably isn't in immediate danger.

Placido Polanco has been out with a sore back, and Leyland says it might be bad. That's not good news. It's tough to replace a .300 hitter in the No. 2 spot. This will test Detroit's depth, which I've said all along I fear is a weakness.

Curtis Granderson, my star in the making, has been inconsistent in the leadoff spot. He strikes out too often (32) but does have 19 of the Tigers' 77 walks this season. He seems to hit best early in an at-bat, regardless of the count, and struggles the longer the at-bat goes on.

Tigers go to Baltimore for three games. The O's are struggling, having lost five in a row and eight of nine. Hopefully, this is good medicine for the Detroiters.

Mets Week Five: Starting pitchers wanted, any offer considered (Aaron Heilman need not apply)

Due to a rash of recent (and not so recent) injuries, the Mets are down to three starting pitchers not named Jose Lima. Two of those pitchers, Tom Glavine and Pedro Martinez, are pitching exceptionally well and would not surprise many observers by continuing to do so. Still, that is clearly not enough pitchers, especially given the important stretch of games the Mets are about to embark upon.

Unfortunately, the only options the Mets have to fill these holes, or at least the only options they believe they have, are the likes of Lima and Jeremi Gonzalez. Cuban defector Alay Soler may get a shot at some point if he can keep dominating minor league hitters much younger than himself, but he probably won't get called up before this weekend. Aaron Heilman wants to start and has succeeded as a starter in the past, however briefly, but the Mets don't want to mess up their good bullpen by removing him from it. If someone can explain to me why it matters how good your bullpen is when your starting pitcher gives up five runs in the first five innings, I'd like to hear it. But for now, it appears the Mets' motto should be "Pedro and Glavine, and pray for..." well, if I think of a severe weather phenomenon that rhymes with "Glavine", I'll let you know.

Aside from that, the Mets had a pretty good week. They won four out of six games, including two more against the quickly fading Braves. And the offense came to life by the end of the weak, led by a newly healthy Carlos Beltran. The Met center fielder is now hitting .286/.441/.671, which is apparently enough for New York to stop booing him. Even after he comes back to earth a bit, he appears like he can be the sort of core lineup force that he was signed to be. If he and Carlos Delgado hit well enough to make David Wright the third best hitter on the team, this offense could be very impressive.

And, yes, another Met who had a good week was Jorge Julio. Julio's been very impressive lately, but he certainly hasn't reached the point where I have confidence in him. Even Victor Zambrano had a good month once in a while. It is apparent that when Julio's at his best, he can be very effective, but his career history is not that of a man who's at his best for very often or very long. Last year he had an ERA of 0.71 in April (13.2 innings) and 2.19 in July (12.1 innings). He still finished the year with an ERA of 5.90. This year he has a ridiculous number of strikeouts (29) over a small sample of innings (16.1), which bodes well, but he's also given up four home runs already, which is less encouraging. Maybe Julio has finally turned a corner, or maybe he can catch lightning in a bottle over a small number of innings like Roberto Hernandez did last year. But right now I'm putting more stock in the fact he hasn't posted an ERA under four since 2002 than what he's done over his last ten or fifteen innings.

So now the Mets and their incomplete pitching staff begin the toughest stretch of games they've faced so far this season. The Cardinals and Yankees await them next week, and this weekend they'll try to win another series against the Brewers. But first they must travel to Philadelphia to face the resurgent Phillies. Luckily, the Mets' rotation is properly aligned so that the real major league starting pitchers they have will start all three games. This series should provide a good early test for both teams. But even more importantly, Phillies fans, the Mets will finish this series in first place regardless of what happens.

The saddest of possible words

They are, as we noted earlier this year, Tinkers to Evers to Chance. That will always be true, I suppose, but for Mets fans I believe this could take their place: Lima Time.

You know you're in trouble when your starter shows up looking like Harpo Marx.

I'm interested to hear Mr. Mets take on Jorge Julio. Seems like he's pitched pretty well since his horrible start to the season. I see he's 1-0 with a save (shaky, but a save nonetheless) and a 2.13 ERA over his last 10 games. He's got 23 K in 12.2 IP.

There was an airline commercial during the Mets-Braves game featuring Jeff Francoeur. This makes sense since we know Francoeur never walks.

Maggs to riches

I wonder: If the Tigers had signed Magglio Ordonez during the past offseason, would the move now be hailed as one of the keys to the Tigers' start?

I think: Yes.

Detroit signed Maggs in 2005 to a five-year, $75-million contract despite coming off a serious knee injury. Yes, the Tigers overpaid. But they had to. And the move was well worth the risk given that the Tigers had some "outs" built into the deal.

Maggs was limited to 305 AB last year because of a hernia injury that sidelined him for most of the first half. He still hit .302-8-46. Not great, but not horrible.

Now seemingly healthy, Maggs is hitting like the Maggs of old. Over his last 11 games entering tonight's against the Twins, he was .381-4-10 with 8 runs. For the season, he was .306-7-20. (He was 2-for-4 with a homer and RBI tonight, not reflected in the stats.)

Because of his hernia last season, this really is like a new addition, even if it doesn't show up that way. Timing is everything.

Random thoughts

Well, it couldn't last forever in Tiger Town. No way to complain about a 6-1 homestand on the heels of a 6-3 West Coast trip. Bring on the Birds. If the Detroiters can't draw some walks against this lot, there's no hope for them.

The Phils are 14-14 thanks to a 5-game win streak. They were 12-16 at this point of the season last year. So everyone in Philly should quit bellyaching about the team getting off to a slow start.

Ryan Howard is hitting .323-6-18 and people love to complain about how Uncle Charlie uses him in the lineup. Maybe, just maybe, Howard has been successful because of Uncle C and not in spite of him? Granted, he's hit well in limited action in the No. 5 slot, but I don't think he needed to be rushed into that spot.

The "weak" NL Central has 5 teams playing over .500 and three of the top four records in the league.

Colorado was the wise guy pick entering the season in the NL West. So far, the Rockies have been respectable. And it's good to see a Rockie (Hawpe) on top of the batting leaders in the NL. Isn't that the way it always should be?

Ty Wigginton has 9 HR and 29 RBI. Who does he think he is? Jim Thome?

There is no one more fun to watch with a game on the line than Big Papi.

Hey, this is just Sparky being Sparky.

Faith and/or luck

So this is why guys like playing for Jim Leyland, I guess. Last night, he let Alexis Gomez hit in the bottom of the 8th with runners on first and second and two outs in a 1-1 game. Gomez was 0-for-3 and batting below the Mendoza Line.

Of course, Gomez singled in the winning run.

These are the kinds of things -- which either are brilliant or just lucky -- that can turn a good team into a great one. Leyland has consistently shown faith in his players, whether it's leaving in a pitcher to work out of trouble or a hitter to drive in the big run.

If these moves don't work, then he looks like an idiot. But so far, the players have come through. This has got to do wonders for the confidence of the players, especially on a team that's been down for so long.

And, by the way, the staff ERA now stands at 3.01 entering this afternoon's game.

How low can it go?

The Tigers ERA is now at 3.09. Only six pitchers in the AL have a lower ERA (and, of course, two are Tigers). I wonder when was the last time a staff had an ERA this low this far into the season?

Jeff Weaver, the former Detroiter, pitches tonight for the Angels in Comerica. He will face the rejuvenated Nate Robertson, who has not allowed a run in his last 14 IP over two starts. He’s given up seven hits and struck out 11.

Craig Monroe over his last 10 games is hitting .351 with 4 HR and 8 RBI. He has scored 9 runs. Marcus Thames has 7 hits in his last 10 at-bats. Brandon Inge homered last night to end a 15-game drought. Seems like, as is the case with most good teams, someone different is stepping up regularly.

Mets Week Four: All is as it should be

After a rough start to their road trip, the Mets won four out of five against the Giants and Braves to finish April strongly. It may turn out that the Braves really aren't much good this year and the Giants' good start is an illusion, but these teams are still a step up from the competition the Mets were beating in the first couple of weeks. And perhaps most importantly, the Mets 16-8 record includes an excellent 10-4 mark against their own division. Beating up on the NL East is the way to get to the playoffs, regardless of the division's quality.

The foremost reason for the Mets early success has been run prevention. New York pitching and defense has allowed just 89 runs, or 3.71 per game, best in the NL and second only to the Tigers (83, 3.32) across the majors. Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine continued to the lead the way this week with strong outings in Atlanta. The rest of the rotation is pretty troubling as Brian Bannister is hurt and Steve Trachsel was awful on Sunday. But a largely excellent bullpen and good defense have made up some of the slack. Only Jorge Julio has an ERA above 2.63 among Met relievers and both Duaner Sanchez and Billy Wagner are under 1.00 with Sanchez yet to allow a run in sixteen innings pitched. Defensively, David Wright continues to be inconsistent and Paul Lo Duca is proving that clubhouse leadership alone isn't going to stop a guy from stealing second base. But most Mets have looked at least solid with the glove, and that includes the surprisingly competent Kazuo Matsui.

Offensively, the Mets continue to hover around the middle of the National League pack, having scored 120 runs or exactly five per game. Jose Reyes had a ridiculously patient week by his standards to the point where he is actually tied for the team lead in walks with 12. Carlos Beltran got off to a good start upon his return to the lineup with a double, a home run and two walks in two games. And Ramon Castro, through twenty-six at bats, continues to be the best-hitting catcher on the roster with a 1.082 OPS that is best among Met position players.

The Mets get to ease into May with two short series against the Nationals and the Pirates, both unsurprisingly among the worst teams in the league through one month. But then it's three more against the Braves, who currently trail the Mets by six games in the standings. It's hard to believe any team, let alone the mighty Braves, could be put away in the first week of May, but I think the Mets will give it a shot.

Spring board

April is in the book and it was the best (16-9) for the Tigers since 1993 – which happens to be the last time they had a winning season. If they pick up a victory tonight over KC, they’ll be off to their best start since 1984 when they were 22-4 after 26 games.

The Tigers pitching staff lowered its ERA to 3.22 with its dominance of the Twins over the weekend. Detroit pitchers gave up 1 run. The Tigers have 5 shutouts this year. No other AL team has more than 2. The staff’s WHIP is 1.10 – which would be outstanding for a single pitcher, much less a staff – and opponents’ on-base average is .283. Teams are batting .217 against them.

Obviously, this cannot last, can it? Imagine what the ERA would be if Jeremy Bonderman’s wasn’t 5.04. Bonderman is 0-2 with a 9.28 ERA at home and is 2-0 with a 2.75 ERA on the road. Of course, his home starts have been against CWS and Cleveland, but it’s still odd given Comerica’s reputation as a pitcher’s park.

Carlos Guillen and Marcus Thames have been the catalysts for the offense in recent days. Guillen is hitting .315 with five homers and 17 RBI. Thames was 5-for-7 with two homers and four RBI in the last two games, which came on the heels of an 0-for-18 slump.

Pudge is batting .330 and Maggs is quietly batting .304 with five homers and 14 RBI.

Jim Leyland continues to push all the right buttons.

The bats awaken

Well, after lamenting the lack of offense by the Tigers, the bats are thundering again. Detroit beat Minnesota 9-0 and 18-1 in the first two games of their series.

The Tigers scored in every inning but the fifth and ninth, when they didn't bat, on Saturday. They drilled four homers and had 23 hits. Carlos Guillen had two dingers and 5 RBI Saturday. On Friday, Guillen had 4 RBI. The AP reported he had more RBI (9) in 21 hours than he did the previous 22 games (8).

On Saturday, the top five hitters in the lineup -- Granderson, Polanco, Pudge, Maggs and Guillen -- went 14 of 25 with 12 runs and 11 RBI. I think Granderson is going to be a star of the future.

Detroit is 8-3 since Leyland's tirade. The Tigers are 15-9 overall.

The pitching continues to be outstanding. Nate Robertson and Justin Verlander gave up a combined 1 run in 14 inning in the first two games against the Twins.

Spectorrific

The O's are 12 - 11 thru 23 games and have fashioned this mark by alternately playing spectacular and horrific baseball.

Spectacular

The O's are 18 for 18 in stolen base attempts. Seattle leads the AL with 19 steals, but have been nabbed 7 times.

The O's offense is 3rd in the AL in Runs, 3rd in 2B, 5th in HR, 2nd in TB, have the 2nd fewest K's, and are 2nd in SB.

Horrific

The O's offense is 11th in BB. They've got enough pop to be dangerous to any pitcher, but the lineup has no patience. O's hitters get themselves out instead of allowing the opposing pitcher to hang himself.

Spectacular

LaTroy Hawkins to Chris Ray in the 8th and 9th innings has been fun to watch. Hawkins is reliable in the setup role. Ray has 6 SV and 12 K in 9.1 IP. Ray has had some trouble finding the plate in his last two outings and now has 7 BB in those same 9.1 IP. Even still, he got the job done both times.

Horrific

O's pitching leads the AL in BB by a long shot. O's pitching has given up 105 BB. Tampa Bay is next w/92 BB. The closest team with a winning record is Cleveland with 75 BB.

Spectacular

O's catching has nailed 11 of 21 would be base stealers. Ramon Hernandez has thrown out 10 of 16. The Oakland A's are the only AL team to better this mark, having thrown out 12 of 21 base stealers.

Horrific

The O's lead the AL in Errors with 18. C'mon glovemen, catch the !#$%^ ball and throw it the the right !#$!%$^ base.

Armed and dangerous

The Tigers’ pitching certainly came up big on their nine-game West Coast trip. Detroit went 6-3, which is great, and is 13-9 for the season. That record is third best in the AL behind Bosox and Chisox.

Detroit’s pitching ranks No. 1 in the AL with a 3.62 ERA and tops with three shutouts. The Tigers are 7-for-7 in save chances, the only team in the AL without a blown save. The Tigers WHIP is 1.15, also No. 1. They are the only staff holding opponents to an on-base average below .300, coming in at .292. Their pitchers also throw the fewest pitches per inning, 15.04.

Chuck Hernandez is the Tigers pitching coach. He previously was the Devil Rays pitching coach, where last year his TB staff had a 5.39 ERA. I guess talent makes a difference? Last year, former Detroit pitching coach Bob Cluck predicted 2006 would be the year the staff took off.

Now if the bats could get going again, like the first week of the season. The Tigers have scored 100 runs, which ranks tied for ninth in the AL. They have 203 hits (5th) and 32 homers (1st). Their OPS is .785 (6th). They should be scoring more runs. The teams above them in OPS also rank in the top six for runs.

Of course, Detroit has 55 walks (tied for 10th) and 148 strikeouts (3rd). Lefthanders have been tough on the Tigers, holding them at .211 in 147 at-bats. They’re hitting .282 in 609 AB against righties.

Mets Week Three: And it all came crashing down

The Mets went 3-5 over the last, oh, let's call it "week." They faced some tougher competition and also embarked upon their first serious road trip. The fact that Carlos Delgado was the only starter who had a big week with the bat had a lot to do with their troubles. Also, Victor Zambrano pitched twice.

Delgado kept on hitting like the first baseman the Mets have been missing in the post-Olerud era. But leadoff hitter Jose Reyes now has a laughable .276 OBP. Paul Lo Duca is hitting like a guy who might lose his job to Ramon Castro were he not such a respected clubhouse presence. And David Wright's OPS has dropped below 1.000. That this happened against pitchers like Kyle Davies, Woody Williams and Clay Hensley is a bit troubling. Carlos Beltran sure picked an inopportune time to get injured again.

The Mets' pitching, on the other hand, had a pretty good week, aside from Mr. Zambrano's Wild Ride. Pedro Martinez and Steve Trachsel pitched well, Brian Bannister continued to get lucky and Tom Glavine had one good start and one bad start. The rotation could be looking excellent right now if they hadn't traded away two guys better than Zambrano and sent a third to the bullpen.

That bullpen was even better than the rotation this week, though. Even Jorge Julio managed to get his ERA under eight. Billy Wagner, Duaner Sanchez and Aaron Heilman have been a dangerous trio thus far, combining for a 1.15 ERA despite a rather pedestrian 28:14 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The Mets' bullpen could be either a real asset or very overworked, depending on what becomes of the back of the rotation.

Things don't get much easier in the next week for the NL East leaders, as the Mets finish up their series with the Giants and then head to Atlanta. The rest of the division is still under .500, so they're only catching up by virtue of the Mets losing. 12-7 and three games up in the division isn't a bad position to be in on April 25th. But the Mets need to start winning some games again to avoid squandering the lead the Braves and Phillies have so graciously spotted them.

Progress report

The Tigers are an improved club over the last several years, in part because they're healthy and in part because they're beating the teams they should beat.

Detroit is 12-8. The Tigers have gone 7-1 against teams with losing records (KC, Oakland, Seattle) and 3-1 against a team with a .500 record (Texas). They have gone 2-6 vs. teams with winning marks (CWS, Cleveland, LAA).

The Tigers were a meager 10-9 vs. KC last year, and the Royals lost 106 games.

If Detroit can continue to win against weaker teams and get closer to .500 against the better teams, this could be interesting.

Who am I?

I was a first-round pick back in 1986. I’ve played for six different teams during my career, over which time I’ve posted a .301 lifetime BA with 302 HR and 1,172 RBI.

Five times I’ve batted at least .312 (I was second in the NL with a .355 mark in 2000), five times I’ve driven in at least 106 runs, and five times I’ve hit at least 31 homers.

When you think you know, or get tired of thinking, you can find me here.

Bombs away

Ryan Howard hit the longest homer in Zen history today, a towering 498-foot blast that landed in Ashburn Alley. The ball cleared the high brick walls beyond the CF fence, another first. I saw Julio Franco hit one of the walls in batting practice once, and thought that was a bomb. It was nothing compared to Howard's.

It was good to see the normally reserved Chase Utley show some fire, too, and get ejected for slamming his helmet after being wrongly called out on a close play at first base. For all the guys on this team who play the game hard, like Utley and Rowand and Howard, they show very little emotion or passion. As Jim Leyland described the Tigers in the spring, the Phillies, too, are a team without personality. Maybe this signals a change? Probably not, but it was still nice to see, especially as the end result was a win.

Road warriors

The Tigers won their fifth straight on the road today and are 10-2 away from Comerica, the best road record in MLB.

Nate Robertson, Mike Maroth and Justin Verlander all had great starts over the last three days, giving up a total of one run on 10 hits over 20 innings. If the back half of the rotation pitches anything close to this on a regular basis, the Tigers are a post-season contender.

Robertson's start was a good sign, as he'd been roughed up in his previous two outings. Verlander, with the exception of a horrible start against the White Sox in his second trip to the mound this season, has been solid.

I'm most pleased for Maroth, who lost 21 games in 2003. He is 3-0 this season and has allowed just one earned run in 18.1 innings. He's not a hard thrower, but he's only 28 and might just be getting a feel for being a pitcher. Teams are hitting .234 against him this season, well below his .288 career mark.

Maroth never complained while getting beat up in 2003 and never asked out of starts so as not to lose 20 games. You have to respect that.

Fasano delivers

Phils catcher Sal Fasano had 20 pizzas delivered to his "Sal's Pals" fan section in the upper deck of the Zen on Friday night. Classy move.

Unfortunately, the team's play left fans with no appetite.

Walking wild

The Tigers rallied for a great win yesterday, thanks in large part to Brandon Inge's incredible 15-pitch at-bat. Inge was in an 0-2 hole after two pitches, but managed to draw a walk that was followed by Curtis Granderson's walk that forced in the winning run in the top of the ninth.

Jim Leyland said Inge's at-bat was so long it was 1 1/2 Marlboros. Maggs told Inge afterward: "Impressive, man. Impressive. Impressive you missed that many pitches."

Detroit won the final two games of the series against Oakland. They drew five walks Wednesday and six on Thursday. The Tigers entered Wednesday with only 28 walks for the season and got 11 in two days.

Bonderman gave up three runs on his first 15 pitches, then allowed one hit over his next six innings. Rodney pitched out of a jam in the bottom of the ninth. Carlos Guillen played first base. Placido Polanco got his 1,000th hit.

It was the type of game that could provide a lift to a young team trying to find its way. Of course, a loss tonight in Seattle probably undoes most of the good feeling.

TaDaaaa....

As if a regular reader of DTFT, O's manager Sam Perlozzo did have a trick up his sleeve for today's game vs. the Tribe in his efforts to keep the O's speed show on stage.

The Orioles swiped 3 more bases today without getting caught in a 9-4 win over Cleveland. Brian Roberts and Corey Patterson swiped one apiece and the third larceny was committed by none other than quadragenarian Jeff Conine.

Granted, Conines' steal came on the back end of a double steal led by Roberts, but I still think it was tricky.

Turn back the clock

Jeremy Bonderman faces Barry Zito this afternoon as the Tigers look to take 2 out of 3 in Oakland. Bonderman was traded from the A's organization to Detroit as part of the Jeff Weaver deal and is 2-0 against Zito. Both wins came as a rookie in 2003. He gave up just six hits and two earned runs in 13 innings.

Zito is 3-0 against Detroit since facing Bonderman in 2003. Lifetime, he is 7-5 with a 2.79 ERA against the Tigers. Does any pitcher have a career ERA over 3 against Detroit?

O's on the Run

The Baltimore Orioles have 11 stolen bases and 0 caught stealing through 16 games. It is the most impressive short term speed show by an Orioles team that I can recall.

Brian Roberts has 4 SB, Corey Patterson - 3 SB, David Newhan - 3 SB and Luis Matos has 1 SB.

The speed show is probably over, at least for now, as Newhan (broke a leg stealing 2nd) and Matos (shoulder) are both on the DL. Roberts will continue to swipe a few bases and Patterson has the wheels to swipe a lot of bases if he gets on (which he usually does not).

It will be interesting to see if Perlozzo (O's rookie manager) has any tricks up his sleeve to replace this part of the offense, or keep it going with half of the wheels. I'm favorably impressed with Perlozzo so far. The O's are above .500 with a pitching staff that is alternately spectacular and horrific and a defense that has been shaky (13 errors).

The offense has been functional. They are, so far, able to score runs w/o hitting a home run (for the pure NL fans, the AL equivalent of "small ball").

Perhaps the pitching and defense are just bad. But perhaps this is only an April malaise. The defense is certainly expected to solidify. I can't imagine that the O's pitching staff can consistently pitch so inconsistently throughout an entire season. The quality of the pitching will certainly change, the question is which direction will it go?

Let me look at you, you Big Unit

Looks to me that Joe Torre doesn't believe that Randy Johnson is the second most Unsexiest Man in the World, right behind Gilbert Gottfried.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Oh, phuck

After going 4-2 on the road, the Phils returned to the unfriendly confines of the Zen and fell flat again.

Bobby Abreu had difficulty with a few fly balls, drawing the ire of the fans, as usual. Jimmy Rollins got nailed at the plate in the first inning. Charlie Manuel is quoted as saying about the negativity in Philly, compared to Cleveland: "It's a little bit louder here. They swear more here.”

The crowd at the Zen was 20,072, a new low for the park. It's the third time in just seven games this season that the Phils have drawn a new low for the Zen.

I'd say that if the season continues in this direction, the fans will tear down the park. But there would be too few of them.

He'll manage

Jim Leyland ripped into his team following yesterday's loss to the Indians and his postgame interview with the media lasted 51 seconds. Of course, he didn't mince words, so it didn't need to be longer.

I'm glad to hear it. Leyland's past successes give him the credentials to do this, whereas, unfortunately, Alan Trammell didn't. Plus, Tram was saddled his first year with a team that was barely better than Triple-A, so he couldn't really fly off the handle. It's probably difficult to become tough once guys know you.

It will be interesting to see how the Tigers react. They face Esteban Loaiza in Oakland tonight. Loaiza hasn't been able to throw strikes this season, so Detroit's hitters need to be patient.

Of course, Loaiza has been very successful in his career against Detroit, going 11-4 with a 2.58 ERA. Hasn't everyone?

Hit parade

I don’t know if the Tigers are worried about Nate Robertson, but I’m growing concerned.

So far this season, Robertson has given up 21 hits in 14.2 innings and is 1-2. In spring training, he yielded 42 hits in 27.2 innings. On the bright side, he’s not allowing many walks.

However, he had a horrible finish to 2005, posting a 5.70 ERA after the All-Star break. Historically, Robertson has been solid early in the campaign and wears down, apparently, as the season goes on. Lifetime, not including today’s loss to the Indians, he’s got a 3.78 ERA in 36 games before the All-Star break and a 5.90 ERA in 39 games after the break.

Might the Tigers move Joel Zumaya from the bullpen, where he’s been a great addition, back to the rotation? That would give Detroit three starters – Bonderman, Verlander and Zumaya – no older than 23, but it might be worth the risk.

Roaring back

The Tigers go for their third series win of the season today when they face Cleveland in the final game of a four-game set. Detroit opened by sweeping a short two-game series from KC, then took three of four in Texas before being swept by the White Sox. They’ve rebounded to win two of the first three against the Indians.

Winning this series after falling flat against the Pale Hose could really help build some momentum and show that maybe this Tiger team is different than those of the last 12 years. Detroit heads to the West Coast after this series, and it would be nice to leave on a good note.

Mike Maroth pitched a great game yesterday for the Tigers and the Red Bull, aka Chris Shelton, continued to swing a menacing bat, blasting his eighth homer.

Tigers face Paul Byrd today, who has struggled so far this season, but owns Detroit. He’s 5-1 with a 2.73 ERA in nine games.

Mets Week Two: Struggling to find things to complain about

The hottest team in baseball kept on rolling this week and they did it against slightly tougher competition. Their 9-2 record is the best start in the majors and in franchise history. Meanwhile, the rest of the division is hardly putting up a fight.

The New York offense is off to a good start, having scored the fifth most runs in the league. A few guys are hitting great, but they've been balanced out a bit by gaping holes in the lineup at second base and, so far, left field. David Wright is hitting .429/.426/.810, as he's apparently been too busy getting extra-base hits and driving in runs to draw walks. But three other Mets have OBPs above .400 and even Jose Reyes is drawing the occasional walk and looking more patient than in his disappointing 2005. Cliff Floyd and Anderson Hernandez are both batting under .200, which is half not a big deal yet and half not at all surprising.

The pitching has been even better, though, as the Mets have allowed fewer runs than any team in the majors. Tom Glavine is off to a great start and Pedro Martinez may be back to his 2005 form. Brian Bannister is getting the job done so far at 2-0 with a 2.50 ERA, but he seems not to have brought his control with him when promoted to the majors. With a 9:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio through eighteen innings he's allowing too many baserunners and having to pitch out of trouble in a way that's likely unsustainable. If he doesn't get it together, the middle and back of this rotation could get shaky, what with Steve Trachsel's early inconsistency and Victor Zambrano's persistent Victor Zambranoness.

As for the relievers, the Mets seem to have about two-thirds of a really good bullpen. Billy Wagner's been okay despite a paucity of strikeouts, Aaron Heilman has been good aside from one rough outing on Friday and both Duaner Sanchez and Chad Bradford have been excellent. Darren Oliver seems like he could be a decent long reliever to be used in blowouts and emergencies. But a team with Jorge Juilo on its roster doesn't really have that luxury.

Julio's been an utter disaster in the early going and is drawing apt comparisons to Mel Rojas in the press. He's got an ERA of 15.43 which actually overestimates how well he's pitched, given the three unearned runs it hides. This probably comes as a surprise to Omar Minaya or someone who hasn't looked at Julio's stats since 2002, but he seems to be the same ineffective pitcher he was in Baltimore. Keeping him on the roster when he can't sanely be brought into a game unless the Mets are leading or trailing by upwards of five runs is going to unduly tax the competent members of this bullpen. Hopefully the Mets will realize this before too long and call up someone like Heath Bell to take Julio's place. We don't need a repeat of last year's Kaz Ishii debacle.

Still, the Mets are in excellent shape heading into a series with the Braves. Pedro and Glavine will both pitch in this series and perhaps the Mets can send an early message to the perennial thorn in their side. It's a shame that the Shea Stadium fans won't have anyone to chant "Larry" at.

Gambler a solid bet

It seemed to me that Kenny Rogers always starts the season well. So I decided to check out that theory.

Rogers, who picked up his second win for the Tigers last night, is 192-132 with a 4.21 ERA lifetime. He is 110-73 with a 4.29 ERA pre-All-Star break and 82-59 with a 4.10 ERA post-All-Star break.

May, though, is by far his best month. Rogers is 40-19 with a 3.73 ERA lifetime in May games. He is 29-22 with a 4.21 ERA in Aprils.

O's Lead Majors after 10 Games

Thanks to the Homeric efforts of one Calvin Ebby "Nuke" LaLoosh (aka Daniel Cabrera), the Orioles pitching staff continues to lead the Major Leagues in Bases on Balls. In 6 1/3 IP, the O's fireballing righthander has walked 16 and struck out 11.

When asked to comment on the Orioles pitching staffs' fast start, Baltimore owner Peter Angelos had this to say, "We lead the 2nd place team by 7 walks with fewer innings pitched and this category doesn't even count hit batsmen!"

Deja vu all over again

Jim Leyland must wonder where he is. Could he really have managed the past 3 games in Comerica Park? Spacious, you-can't-hit-'em-outta-here Comerica?

He must, after the happenings of the last few days, believe he's stuck in a time warp, still managing the 1999 Rockies in Coors Field.

Yesterday, the Tigers lost 13-9 in Comerica. In the first three games there, a total of 11 homers were hit! That's nearly 3.7 per game, which is the same rate balls left Coors in 1999, Leyland's final year as a manager before returning this season in Motown.

Now, Coors seems spacious.

Boom-boom

Previously on Death to Flying Things:

Justin Verlander goes this afternoon. Tough to ask a 23-year-old making his fourth career start to be your stopper, but that’s what he’s got to be today. I think he’s capable.

Capable, but not able. Verlander didn't make it out of the third inning and yielded seven runs on seven hits, including two homers. One, of course, by Thome. If Thome could have played his entire career to date against the Tigers, he would have 624 lifetime homers. That would rank fifth in history.

Long ball blues

The Tigers have dropped three in a row, but from looking at the team’s pitching stats, it’s no time to panic. After all, the last two losses have been to the defending world champs. Of course, you’d like to beat them, especially at home, but the numbers from the White Sox series aren’t bad.

What’s hurt the Tigers is homers, I think. They’ve given up 4 HR in the first two games of the series. Other than that, the staff has held Chicago to a .197 batting average and yielded just 18 baserunners in 18 innings. You’d have to think you’re going to win most of the time with pitching like that.

Heck, if Thome stayed in Philly the Tigs might be 7-1. He's hit more homers against Detroit than any other team.

Justin Verlander goes this afternoon. Tough to ask a 23-year-old making his fourth career start to be your stopper, but that’s what he’s got to be today. I think he’s capable.

What a pitch

Bobby Abreu is the only Phillies hitter with more RBI than opposing pitchers have vs. Philly. Abreu has 7 RBI. Opposing pitchers are 6 of 17 (.353) with 5 RBI against the Phils.

Overall, the No. 8 and No. 9 batters in opposing lineups are hitting .395 vs. Phillies pitching.

The Phils are hitting .160 with runners in scoring position.

Record crowd goes home sad

The Tigers lost their home opener 5-3 to the defending world champs, but it was good to know there’s a buzz in Motown over the team. A Comerica record 44,179 attended yesterday and Jim Leyland got the loudest ovation during introductions.

Jeremy Bonderman pitched well, but gave up two homers. I think Leyland said afterward something like -- good game, bad result. Jim Thome hit one of the homers for Chicago. It won’t be long before Phillies fans are screaming about his trade.

Tigers are off today, then finish up the series against the White Sox on Wednesday and Thursday. It would be good to take those two, particularly with Robertson and Maroth pitching. And the Tigers need to make some noise against the big boys. Last year, they lost 14 of 19 against Chicago.

Leyland cautioned about getting too high off the 5-0 start, so I’m sure he’ll be keeping things upbeat now so things don’t get too low off two straight defeats.

Chris Shelton was the AL Player of the Week after getting 14 hits, including 5 homers, and nine RBI. He had a 1.458 slugging percentage and .615 OBA. Curtis Granderson called them “Nintendo-type numbers.”

By the way, which of these guys should be Pudge?

What a Relief!

The O's snapped a 4 game losing streak last night with a 6-3 victory over the Devil Rays in Tampa Bay. Eric Bedard had a good start for the O's (7 IP, 4H, 0 R, 2BB, 5 K) to earn his 2nd win in as many starts.

Chris Ray, the O's young closer, earned his 2nd save in as many opportunities. Tim Byrdak started the ninth for the Orioles with a 6-1 lead and promptly surrendered a base hit and a home run. Ray was immediately brought in to close the game. He faced 4 batters, surrendering a base hit and striking out the side. Ray has 43 2/3 IP in the Majors with 46 K and a 1.21 WHIP. In his two save opportunities this April, he's faced 7 batters and recorded 6 outs (2 ground balls, 1 popup, 3 Ks). He's got a wild delivery and somehow throws strikes. It's a lot of fun to watch.

The O's catch a break tonight as Tampa Bay's scheduled starter, O's nemesis Mark Hendrickson, has been placed on the DL.

Who am I?

There are 26 players to have gotten 3,000 hits. I'm 27th on the list, the guy who leads the non-3,000-hit club.

I hit better than .300 in 13 of the 15 seasons in which I played at least 100 games. The other two years I hit .295 and .297. My career average was .322. Only once did I strike out more than 26 times in a season. I also was 1-1 with a complete game and career 2.52 ERA in 9 pitching appearances.

When you've given up, you can look here for the answer.

Mets Week One in review: Fun with small sample sizes

From the "Things We Already Knew" department...

David Wright is good. The Mets' young third baseman picked up right where he left off last year. After finishing 19th in National League MVP voting in his first full year in the majors, Wright is apparently interested in climbing up the list. He's hitting .474/.478/.895 and leading the team with 9 RBI. Those averages may come down in time. Then again, they may not.

The Marlins stink. Surprisingly, they have scored as many runs as they've allowed so far this season. Unsurprisingly, they've still lost four out of five games. They have some good young talent that could turn into a dangerous team a couple of years from now. Right now, they could probably beat just about any AAA team. Probably.

From the "Things We Should Pretend Not To Be Concerned About" department...

Pedro Martinez is not Pedro Martinez yet. After a greatly abbreviated Spring Training, Pedro started the season with a rough five-run outing that included five walks and three hit batsmen over six innings. Given how little time he had to prepare for the season due to his injured toe, there's no reason to be alarmed yet. But it sure would be nice if the 2005 Pedro showed up soon.

Billy Wagner isn't quite Billy Wagner, either. The Mets' closer also missed a bit of time in the Spring, and his velocity has been noticeably sub-Wagnerian thus far. The fact that he has as many walks and as many home runs as strikeouts through three outings totaling three innings is not comforting. Still, at least he's not Jorge Julio.

And yet...

The Mets are 4-1. They're alone in first place. They're the only team in the division above .500. And they get to play the Nationals three more times starting tomorrow. Things could be worse.

Home at last

Jeremy Bonderman goes to the hill this afternoon as the Tigers finally get to play at home. Oddly, Bonderman's stats over the past two seasons were better on the road than in spacious Comerica. You'd think he'd dominate there. Maybe this year.

Some things to like from the Tigers 5-1 start, their best since 1985, other than simply the 5-1 start.

* It was all on the road.

* It was without closer Todd Jones.

* No errors.

* Young guns Justin Verlander, 23, and Joel Zumaya, 21, came out firing.

* Chris Shelton smacked the ball all over creation. Shelton had triples in consecutive at-bats the other night in Texas. Previously, he had three triples in his career, all at Comerica.

One reason for concern. Teams are hitting better than .300 against Rogers, Robertson and Maroth. Robertson was hit hard during spring training, too. Might become a problem if the Tigers' bats cool.

This Bud's for you...

In his first start for the St. Louis Cardinals, Sydney Ponson earned no decision throwing 5 innings, giving up 7 hits, 3 earned runs and 0 walks. That's zero walks. Zero.

I believe I'll have some Budweiser delivered to the O's clubhouse c/o Leo Mazzone.

O's Solid in Pursuit of Major League Crown

Entering today's game leading the Major Leagues in Bases on Balls, the Baltimore Orioles pitching staff delivered 6 more BBs in another league leading performance against the Boston Red Sox. Staff ace Rodrigo Lopez got off to a shaky start, delivering a mere 1 BB through the first 5 innings. After craftily walking 3 in the 6th, however, Lopez left no doubt as to why he is Baltimore's Number One.

Relievers John Halama and Tim Byrdak tacked on 1 BB apiece to complete a solid day's work for O's pitching.

The Pittsburgh Pirates, who started the day trailing Baltimore by 1 BB, could only muster 3 BBs in 9 innings of work.

Orioles owner Peter Angelos had this to say regarding the O's pitching performance thus far, "It's very encouraging to see that we can widen our lead, even on a day when we only use 3 pitchers."

It was 20 years ago today

Dwight Gooden opened the Mets' world championship season with a complete game, 6-hit, 4-2 win at Pittsburgh.

Some of us remember it fondly, even though we're not Mets or Pirates fans. The Pirates threatened in the ninth, but Gooden stayed out there firing away and shut down the Bucs. I remember Johnny Ray -- already with two hits and an RBI -- coming to the plate in the inning, the crowd going crazy, and the organist playing "When Johnny Comes Marching Home." He didn't.

Hard to believe there was a time when baseball started so "late" in April. And that there were organists.

We missed the only homer of the game, R.J. Reynold's lead-off blast in the first off Gooden, but heard the roar of the crowd as we walked from the car toward Three Rivers Stadium. I can still hear that roar. You knew it was a home run.

Rick Reuschel got the loss. Gooden struck out six. The game took 2:24 to play.

Sadly, Sammy "The Egyptian Boy Wonder" Khalifa was hitless.

As they say, you can look it up.

Phils postponed! Phils postponed!

That's as good as a win for the Broad Street Bummers.

There's still time for the Phils to turn things around. A four-game losing streak in the middle of the season doesn't seem as bad as one to start the season. Especially a year that many thought would be different for Philly.

One thing I've hated is the bottom of the Phillies order. Bell and Lieberthal were rally killers last year and there's no speed ahead of them.

Here's what should be done. Rollins bats leadoff followed by Nunez, who hit .352 in 105 AB in the No. 2 slot last year. Abreu, Burrell and Howard follow. Utley bats sixth. Utley hit .343 in 105 AB in that spot last season. Rowand, who is a good No. 2 hitter, bats seventh, where he also has had success in the past.

Having Utley and Rowand together in those spots gives you a chance to manufacture some runs. Interestingly, Rowand has really flourished the last two years hitting in the No. 5 and No. 6 spots. Against lefties, I'd switch Howard and Rowand in the lineup.

Of course, none of that matters if the stating pitching doesn't come around.

Tigers, Tigers burning bright

The Tigers are the only remaining unbeaten in the AL. As I read in the Free Press, they haven't made an error yet, their starters have issued just one walk and they've hit a ML record 16 homers in their first four games.

Plus, Detroit is hitting .327 as a team. Baseball is a simple game. You throw the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the ball.

Another note from the Free Press: The Tigers have ensured they will open the season with a winning mult-city road trip for the first time since -- 1984.

Cabrera the Embarassment

Daniel Cabrera has solved his problem of only throwing strikes to right handed hitters. Now he doesn't throw strikes to any hitters.

Cabrera's line in his start against the Red Sox last night reads 1 1/3 IP, 3H, 7 BB, 7 ER throwing 60 pitches- 22 for strikes. Several of those strikes were balls that Red Sox hitters helped him out on.

It is time for the Orioles to recognize that the American League is one of the two Major Leagues and that their pitchers must be Major League pitchers. Cabrera has not thrown strikes for a year and a half. Send Cabrera down now. Do not give him another start in the Majors until he proves he can throw strikes.

Hey!

Would someone please let the Phillies know the season has started?

I hate to be pessimistic so early, but the bugaboos of last season have returned. Namely, Lieberthal, Bell and bullpen. Oh well, at least there's Ryan Howard.

They did the mash

If the Tigers are going to blast seven homers a game and average 9 runs, Stanley and I might be able to form the back part of the rotation.

Nice to see Maggs go yard twice. Chris Shelton certainly looks good too. Shelton's OPS is a mere 2.406.

The Tigers 15 HR in their first three games is a ML record. No team has ever hit more than 10 in the first three games of a season. As one Detroit scribe wrote, “... at this rate, the Detroit Tigers will hit 810 home runs. And Chris Shelton will hit 216. And the Tigers will never lose.”

Jim Leyland believes a good lineup is one that can be effective 1-9 or if you flipped it 9-1. Detroit doesn’t have any top stud, but they’ve got guys that can hit 1-9 and a lineup that easily could be turned 9-1 and be just as good.

You wouldn’t think twice if you saw Inge, Guillen, Monroe hitting 1-2-3 or 9-8-7. Same thing with Granderson, Polanco and Pudge.

The Tigers blasted six homers off knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, tying a ML record. Don’t throw knucklers against the Tigers. They hit six off Tim Wakefield in 2004.

A Royal butt kicking

It won’t be long before they start construction on a Jim Leyland statue for Comerica. I’d say 162-0 is unrealistic, but maybe 120 wins are within reach.

OK, so that’s a little overboard. After pummeling the Royals, this is where we start to see what kind of season the Tigers could have. Rogers and Bonderman did what was expected/hoped. Now, it’s up to Robertson, Maroth and Verlander to give us an idea whether a winning season is a realistic goal.

Detroit needed to take two from KC. Good teams, playoff contenders, generally take care of business against the weaker squads. This is even more important with the unbalanced schedule. Last year, though, the Tigers were 10-9 against the Royals. Since the start of 2003, the Royals have a 34-23 edge. So this wasn’t a gimme.

Love the potential for the Granderson, Polanco, Pudge top of the order. Imagine if Maggs starts to hit like the old days. Could be lots o’ runs. Yesterday, the top three went 11-for-15 with 9 runs, 7 RBI and two dingers.

Now comes a four-game set in Texas. Kenny Rogers faces his old mates on Sunday. Two former Phils, Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla, will toss for the Rangers over the weekend.

O's take two

With a 16-6 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays last night in Camden Yards the Baltimore Orioles are 2-0 for the first time since 1997.

Team	Start	Finish
1997 Orioles	2-0	1st
2006 Orioles	2-0	4th

Opener in KC is OK

The Tigers couldn't have asked for a much better opener. Jim Leyland gets a win in his debut as manager and Kenny Rogers looks sharp in his debut as staff ace. Plus Chris Shelton blasts two homers to show why Carlos Pena is no longer around.

Detroit has now won three openers in a row, beating KC the last two.

I like Leyland's decision to bring in flamethrowing 21-year-old Joel Zumaya yesterday, even though it was a one-run game and Zumaya is untested. Leyland figured, correctly, that Zumaya's 100-mph heat combined with the late-afternoon shadows would create problems for the Royals. Zumaya tossed two innings of scoreless relief, striking out three.

Tigers play in KC again Wednesday. It's important for Bonderman to throw a good game and establish that the top of the rotation will be a tough 1-2 punch. Plus, the Tigers need to take advantage of weaker teams, like KC, if they want to contend for a playoff spot.

O's win opener (me so happy...)

Rodrigo Lopez collected an Opening Day victory over the Devil Rays yesterday. Lopez threw 7 innings giving up 7 hits, 6 runs (5 earned) and 1 walk on 90 pitches. It was by no measure a "good" start. It was, however, a good "bad start". Considering the number of bad starts the O's rotation might reasonably be expected to turn in, credit Lopez for showing the way to pitch poorly.

Yesterday was the first time I'd ever seen Ramon Hernandez (O's catcher acquired from San Diego via free agency in the offseason) play. He's been described as one of the "premiere" backstops in the Major Leagues. He looked it in yesterday's game. He has a cannon. An accurate cannon. Given the Orioles pitching staffs' weakness in holding runners close, he has a shot a the record for "runners caught stealing" in a season. I don't know if they even keep such a statistic (I couldn't find it).

The Orioles homered 4 times on Opening Day for the first time since 1982.

Team	W	L	Finish
1982 Orioles	94	68	2nd
2006 Orioles	1	0	4th

Luis Matos became the first Oriole since Frank Robinson ('69, '70) to homer on consecutive Opening Days.

Player	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	AVG
Robinson	2808	10006	1829	2943	528	72	586	1812	.294
Matos	440	1473	198	383	75	8	29	136	.260

Rodrigo can be proud! (Me so sad....)

Rodrigo Lopez has been named Orioles Opening Day starter for 2006. This is Rodrigo's 3rd Opening Day start for the O's in the last 4 years. With this start, Lopez will join exclusive company in Baltimore's record books. Just four other Orioles -- Steve Barber, Dave McNally, Jim Palmer and Mike Mussina -- have pitched as many as three Opening Day games for the O's. Palmer and Mussina are tied for the most with six each, and McNally worked five openers as Baltimore's ace.

Pitcher	W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP
Barber	121	106	3.36	466	272	59	21	1999
McNally	184	119	3.24	424	396	120	33	2730
Palmer	268	152	2.86	558	521	211	53	3948
Mussina	224	127	3.64	443	443	56	23	3013
Lopez	51	43	4.56	137	118	5	2	748.1

Now Available

The most prolific pinch hitter in the history of Major League Baseball.

Walk this way

At first glance, the Tigers seemed to have some pretty good offensive numbers last season. Especially in batting average, where their .272 mark was fourth best in the AL. They also led the league with 45 triples and were seventh in homers. They were fifth in hits and sixth in slugging.

Yet they ranked 11th in runs. The reason? Walks, or lack thereof. The Tigers walked just 384 times, worst in the AL. The Red Sox, who led the league in runs and bases on balls, drew 269 more freebies than Detroit.

That's 1.7 extra baserunners per game. Not to mention what it does to the opponent's pitch count and helping a team get into their foe's bullpen. And the Red Sox didn't do it at the expense of hitting their way on, either, leading the AL in that category, too. But that also makes sense -- work deeper into counts, see better pitches to hit.

If you looked at the top run-scoring teams in either league last season, most were among the leaders in walks, too. Oddly, strikeouts didn't seem to matter too much as the Red Sox were right up there as well. In the AL, the top six teams in runs were also among the top six in walks. And three of those squads struck out more than 1,000 times.

Much has been made of the Tigers needing to cut down on strikeouts, which would be nice, but they really need to make strides in walks.

If you're a Tigers fan, you have to believe the starting pitching will be good enough to be competitive. If the starters falter, there's no hope, anyway. If the pitching blossoms, then it will fall on the offense to score runs. That will be the key to the first winning season since 1993.

'Los is a loss

The Tigers released 1B/enigma Carlos Pena over the weekend. It's not much of a surprise given that Pena was batting .160 in the spring and Detroit will only have to pay a quarter of his $2.8 million salary by dumping him now.

I love the quote by Pena's agent, $cott Bora$:

"Jim Leyland is a pitching and defense guy. If Jim had managed the club last season and gotten to make an independent appraisal of Carlos, I think this might have gone differently."

Differently? Granted, Pena is a smooth fielder, but he hit .235-18-44 last year and was dropped to the minors during the middle of the season. Chris Shelton took over at first base and batted .299-18-59 with an .870 OPS (compared to Pena's .802). Plus, Dmitri Young can back up Shelton. He hit .271-21-72 last year and is a lifetime .291 hitter. Pena is a .243 career hitter.

Pena was one of the centerpieces in the trade that sent Jeff Weaver from Detroit. Good thing the Tigers also got Jeremy Bonderman in return. Pena seems like a classy guy, so we hope he can find himself somewhere else. But it wasn't going to happen in Motown.

O's to repeat

The Baltimore Orioles easily have the 4th best team in the AL East.




AL East finishes:

2006 - 4th <-bold prediction
2005 - 4th
2004 - 3rd
2003 - 4th
2002 - 4th
2001 - 4th
2000 - 4th
1999 - 4th
1998 - 4th

No more suspense

The curtain closed on whatever drama there was in Tigers camp when Jim Leyland named Justin Verlander the team's fifth starter. The rotation is set, as are the starting position players.

Kenny Rogers, Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson, Mike Maroth and Verlander will form the rotation. Verlander has a fastball in the high 90s and wicked breaking stuff. This has the makings of a solid group, but still needs to prove itself. There is no doubt a ton of potential.

Joel Zumaya, another top prospect who lost the No. 5 slot to Verlander, will begin the season in the bullpen with the Tigers. There is a report Detroit is interested in Phillies left-handed reliever Rheal Cormier. I guess they didn't see him pitch last season.

The batting order, particularly the top, remains unsettled. But you have to like a lineup of Pudge Rodriguez (C), Chris Shelton (1B), Placido Polanco (2B), Carlos Guillen (SS), Brandon Inge (3B), Craig Monroe (LF), Curtis Granderson (CF), Magglio Ordonez (RF) and Dmitri Young (DH). That looks like some runs.

Everyone better stay healthy, though, because depth is lacking.

Bud better than Bo?

The switch to Budweiser pays an early dividend.

Center of attention

Jim Leyland said that if the season started today, Curtis Granderson would be the Tigers’ center fielder. This is fine with me, and probably not much of a surprise. Nook Logan has tremendous speed and would be great in the leadoff spot for that reason, but hasn’t been able to reach base consistently.

Granderson, who just turned 25, batted .290-15-65 with 22 SB for Toledo last year before joining the big club. He hit .272-8-20 in 162 at-bats. He also smacked three triples.

He played college ball at Illinois-Chicago and was a Baseball America second-team All-American. He was the Tigers’ Minor League Player of the Year in 2004. That season, he played at Double-A Erie and batted .301-21-94 with 14 SB and 89 R before getting a September call-up.

This spring, Granderson is batting .395 with a .531 OBP. He’s got 5 homers and 8 RBI and is 5-for-5 in stolen bases. Logan is batting .188 and has a .291 OBP. He leads the team with 6 SB.

Tearing it up

Non-roster invitee Josh Phelps seems destined for Triple-A Toledo despite a solid spring so far. Phelps is batting .571 with 3 HR and 8 RBI in 28 AB for the Tigers. He’s also got 5 doubles and thinks he could thrive in Comerica by taking advantage of the spacious gaps.

Hard to say if he’ll get a chance to find out. But Phelps is only 27 years old and has shown flashes of being a good hitter. Lifetime, he’s got 57 HR and 212 RBI in 1,203 AB. He batted .309 with 15 HR and 58 RBI in less than half a season as a Blue Jays’ rookie in 2002. He’s got a .268 career average. Most encouraging is that he’s only struck out 4 times, and walked 4 times, this spring.

Phelps most likely would fill the DH role, and could also play first, but the Tigers have got too many players there already. His only hope is to see either Dmitri Young or Carlos Pena traded. Young hasn’t seen much action this spring because of a strained quad, but could be returning soon.

Young is the more versatile player and better hitter. I’m not sure what you could get for the once-highly-touted Pena at this point. Despite his power surges, this is a guy that’s batted .253, .248, .241, and .235 since becoming a Tiger. Notice that each year is worse than the previous season, too. He’s only 27, too, and looks like a hitter – except after he swings. Easily the most frustrating player to watch in recent memory.

Wanted: Tigers

Tigers manager Jim Leyland said yesterday that his squad lacked personality, swagger and meanness. He's not happy about it, either.

Leyland said the Tigers were a great bunch of guys, the best he's been around, but needed to show a little more edge on the field. I guess they need to be tigers, not just Tigers.

Pudge certainly is one guy who can play with a mean streak and attitude. So is Dmitri Young. Beyond that, maybe Jeremy Bonderman. Even so, that's a short list.

Maybe nice guys do finish last.

What are the odds?

According to Benjamin Lee Eckstein/America's Line

To win the World Series:
Yankees 5-2 (favorite)
Phillies 15-1
Mets 25-1
Orioles 50-1
Tigers 75-1
Royals 250-1 (last)

First AL manager fired/resign:
Showalter, Rangers, and Francona, Red Sox, 5-1 (co-favorites)
Perlozzo, Orioles, 12-1
Leyland, Tigers, 15-1
Torre, Yankees, 20-1 (last)

First NL manager fired/resign:
Melvin, D-Backs, and Hurdle, Rockies, 5-1 (co-favorites)
Manuel, Phillies, 6-1
Randolph, Mets, 15-1
Cox, Braves, and LaRussa, Cards, 25-1 (last)

Time to get started

There don't seem to be many questions in Tigers camp this spring. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing.

Only one spot in the starting rotation is up for grabs, and Justin Verlander appears to have the inside track. He will make his first spring outing today, so I'm sure all eyes will be upon him.

Otherwise, it's Kenny Rogers, Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson and Mike Maroth in the rotation. Time for the latter three to take a big step forward this season.

The only other major question is what will happen with Dmitri Young and/or Carlos Pena. Chris Shelton will play first base, either Young or Pena will spot Shelton and DH. Young reported to camp in great shape. Pena has been enigmatic, to say the least, ruthlessly pricking our gonfalon bubble every time our hopes soar over one of his hot streaks.

If Pudge is healthy and happy, that would be a plus. Ditto for Maggs. Hope springs eternal, but if all things fall into place, the Tigers are a playoff contender. Of course, all things MUST fall into place. There's no wiggle room.

Baseball's Sad Lexicon

These are the saddest of possible words:
"Tinker to Evers to Chance."
Trio of bear cubs, and fleeter than birds,
Tinker and Evers and Chance.
Ruthlessly pricking our gonfalon bubble,
Making a Giant hit into a double-
Words that are heavy with nothing but trouble:
"Tinker to Evers to Chance."
-- Franklin Pierce Adams, 1902

Pie-bye Tomas

No one can deliver a shaving cream pie to the face like Tomas Perez. But will the light-hitting, yet popular, Phillie soon be sent packing, along with his Barbasol?

It seems likely now that the Phillies have inked infielder Alex Gonzalez to a one-year deal. That's Alex S, you know.

Gonzalez might provide more power and solid defense, but who will provide the lift in the clubhouse that can only come from seeing a teammate popped with shaving cream while doing the post-game TV interview?

These are the questions that are rarely asked.

Is the new boss the same as the old?

The Phillies trade of Jason Michaels to Cleveland for aging set-up man Arthur Rhodes is the kind of deal that made Ed Wade public enemy No. 1 in Philadelphia.

It would seem new GM Pat Gillick wanted to get rid of Michaels, even though the club denied that his punching a cop last summer outside a bar had nothing to do with the trade. Earlier, the Phils were asking for top pitching prospects in return for Michaels -- and settle for Rhodes.

Now, if the Phillies move Ryan Madson from the set-up role to the rotation, then this deal might have some merit. And if Madson is reliable in that role, then it's like the Phils traded Michaels for starting pitching. So we'll have to wait and see.

Just maybe ...

A gray-haired, straight-shooting manager can lead the Tigers to prominence again?

The latest from Jim Leyland:

"I'm not asking anyone to be patient, I can tell you that. People get sick and tired of hearing that. Tiger fans are sick and tired of hearing that. We don't have that long. ... So I don't have any long-term plans. I have short-term plans. And we better get good pretty quick."

How can this team be Seo stupid?

The Mets have traded their youngest, and probably at least third-best, starting pitcher, and all they got was a couple of relief pitchers and a spot in the starting rotation for Victor Zambrano. Jae Seo is headed to the Dodgers along with reliever Tim Hamulack in exchange for Duaner Sanchez and Steve Schmoll. This may be the worst trade the Mets have made this offseason, and that is no small feat.

In 2005, after his midseason liberation from the minor leagues, Seo had the best year of his major league career. He posted a 2.59 ERA in 90.1 innings, striking out 59 batters, walking 16 and compiling a record of eight wins and two losses. He outpitched Kris Benson and >Victor Zambrano with ease and nearly kept pace with Tom Glavine's post-All Star resurgence. It's doubtful he could keep up that excellence for a full season. But given that neither Benson nor Zambrano has ever pitched that well for even half a season and that both are older and more expensive that Seo, it shouldn't be too hard to see which is the most valuable pitcher among these three.

So, as a result of this trade, the Mets' starting rotation is composed of five pitchers, all at least thirty years old, none products of the Mets' minor league system. I suppose it is possible that they will choose Aaron Heilman to fill Seo's rotation spot rather than Zambrano, but given Omar Minaya's recent obsession with upgrading the bullpen and Heilman's success there in 2005, I don't expect it. So it's Pedro Martinez, Glavine, Benson, Zambrano and Steve Trachsel. It's often been said recently that starting pitching was an area of depth for the Mets. But how can any team be considered deep if they're resorting to starting Victor Zambrano?

The 2006 Mets' rotation got older and worse as a result of this trade. But what about 2007? This offseason the Mets have divested themselves of pitching prospects and now they're ditching any major leaguer with the foul stench of youth, too. Martinez and Benson are the only starters the Mets have under contract for 2007, though they could still control the rights to Zambrano as well. And now, as a result of other recent trades, they have no reinforcements coming from the minors. This deal doesn't only make the Mets more reliant on aging mercenaries in the present, in ensures that they'll have to increase that reliance in the future. To put together a good rotation next year the Mets are going to have to count on continued health from a thirty-five year old Martinez, miraculous improvement from a thirty-two year old Benson and some serious luck on the free agent market. Does this sound like a wise and well-considered plan to you?

And, though I feel like I've asked this before, for what? Duaner Sanchez is a twenty-six year old relief pitcher with a career ERA of 4.19 and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 124:71 in 174 career innings. He's had two consecutive seasons in which he's pitched at least 80 innings and posted and ERA under four. But over the last three years, lefties have hit .302/.361/.476 against him. That would seem to suggest that in order to get optimal value out of Sanchez, Willie Randolph would have to pay attention to such statistics and use him accordingly. That plan is about as reasonable as the one in the last paragraph.

In 2005, the Mets' best reliever was Roberto Hernandez. He was acquired not in exchange for one of the team's best major league pitchers, but for the cost of a minor league contract and a spring training invite. That's what it took to get a relief pitcher who had a season significantly better than any on Duaner Sanchez's resume. Instead of throwing valuable players away chasing a name, the Mets made a smart move and took an inexpensive chance. The fact that they apparently didn't learn anything from its success does not bode well for their digging their way out of the hole they are currently digging.

The cost of this move in 2006, the difference between a team with Seo in the rotation and Zambrano in the bullpen and one with Zambrano in the rotation and Sanchez in the bullpen, may only be a handful of wins. It may be even less than that. The Mets are clearly going for broke this year, and this trade made not impede their march toward the playoffs at all. But the team's recent moves leave me more and more concerned about the aftermath of this approach. Omar Minaya doesn't seem to even have an eye toward 2007, let alone beyond that. The Mets' window to win a World Series with Pedro Martinez and Carlos Delgado may be closing. But I hope, when it does close, that Minaya hasn't slammed it shut so tight that David Wright and Carlos Beltran won't be able to pry it back open.