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.