The New York Mets Problems
Mets Off To Terrible Start This Season
Mets fans have had their hearts ripped out the last two years as the team choked down the stretch and failed to make the playoffs. Their struggles continue this year and here is a look at some of the reasons.
Jose Reyes & David Wright Have Struggled
Carlos Beltran has played well offensively and is leading the league in hitting at .391 but he is getting little help from the Mets' two other superstars. Jose Reyes is hitting just .258 with one homerun and eight RBIs and has scored just nine runs. He only has four stolen bases and has not created his usual havoc on the base paths. They need him to once again be a catalyst at the top of the order. David Wright is also having a rough time. He is hitting just .284 with one homerun and ten RBIs. He has picked up where he left off last year as far as his struggles with runners in scoring position and has been demoted from third to fifth in the lineup. The "golden boy" who has been adored by Mets fans since he came up, is even hearing some boos at Citi Field. He needs to start getting big hits in the clutch if the Mets are going to turn things around.
The Mets' Defense has Struggled
The Mets are near the league lead in errors. Their biggest problem has been in the outfield where they have already lost three games on dropped fly balls, two by Murphy and one by Church. Their defense must be more reliable, especially in the outfield.
The Mets' Starting Rotation has Struggled
Johan Santana is the best pitcher in baseball, but the rest of the Mets' rotation has major issues. Even with Santana's greatness, the rotation is 14th in the league in ERA. Their #2 starter, Mike Pelfrey, has and ERA of 6.00. He made some strides in his last start but he has to be more consistent. Their #3 starter, Oliver Perez, is a complete mess. His velocity is down, he has no control, and his ERA is approaching 10. With his lack of control, he is of no use out of the bullpen so the Mets need to take him out of the rotation and send him to the minors until he figures things out. John Maine, their #4 starter, has and ERA of 5.40 and like Pelfrey, needs to be more consistent. Their #5 starter is Livan Hernandez and his ERA is 6.75. Other than one start, though, he has kept his team in the games and that is all you can ask of your fifth starter. They need their 2-4 starters, who have all had good stretches in past years, to show more consistencey.
The Mets' Bullpen has Struggled
The New York Mets revamped an awful bullpen in the off-season but so far it has still been a problem. They only holdover, Pedro Feliciano has continued his struggles of last season. He has always had problems with righties but the lefty specialist can't even get lefties out right now. Newly acquired Sean Green has an ERA approaching 9 and has lost two games in the past week, including the game yesterday in Philadelphia on, of all things, a bases loaded walk. Even J.J. Putz blew the game in Santana's last start. They need the bullpen to be more reliable if they are going to consistently win games.
Jerry Manuel's Managerial Decisions Have Been Questionable of Late
A few days ago, Jerry Manuel decided to pinch-hit for Ramon Castro down one with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth. He brought in Omir Santos cold out of the bullpen where he was warming up the relievers. He justified the move saying that Santos' shorter swing gave him a better chance against Matt Lindsrom's fastball. The problem with that argument is that Castro had two hits in the game against starter Josh Johnson, who throws just about as hard as Lindsrom. The move backfired as Santos popped out to end the game.
Another problem is the way he has managed the pitching staff. Too many times he has left pitchers in way too long when it was apparent they needed to come out.
Yesterday, in Philadelphia, he made another dubious decision. He decided to bring in Sean Green in the 10th instead of Francisco Rodriguez. In a normal game that would be understandable. This, however, was not a normal game. Head to head games with the Phillies are two game swings in the standings and you have to do everything possible to win those games, even if it means using your closer in a non-save situation. Green has been terrible this year and he was awful again yesterday. K-Rod has thrown less than 10 innings this season and there was no reason he could not pitch a couple innings yesterday.
If Manuel continues to make questionable decisions and the team continues to struggle, he will be on the hot seat very soon. He must do a better job, especially with the handling of the pitching staff.
New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies beat out the New York Mets the last two years for the National League East title. The Phillies have shown tremendous toughness and grittiness, which is why they are the 2008 World Series Champions. They have continued to show these qualities this year as they have come from behind in ten of their twelve wins this year. The Mets, on the other hand, have shown no heart and no guts the last couple of years and it has continued this year. They have no resiliency whatsoever, and, if they get down by two or three runs, the game is basically over. They have also blown many leads due to their inability to tack on runs late in the game, something that is a strength of the Phillies. Until the Mets begin to show that toughness and grittiness that they have been lacking, they will not beat out the Phillies in this division.
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