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Kazmir Lit Up

On the heels of his respectable big league debut last Monday, Scott Kazmir pitched none too well tonight in getting smacked around by the A's in Oakland. The former Met pitching stud put up the following line:

3 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 1 WP

He showed good control, getting 48 of his 71 pitches over for strikes, but the A's bats just didn't have any problems hitting them. He only gave up one extra-base hit (a double), and three of the runs were actually allowed by Travis Harper, who relieved Kazmir in the fourth inning with the bases loaded and no outs.

Based on the game log, it looks like there were a couple of errors and an infield hit in the first inning, so it's tough to tell how hard he actually got it. Kazmir had this to say following his three-inning performance:

"I made some good pitches but I couldn't finish them off. I got 0-2 on a bunch of guys, then I would hang a slider or throw a fastball down the middle and they would hit it."

One start is one start, though this one makes the Skill Sets feel a whole lot better, to be sure.

For those of you clamoring for Lou Piniella to be the Mets next manager, how's this for eerie:

"We battled them for three days here," Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella said. "It's hard for us to beat good teams, especially on the road. If we were going to get Mulder, today was the day."

And battle they did. Just like our Mets, who got whooped but good by the Dodgers, 10-2. Our Red Sox continued their winning ways, picking up their sixth straight "W", and pulling to within 4 1/2 games of the Yank-mees in the AL East.

Who Cares About TINSTAPP?

The Mets front office may be full of numbsculls and Mike Stanton entering a game still brings tears to my eyes, but until he's traded in a deadline deal next season for Ismael Valdez, Yusmeiro Petit is the best thing the Mets farm system has going for it right now.

In his AA Binghamton debut tonight, Petit continued his terrific season by pitching seven strong innings against the Trenton Thunder, allowing four hits, two earned runs, and a stunning 10 strikeouts. He picked up the "W" in the Mets' 8-2 victory.

In other news, the Red Sox kept pace with the Yankees, beating Detroit 5-1 behind Pedro Martinez. Go Sox!

Welcome To SaberSox!

That's right, boys and girls. With another Met season in the crapper, the Red Sox have moved up from #2 on the depth chart to become the primary target of my faithful cheering until another inevitable October collapse at the hands of the Empire sucks the life out of the downtrodden population of New England.

More to follow, fellow members of the Nation.

On Kazmir And Zambrano

I open the daily rags this morning to see the Mets bashed, as usual, this time for Scott Kazmir's performance against the Mariners on Monday night. Coupled with Victor Zambrano's stay on the disabled list, everyone is calling for heads to roll for whomever in the Mets organization green-lighted this move. I've already written at length about the moves here and you can read what other Mets bloggers thought of the deal here, so I'm not going to debate the merits of this deal again.

Whether or not you believe the Mets got fleeced by Tampa GM Chuck LaMar should not change based on the events of the past week. Zambrano is on the shelf, possibly for the rest of the season, but that doesn't necessarily make this deal a bust. Regardless of what the Mets thought process was in making this deal, they clearly didn't make it with the sole intention of completing in 2004. Zambrano is arbitration eligible for the next three seasons, and that was a big factor in this trade.

Scott Kazmir threw five nice innings on Monday. He hit 95 on his fastball, but struggled with erratic control. All said, it was about as much as you could expect from a 20-year-old making his big league debut. The success or failure of this trade did not hang in the balance of those five innings, regardless of what Bob Klapisch might have you believe. If Kazmir got lit up for seven runs in three innings, would that have proven the Mets geniuses? Surely not.

Nor can Kazmir's debut be considered a resounding success. He showed flashes, and was understandably jittery considering the magnitude of the situation. Kazmir allowed seven baserunners (four hits, three walks) and struck out four in his five innings. He also faced an awful Mariner team (in an extreme pitcher's park) that featured only a single hitter with an 800+ OPS (Ichiro's .869). By comparison, the Mets oft-maligned lineup, even accounting for players on the DL, could feature as many as seven players with an 800+ OPS, albeit some in a part-time role: Gerald Williams (1.004), Richard Hidalgo (.903), Cliff Floyd (.843), David Wright (.841), Eric Valent (.829), Mike Cameron (.827), and Vance Wilson (.810).

Had Kazmir pitched horribly, I wouldn't have felt an iota better about this deal. I still consider him one of our own, even though he's not pitching for us. It bothers me that no one has stepped forward in the Mets camp to say, "I decided to make this deal". In all likelihood, though, enough people simply didn't oppose the deal, which was apparently sufficient greasing to get this trade done. Based on interviews given, nobody thought this was a bad deal, which apparently translated to "it's a good deal" when all was said and done. Boss Wilpon put his stamp of approval on it, and it was out the door. Sigh.

Zambrano Done For The Year?

We find out today that the injury Victor Zambrano sustained in his start Tuesday night was not a new injury, as previously reported. It was disclosed yesterday that it is actually a flexor strain, a condition that bothered Zambrano prior to being acquired for Scott Kazmir, who by-the-way is slated to start for the Devil Rays against the Mariners on Monday.

There's not really much to say here that hasn't already been said. If anyone has anything refreshing to add, please feel free to drop a note in the comments. WTF!?!?!?!?

Rocky Mountain High

I write to you today from Colorado Springs, Colorado, in the heart of the Rocky Mountains (whatever that means). I'm visiting my sister, who works for USA Hockey out here and whose boyfriend is a cameraman for the Rockies. As such, we were able to secure cheap (read: free) tickets to the Mets-Rockies game on Thursday afternoon. The scheduled starters were Al Leiter and Jeff Fassero, but thanks to Wednesday night's rainout, we were treated to relatively-new Met Kris Benson and former Met Shawn Estes.

I've seen the Mets enough times this season that I wasn't completely disapppointed by the lineup they trotted out there, but I was still a bit taken aback when I saw the following motley crew posted on the scoreboard before the game:

Gerald "Ice" Williams, LF
"Super" Joe McEwing, SS
Todd Zeile, 1B
Richard Hidalgo, RF
Mike Cameron, CF
David Wright, 3B
Vance Wilson, C
Danny Garcia, 2B
Kris Benson, P

Lineup holes notwithstanding, these Mets laid waste to the Rockies, 10-3, as Benson pitched respectably and Cameron and Hidalgo blasted homeruns. Cameron drove in four runs, but "Ice" Williams was the surprise of the game, going 3-for-4 with a triple and 2 walks. He's had only 36 at-bats for the Mets, but is currently hauling a .278/.381/.500 line. That's about all you can ask for a part-time player/injury call-up/spot starter.

The Mets went on to take the second game (which I didn't see) to sweep the double-header and take the series from the Rockies.

Piazza To The DL

Mike Piazza was put on the 15-day disabled list yesterday with inflammation of the left knee. He was placed retroactive to five days ago, so he will be eligible to come off on August 22.

Victor Zambrano makes his home debut for the Mets at noon today in the rubber match against the Astros.

What should the Mets do about first base next season? Sign Sexton or Delgado? Trade for Helton? More thoughts to follow.

The Voice of Summer Has Left the Ballpark

The following was contributed by reader and long-time Mets fan Dave Mills. We all have different memories of Bob Murphy, and this is his:

* * * * *
Between the ages of seven and 48, there were two male voices that I spent more time listening to than any other 20 people put together, my dad and the "marvelous Murph"—Bob Murphy. Both have left the ballpark this year and at the age of 79.

Whether I was laying in bed on a late night west coast swing, or mowing the lawn, or riding my bike home from a Little League game, or riding in the car with my dad or driving to and from Beantown, Bob Murphy was with me. From Casey's lovable losers to the emergence of Tom Terrific in '67 and Koos in '68, and the amazing stretch run in '69; the "Gotta Believe" Mets and the losers of '77-'82, as well as the great years from '83-'88—Bob Murphy called them all. And he was NEVER a homer. He was a broadcaster who told it like he saw it in an impartial manner with integrity and dignity. Many of the home team broadcasters of today (and yesterday) could learn something from Bob.

In 1988, I ran into Murph and his wife Joye, ironically, outside of a funeral home on Amsterdam at 75th Street. Even though I was intruding on his time and space, I politely approached him, stuck out my hand and thanked him profusely for ALL the enjoyable Mets games and moments he spirited me through from 1962 through that day (and beyond). I even mentioned that he was probably the most listened to voice in my life. Joye seemed to get a kick out of that even more than Bob, who had undoubtedly heard it before.

I can't even imagine how many hours I spent listening to Murphy, Kiner and Nelson, but the way Bob Murphy painted word pictures on the radio was breathtaking and profound. I was at the ballpark. Eyes wide open and all ears. His word pictures lit up my life and took me to a place where the verdant hues of grass blended with the sounds of the fannies in the seats and the crack of the bat. Baseball was in the air. Nothing could be finer and I...WAS...THERE!

So, I have now lost the man who taught me the beautiful game and we have all lost the man who etched it on the canvas in such a fetching manner. The Happy Recap is not as happy as it could be in Metsville, but the memories and the voice lingers on.

Forever grateful,
Dave Mills aka DaMetsman

Rick Peterson Absurd Quote-Of-The-Day

From this morning's Daily News, Rick Peterson regarding Victor Zambrano's nerves as he makes his Mets debut in Milwaukee tonight:

"There's nothing wrong with having butterflies. Tom Glavine had butterflies on Opening Day. The key is to keep them flying in formation toward the catcher's mitt."

Fabulous.

Magglio A Met?

According to today's New York Post, Jim Duquette said on WFAN Tuesday that the Mets top offseason priority would be to add a power bat. "We've got to find another bat, there's no question. It's got to be a middle-of-the-lineup bat." When asked about Chicago White Sox outfielder and free agent-to-be Magglio Ordonez, The Duke said:

"That's a good name. I like that name. We'll be watching him. I wish he were healthy for the rest of the year. But he is a proven hitter. He would look nice."

The Mets should seriously consider resigning Richard Hidalgo when the season ends and, unless Cliff Floyd gets his wish and is traded to an AL club where he could DH, there won't be much room for a run-producing outfielder. The Mets have a big hole, both offensively and defensively, at first base, and they might do well to court a power bat there such as Richie Sexson.

Wholesale changes to the left-handed portion of the Mets bullpen should be a big priority this offseason, but no mention was made to that end by Duquette.

Not-So Happy Recap

Legendary Hall Of Fame Mets broadcaster Bob Murphy died today at the age of 79. He was the radio voice of the Mets from their very first game in 1962 until his retirement last year. He will be sorely missed.

Link: Yahoo! News

A Letter From Scott Kazmir

NYFS has an open letter from Scott Kazmir:

Thank You, Mets Fans!

By Scott Kazmir August 3, 2004 - Dear Mets Fans,

I would like to thank you for all your support while I was a member of the NY Mets. I was very proud and fortunate to be part of a 1st Class organization. I will never forget the memories from signing, to Brooklyn, Columbia, St. Lucie, to Binghamton and all the friends I made along the way.

I would like to say to all my former coaches, trainers, and teammates...keep in touch, you guys are the best. To the booster clubs that provided their time and support and especially to the fans. Thank you.

When I was drafted, I heard that the NY Fans were passionate about their baseball. I found that to be so true. My parents have also passed along the support everyone has given over the last couple of days and many of you have sent emails and IM to my parents stating your continued support by following me through the new organization. I would like to say that I am very appreciative and honored. I will continue to work hard and not let you down.

Although I am no longer with the Mets organization, and I appreciate your support, I am sure I speak for my other former teammates that have moved on with me by saying it has been fun and an honor to play for the Mets and for fans like you. We will work hard to make it to the majors and make you proud. I have found out first hand that New York Mets fans are like no other.

Thank you for your support,

Scott Kazmir

Be sure to check out Ed Tsunoda's article at NYFS entitled Mets Lose Patience and Prospects (thanks to Avkash for the link).

Mets Are Stupid

At least, that what John Sickels thinks in his latest edition of Down On The Farm. Sickels thinks it's a great trade...for Tampa Bay:

So, how distressed should Mets fans be, and how ecstatic should Tampa Bay boosters get? It is always wise to be careful creating or harboring expectations with pitching prospects, given the high attrition rates even among the elite. Kazmir certainly has a world of talent. He could turn into a top-notch starter, or he could develop into a Billy Wagner-style power reliever. He could also struggle with his command, or suffer a catastrophic injury. The bottom line though is that the Devil Rays picked up an excellent pitching prospect (and Diaz is pretty good too) in exchange for a 28-year-old pitcher with a 4.47 career ERA and control problems. It looks like a good deal to me, for Tampa Bay.

I just got around to reading Jayson Stark's article from Saturday on the winners and losers of the trade deadline. For what it's worth, he tabs the Mets as the fourth biggest winners, citing, as usual, the general unpredicability of prospects in general. He also provides numerous comments from unnamed sources that seemingly are requirements of any ESPN.com piece:

On paper, the three minor leaguers they traded -- Kazmir, pitcher Matt Peterson and catcher Justin Huber -- looked like their three best prospects. But there are mixed reviews on all of them.

Peterson was described by one scouting director as "a No. 5 starter" and by another as "a No. 4, at best." The same scouting directors questioned Huber's instincts and projected him as no better than a backup catcher in the big leagues.

So it's Kazmir who will ultimately determine the wisdom of these deals. And one scouting director called him "the best prospect traded by anyone this year."

But two other scouting directors we surveyed had their doubts. Both think he'll wind up as a relief pitcher. And, given his size (6-feet, 170 pounds), he'll draw comparisons to Billy Wagner -- not necessarily for the better.

Wagner, said one scouting director, "is much stronger physically than Kazmir. So to me, the best he'll be is a poor man's Billy Wagner."

Kazmir could prove everybody wrong -- or right. But you know there will be a lot of people in baseball -- and in New York -- watching him try.

Al Leiter goes for the Mets tonight in Milwaukee. Does anybody care?

Mets Newsroom

There are some interesting articles in the papers today about the Metties. First up is an article from the New York Post about the pressure Rick Peterson is facing after the Mets recent makeover. Victor Zambrano and Kris Benson are both excited to start working with the Mets pitching coach, Benson in particular after Tom Glavine gushed mightily about his work (Benson and Glavine share an agent).

Two quotes stand out for me, though. This one regarding Zambrano's control problems:

"The fact that his walks are high, we feel we can maybe do some things to help him in that area."

Very convincing, yes? This one is my favorite, though, RE: The Naysayers:

"I'm not interested in what anybody thinks about the deals. When we go back to the research we all did as an organization with our scouts, with Jim, with our owners and the due diligence to make this acquisition, if there's something that we missed, I'd be very curious what it is."

Basically an F-You to everyone who questions this deal. Of course, many questions still remain, and it looks like we're going to have to wait for the answers.

Another article today in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette explains how the Pirates got the better of the Benson deal. The author, Brian O'Neill, describes Ty Wigginton as a "right-handed clone of Rob Mackowiak", accurate enough I suppose.

In today's Daily News, Bob Raissman praises WFAN Mets broadcasters Gary Cohen and Howie Rose for not sugarcoating the Mets problems this season.

Rose on Matsui:

"It's getting worse, not better, for Kaz Matsui. Again, no range to his left. ... A good major league shortstop gobbles that ball up going to his left."

And Cohen on the Mets collective malaise:

"It's the same old story ... For all the urgency Art Howe placed on this game, the Mets approached this one the way they approached last night - without a whole lot of interest."

Compare that refreshing realism to the Mets TV team. Raissman quotes Dave O'Brien from the other night:

"... There's certainly time to meld the new pitchers into a winning staff and make a run."

The jackpot article of the day is definitely this one, also from the Daily News, penned by Adam Rubin. It's a virtual quote-a-thon with Rick Peterson. First, he talks about minor league pitchers and the expectation that they pitch a certain number of innings before being called up to the Show. Kazmir had 210 minor league innings under his belt, well shy of the 500+ that Peterson thought he should have (and that current Mets Al Leiter and Tom Glavine both exceeded before making their big league debuts).

"When his name came up in regards to this trade, now you start looking at high school pitching profiles in the big leagues. So we did our due diligence - 'Let's name some guys. Let's look at our team.' We've got two of them. Tom Glavine was a high school guy. He logged 530-some-odd innings and then started his career 9-21 with about a 5.00 ERA.

[...]

Okay, so let's look at Scott Kazmir. First of all, he hasn't even hit the halfway mark in innings pitched. And when he comes to the big leagues, what is our expectation? Is he going to be better than Tom Glavine when he comes to the big leagues? That's a tall order to ask. And Tommy was 9-21. So you start to say, 'Can you get somebody over the next three years who you think possibly can help our team win right now because our players on the field - one of the youngest infields in baseball - are maturing and getting ready to win soon?' How long do you want to wait for Kazmir? That's the question - not how good Kazmir is or what his value is. We know what his value is. But, realistically, Al Leiter had 690 minor-league innings."

Based on these numbers, Peterson didn't see Kazmir cracking the Mets starting rotation for possibly another two seasons, and predicted less-than-instant success when that time finally came. Certainly Glavine is a different type of pitcher than Kazmir, though Leiter was a flamethrower in his early days before blowing out his arm early and resorting to a more cerebral approach.

Following through with that logic, say Kazmir cracks the rotation in September of 2006, given a year of ineffectiveness, he's not really helping the Mets until 2008, three full seasons from now. Zambrano, he feels, can help the Mets right now (or at least as soon as next season), as well as several years to come.

My favorite quote is this one, though:

"We didn't go out to make a trade for the car that won the Indy 500 the last two years. We said, 'They were in the race. We think this could be a lot better.' We think this player can grow, and mature and be better than he already is. He was fifth in the league in comprehensive batting average against him last year behind Pedro Martinez, Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Esteban Loaiza, who had a career year. He was like second or third versus righthanders, with I want to say a .208 batting average. That's pretty good. And he's eight games over .500 with Tampa Bay. If you have five starters on your big-league staff who are eight games over, how are you doing?"

Disclaimer: The following is hopeless optimism on my part. I'm going to move forward because I've grown tired of dwelling on the negativity surrounding these trades, of which there is a plethora.

It's important to understand that the Mets got, in their opinion, the best pitcher "available". Translating Peterson's analogy, the top cars, the Priors, Woods, Santanas, Hudsons, simply aren't available. The Devil Rays, despite a surprise season, are not in the race, and probably won't be for at least a couple of years as their stud prospects gain experience.

Zambrano was available, and Peterson obviously thinks very highly of him. We take a leap of faith, of course, as his acquisition meant saying goodbye to one of our own, a kid we've followed for two seasons now. We look at our metrics, though, and we say that Zambrano is not so great, certainly not worthy of our best prospect. But despite our analyses, number crunching, and our weather-beaten copies of Baseball Prospectus, we don't know what Rick Peterson knows. The Mets were applauded for luring him to New York. The man is a god in some circles (these circles), and it wouldn't be a complete stretch to say that he has a bigger plan and that he knows what he's doing.

By all accounts, Zambrano is nasty. Wild, but nasty. His stuff has been compared to Pedro's, though that's sacred ground that you're treading on when you make such a comparison. But what if you had a chance to acquire a 29-year-old Pedro Martinez that nobody knew about, but it would cost you your top prospect? Surely that's what Peterson must have thought, because he did handsprings and backflips when the Mets pulled off the trade.

Time will heal the wounds of this trade, though they will heal a lot faster if Zambrano turns out to be as good as Professor Rick says he is.

We Miss You, Scott

As if you needed another reason to be depressed about the trades, Scott Kazmir made his debut for the Montgomery Biscuits (?), and pitched 5 innings allowing 3 hits, 3 walks, 1 HBP, no runs, and striking out 8. Victor Zambrano goes for the Mets on Thursday against the Brewers. I need a beer.

Good Grief

Studes at The Hardball Times, a long time suffering Met fan, has penned a terrific article relating the Five Stages of Grief to his experiences after this weekend's reverse-fire sale. Check out the article here, it's a must read.

The sad thing is, acceptance will come. My Metmania is beyond my control, built into my psyche. Eventually, I will have to accept this loss, just as I have accepted others. I have learned to deal with losses and mistakes, only to watch my team make more mistakes meant to correct the earlier mistakes. It seems that this is the essence of being a Mets' fan. Yes, sooner or later I will accept this mistake, too, and I will move on.

Or, maybe it just didn't happen...

In other news, the Mets stink.