Mack Attack: June 26, 2008

By John Mackin Ade
Posted Thursday, June 26, 2008

The Real Race:

Phils: 36 losses
Marlins: 37 (lost Wed night)
Mets: 39 (won Wed night)
Braves: 41 (won Wed night)
Nats: 49

One thought…

1. Milwaukee Brewer’s ace SP Ben Sheets said last night that he is going to test the FA waters… after tossing a complete-game four-hitter Monday night against Atlanta, he is 9-1 with a 2.59 earned run average through 15 starts, with a league-best three complete games… worth taking a look at, no?

Jerry Manuel after Tuesday’s game:

“We have to do what we can. And it could mean some tough decisions,” said Jerry. It could be lineup changes, could be rotation changes, it could be all types of changes. We have to do what we have to get this team on track.”

Willie Randolph won't have to look far if he wants another job in baseball - he just needs to call Hank Steinbrenner. "There's certainly some stuff I can think of for one of the greatest infielders I've ever seen," Steinbrenner told The Post yesterday. Steinbrenner would love seeing Randolph work with the Yankees' young infielders. But Steinbrenner mentioned that the job of manager in the foreseeable future isn't an option for Randolph - The Baby Boss is happy with Joe Girardi. Steinbrenner made it clear that he considers Randolph a Yankee and holds no ill-will toward him for leaving the organization to manage the Mets, who fired him last week. "If he had left to take over the Red Sox maybe I would have had a problem with that," Steinbrenner said. "He's a Yankee. He'll always be a Yankee. Even the Mets never completely accepted him because they thought he was a Yankee." -- NY Post

The Mets claimed infielder Andy Phillips off waivers from Cincinnati on Wednesday, four days after the Reds designated him for assignment. Phillips will join the team Friday for a two-stadium doubleheader against the Yankees. Phillips was drafted by the Yankees in 1999 and spent parts of the 2004-07 seasons in New York. He signed a minor league contract with the Reds in January after refusing to accept a similar deal with the Yankees in December and opting for free agency. Phillips was called up from the minors by the Reds on May 28. He made two starts at third base for Cincinnati and was batting .143 (3-for-21) with four RBIs. He was hitless in his past 10 at-bats when the Reds cut him Sunday

Zephyrs:

No game Wednesday night…

B-Mets:

Bobby Parnell allowed a run over seven innings and the Binghamton Mets scored all their runs in the first inning of a 5-2 win over the Altoona Curve at NYSEG Stadium Wednesday. Binghamton has won five of seven and 19 of 26
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Altoona (34-42) got their only run off Parnell (7-4) in the first, on Jonel Pacheco’s RBI groundout.

Eric Reed led off the Binghamton (43-34) half of the first with a single to center off Luis Muñoz. Jonathan Malo followed with a bunt-base hit before Nick Evans singled in Reed. After Mike Carp walked to load the bases, Caleb Stewart and Josh Petersen each singled, scoring Malo and Evans, respectively. Emmanuel Garcia scored Carp with a fielder’s choice and Stewart came in on Mike Nickeas’s sacrifice fly, putting the B-Mets ahead 5-1. Muñoz (1-1) departed after 2/3 of an inning.

Altoona scored the game’s final run in the eighth on Melvin Dorta’s RBI groundout off Tim Lavigne. Eddie Kunz tossed a scoreless ninth for his 19th save in 22 chances.

Lucy:

Lucy beat Sarasota, 3-0, in an early day game Wednesday… SP Dillon Gee, coming off his failed attempt at a no-hitter last week, tossed 7 scoreless innings and lowers his ERA to 3.19… RP/CL Stepen Clyne continues his excellent June pitching, throwing in 2 scoreless innings for his first save. Clyne has a 2.04 ERA in his last 10 appearances… perennial 3B prospect Shawn Bowman went 1-3 and continues his excellent return to baseball (.348).

Gnats:

Michael Fisher’s two-out double to right broke the tie and Cody Johnson’s two-run double provided insurance as the Braves rallied for three runs in the 13th inning for an 8-5 win over the Sand Gnats on Wednesday night.

After using five pitchers in the first 12 innings, Manager Donovan Mitchell turned to catcher Tony Maccani to work the thirteenth. Maccani (0-1) pitched admirably in his professional debut on the mound, retiring the first two Rome hitters before Jason Heyward drew a walk to start the rally. Freddie Freeman also earned a base on balls before Fisher and Johnson clubbed the game-deciding hits.

Savannah (2-5, 35-42) held a 5-2 lead in the eighth when Adam Coe ripped a two-run homer to left to cut the lead to one. With two outs in the ninth, Cody Johnson singled to right to tie the game at 5.

The Gnats rocked Jeff Locke early on, scoring four runs in the first two frames to take a 4-0 lead. Nick Giarraputo doubled to left to score Casey Craig with the first run.

Savannah squandered numerous opportunities to score, including a two-on, no-out situation in the 12th. The Gnats left a season-high 18 runners on base. Both teams combined to leave 32 men stranded on the bases.

Jake Eigsti led the way for Savannah with a career-high four hits while Juan Lagares went 3-for-6. The Sand Gnats have lost four consecutive games.

Thomas Palica (5-2) pitched 3.0 scoreless innings for the win.

Clones:

-SP Scott Shaw, the Mets 13th round draft pick, had his 2nd great outing so far this year Wednesday night… Shaw (0.00) added 5.0 scoreless IP to his first star where he threw 4.0 innings worth of goose eggs.

GCL Mets:

Mets beat the Marlins, 8-3… starter Jenrry Mejia is now 0.90 ERA in 10.0 IP… 3B Jefry Marte (.381) went 3-5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBIs… Fernando Martinez went 2-5, including a triple (.400) and will rehab for one more game here…

DSL Mets:

According to the last game reported today online, the Mets beat the Dodgers, 2-1, raising their record to 13-7… SP Ismael Valdez (6.1IP, 1 ER) now has a 0.49 ERA in 4 games… that’s 1 ER in 18.1 IP.

VSL Mets:

Lost 9-5 to the Rays… the Mets had 10 hits, including 2 each for 2B Ray Van Gurp (.214), SS Jose Belorin (.325), and 1B Luis Hernandez (.218)… mucho stinko pitching from 16-year old starter Rafael Manuel (1IP, 5 ER, 9.45 ERA).

Minor League Bios:

Willie Collazo P L L 5' 9" 175 11-07-1979 Florida Internatinal University

Collazo played College ball for Florida International University, where in 2001, he was named to the 3rd team College All-American team, and MVP of the South Bend regional College World Series. His pitching stats were quite impressive: 20 games, 19 starts, 13-1, 2.94.

He was originally drafted in the 10th round, in 2001, by the Atlanta Braves, and played in their organization in Jamestown (2001), Macon (2001 ), Greenville (2002-2003), and Myrtle Beach (2003). The Braves lost Collazo to Anaheim in the Rule V draft, where it seemed that his career took off in the wrong direction.

2004 was spent at AA Arkansas (6-10, 4.62) and in April 2005, Collazo was suspended for 15 games for testing positive for steroids. His stats that year were a disappointing 6.75 ERA wth the Los Angeles Angels' Class AA and AAA teams.

His 2nd chance came in March of 2006, when the Mets signed Collazo to a minor league contract after pitching for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. Collazo split the year between Binghamton (AA) and Norfolk (AAA) of the International League. He was 7-6 with a 3.11 ERA in 18 starts for Binghamton (1.01 WHIP and walked only 16 batters in 118+ innings) and 3-3 with a 4.79 ERA in seven games, five starts for the Tides. He pitched 2006 winter ball for Carolina of the Puerto Rico League. As of 12-22-06, Collazo’s stats were 2-2 in 7 games (5 starts) and a 2.53 ERA.

Collazo’s fastball is in the 79-86 mph range and tops out at 88. Throws an excellent change up. Probably his best pitch to both left and right handed batters. Also throws a curve and a slider/cutter. Eats a lot of innings. His future could be as a ‘lefty one out guy’, a LOOGY.

In 2007, Collazo had a good season for AAA New Orleans (6-5, 2.46, 1.11 in 53 appearances, 4 starts) and was called up to the Mets when the rosters expanded in September. He was alos named the winner of the Strling Award as the MVP for the New Orleans Zephyrs in 2007.

January 20, 2008 on FlushingUniversity.com:

Very interesting developments down in the tail end of the Venezuelan Winter Leagues… RP Willie Collazo has been converted to a starting pitcher for the 'La Guaira' team that made the playoffs and, in his last start, pitched 7 scoreless innings (7 H, 0 W, 4 Ks) His 'season' record there: 11 Gs 59 IP 3-3 3.20 BB/SO: 14/30 - GO/AO 1.92 and batters are hitting 2.95.

Ex-Mets:

The Astros purchased the contract of infielder-outfielder David Newhan from Triple-A Round Rock

The Astros also placed IF Kazuo Matsui (strained right hamstring) on the 15-day DL

The Yankees optioned P Billy Traber to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA).

The Marlins have sent down RP Matt Lindstrom to Albuquerque after their loss to the Rays on Tuesday. Lindstrom went 1-1 with a 5.18 ERA in 30 games this season.

P Dan Wheeler is the AL leader in holds, having picked up his 18th last Thursday night.

3B Leivi Ventura signed to play with the Wichita Wingnuts of the American Association.

This Day in Mets History:

1961 - The Yankees beat the Angels, 8-6, and Yogi Berra collects his 2000th career hit, all as a Bronx Bomber. To celebrate the achievement a huge cake is rolled out in Wrigley Field in Los Angeles.

1983 - Delivering for the Mets in the ninth inning, a single off Philadelphia relieve Ron Reed, Rusty Staub ties the single season record with his eighth consecutive pinch hit. 'Le Grand Orange' equals the 1958 mark established by Dave Philley of the Phillies.

And lastly:

Jim Plummer, who had been with the Mets' organization since he was a bat boy in 1965, died Tuesday at New York University Medical Center. Plummer, 56, had liver and kidney transplants over the weekend and died of a heart attack, Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz said. The club held a moment of silence before Tuesday's game. At the time of his death, Plummer was director of corporate sales. "Plum was a friend who helped me get adjusted to New York," ex-Met Dwight Gooden said in a statement. "He was there for me whenever I needed something." -- Bergen Record