The Mack Attack: August 6, 2008

By John Mackin Ade
Posted Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Pennant/Wild Car Race:

Cubs: 46
Philly: 51
Milw: 51
St. Louis 52
Florida 53
Mets 53

I have to say... you're into the 2nd week in August... very few people make the playoffs that had 5 teams ahead of them in the race in the 2nd week of August...

Match-Ups:

Wednesday: RHP Pedro Martinez (3-2, 6.16 ERA) vs. RHP Cha Seung Baek (3-5, 5.12),

Thursday: LHP Johan Santana (9-7, 2.86) vs. RHP Josh Banks (3-4, 3.65), 12:10 p.m.

Friday: Oliver Perez vs. ???

The current concern starts with the bullpen, where Billy Wagner could be headed to the disabled list after an MRI exam today, Duaner Sanchez maxed out at 86 mph over the weekend and Aaron Heilman suffered losses Friday and Saturday as his ERA moved back over 5.00 for the first time since mid-June. The Shea faithful can grouse over Wagner's seven blown saves, but you just need to recall the game against the Phillies that opened the last home stand, when Sanchez blew the save with the closer unavailable, to note how much Wagner is needed. Three days of rest between appearances in Miami and Houston didn't alleviate the tightness in Wagner's left forearm, so it's not a stretch to suggest he's headed to the DL. Regardless, Wagner probably won't be available against the Padres. That likely leaves the 1-6 Heilman as the closer by default. Jerry Manuel was prepared to use rookie Eddie Kunz - the former Oregon State closer just promoted from Double-A Binghamton - in that role Sunday in his major-league debut, but that was more because Heilman had worked the previous two games. Kunz has a Heath Bell-type confidence and could thrive as a closer with seasoning, but it probably would be best to initially ease him in during less-stressful situations first - like, say, the eighth inning, where Sanchez hasn't been as effective because of his dropping velocity. – Rotofield

Pitcher - Eddie Kunz (S) - Billy Wagner owners should be nervous and make a claim for Kunz ASAP. To need a second MRI isn't good news. Kunz is the closer of the Mets future from all reports, so he should be a good add. Being he is only up to AA his stats are tough to read, but he could be a player to have 2 months of domination as players adjust to him and learn his stuff. Don't drop a healthy established reliever though as Wagner could be back at any time, but it doesn't seem good. He is owned in 30% of CBS leagues. – RotoSavants

The Mets are at that stage now, through an interesting series of conflicting assessments and imperatives. General manager Omar Minaya’s job is to stock the roster as best he can. Aside from the occasional great success like 2001 first-round/supplemental pick David Wright and the greatly improved Mike Pelfrey, the ninth overall pick in 2005, the Mets have been very mediocre at drafting a development team. They haven’t hit the lows of the 1990s, when they annually tossed away high picks on flawed players such as Al Shirley, Ryan Jaroncyk, and Robert Stratton, but they haven’t produced many players of use, and what has been produced has been flawed. As Carlos Gomez has demonstrated for the Twins, for all his physical assets, he is, at least for now, not a major league regular. His range in the outfield has been extraordinary. His work at the plate has been extraordinary, too, but not in a good way. Any general manager would have hung up the phone with the Twins and said, “They want to give me Johan Santana for a package built around that guy? I’d better jump on that.” Minaya can’t be blamed for cashing in his team’s near-trash for another’s undisputed treasure. - NYSun

Zephyrs:

B-Mets:

OF Fernando Martinez (#1 Mets prospect per TMA) was back in the lineup Tuesday night, batting 1st.

Tobi Stoner tossed seven shutout innings and the Binghamton Mets rapped out 11 hits en route to a 6-1 win over the Bowie Baysox at Prince George’s Stadium Tuesday. Binghamton’s won two straight and five of seven.

Binghamton (62-56) didn’t trail after the first, when Mike Carp doubled off Zach Clark and Caleb Stewart followed with a two-run homer.

The B-Mets broke the game open against Clark (1-1) in the fifth.
Josh Petersen led off with a double and, three batters later, scored on Fernando Martinez’s double. Coronado followed with a double of his own to plate Martinez before Stewart’s single brought in Coronado for a 5-0 Binghamton lead.

Back-to-back doubles in the sixth by Salomon Manriquez and Anderson Machado, the latter scoring Manriquez, accounted for Binghamton’s final run.

Stoner (4-4) had more than enough run support. The righthander allowed three hits and a walk, striking out six. Edgar Alfonzo went the final two innings, allowing a run in the eighth on Jeff Nettles’ double-play groundout. - bmets

Lucy:

Add IF – Luis Castillo to roster on ML Rehab and batted him first Tuesday night...

SP Nick Carr just can't seem to make that jump from A to A+ ball... he struggled at the beginning of the year, but got his game back together while pitching for Savannah... to only once again get sent to Lucy and struggle again. Tuesday night he lasted only 3 innings...

Gnats:

P Brant Rustich (# 22 Mets prospect per TMA) returned to being a starter Tuesday night... not bad for a kid with a blister... 5.0 IP, 2 H, O R , 3 Ks, 3.98 ERA...

OF Carlos Guzman #37 Mets prospect per TMA) may have gone hitless on Tuesday night, but if you do the numbers and compare them to the other outfielders in the organization, his performance this year has just about guaranteed him a bump to Lucy in the spring of 2009.

Clones:

Cyclones first baseman Jason Jacobs was sent to St. Lucie following Monday night’s game.

RP Yury Santana suffered a strained muscle in his throwing arm on Sunday in Staten Island and his current status is unknown.

There was no Clone game on Tuesday.

K-Port:

P Phillips Orta (#52 Mets prospect per TMA) started Tueday night for the first time this year (after 10 relief outings). Orta was drafted as a starter and I watched him struggle last year with the Gnats, but you could see this kid had some nasty stuff... he pitched brilliantly, with 5.0 innings of scoreless ball, 4 Ks, and lowered his ERA to 1.80

SS Wilmer Flores (#2 Mets prospect per TMA) singled in the first run in the 1st inning... that was his 33rd RBI for the season... in 40 games... for a 16 year old...

OF Rafael Fernandez (#23 Mets prospect per TMA) hit his 4th home run of the season... great find this year...

GCL Mets:

The GCLers beat the Cars, 6-3, Tuesday afternoon... it marked the return of P Ambiorix Burgos after TJS... he pitched 2 innings, giving up 3 runs while striking out 4... which is fine in my book for the first time out after surgery... the hitting star was OF Cesar Puello (#7 Mets prospect per TMA), who went 3-5.

DSL Mets:

The 33-21 DSL Mets lost, 6-1 (Monday night - the results come in one day late), to the Marlins... there were only 3 Mets hits and the only pitchers that pitched well was a 1Bman, and someone that threw 3 scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to just under 13.00...

VSL Mets:

When was the last time a VSL Met pitcher pitched a complete game, 9-inning, shutout? Well, it was Monday night, when Luis Duarte (1-2, 2.55) scattered 9 hits, while striking out 6 and walking only one.

Minor League Bios:

Guillaume Leduc P R R 6-4 192 7-28-87 Edouard Montpetit College (Montreal)

This is from BA prior to the draft:

Righthander Guillaume Leduc is a second French Canadian who could be taken inside the top 10 rounds. The 6-foot-4, 190-pounder is older than most of his fellow countrymen, at 19, and has flashed a fastball up to 88 mph and can spin a good curveball at 70-74. Most of the major flaws in his delivery are correctable, and because of his size and strength he creates enough leverage to help his stuff play up.

From the ‘Montreal Gazette’:

After his first year of junior baseball with the Ducs de Longueuil, Leduc was invited to train with the Academie Baseball Canada and travelled the last two springs to Florida to face professional hitters. Not once in those two trips has Leduc allowed an earned run, and he struck out six straight Toronto Blue Jays prospects in one game in March. Now an imposing 6-foot-4 and 170 pounds, Leduc can throw consistently in the 87-89-mph range and is dominating the Quebec junior elite league with Longueuil. On Sunday, he threw a complete game one-hitter in Repentigny, striking out 13 and walking only two in seven innings.

The Mets drafted Leduc in the 6th round of the 2007 draft. He was signed and played the 2007 season for The GCL Mets, where he went 1-1, 2.21 in 6 games (3 starts).

Ex-Mets:

To bring aid to their taxed bullpen, the Rockies called up right-handed reliever Steven Register from Triple-A Colorado Springs on Monday. Left-hander Valerio De Los Santos was designated for assignment to make room on the roster. The Rockies' bullpen was used heavily during their recently completed 10-game road trip. De Los Santos (0-1) was unable to get past the fourth inning in either of his starts, and Jorge De La Rosa (5-6) was lifted after giving up seven runs in 1 1/3 innings on Friday against Florida. "We needed another arm in the bullpen," manager Clint Hurdle said. "We've pitched a lot of innings out of the bullpen the last seven days." Register, 25, went 5-2 with 16 saves and a 3.28 ERA in 48 games with the Sky Sox. Register was originally selected by Colorado in the third round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, but was taken by the Mets in the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 6, 2007. He spent Spring Training with the Mets, but was returned to Colorado on March 27. – MiLB.com

This Day in Mets History:

1982 - The Yankees trade 1978 play-off hero Bucky Dent to the Rangers for outfielder/first baseman Lee Mazzilli. In spite of hitting just .169, the popular Yankee infielder nearly was elected to the All-Star game by the fans.

1988 - Pirates' relief pitcher Jim Gott balks three times in the eighth inning bringing home to the winning run in a 5-3 loss to the Mets

2003 - Three weeks after trading for Armando Benitez with the crosstown Mets, the Yankees trade the much maligned reliever to Mariners. In return, the Bronx Bombers get back 36-year-old Jeff Nelson for his second tour with the team.

2006 - The Mets continue make a commitment to their young players signing 23-year old David Wright to a $55 million, six-year contract extension. The third baseman joins shortstop Jose Reyes, also 23, who inked a long term deal with the club three days ago worth $23.25 million over the four years of the extension of the Dominican's contract

And lastly:

From the Mets: - “We have received a number of inquiries regarding the dismantling of Shea following the 2008 season and access to purchase memorabilia from Shea. We are pleased to advise that the Mets - in partnership with the City of New York which owns and operates Shea Stadium - are offering you the first opportunity to purchase a pair of YOUR seats from Shea Stadium. “The cost of the pairs of seats is $869 during this limited-time, exclusive offer. “Proceeds from the Mets’ share of net revenues generated through the sale of seat pairs will be donated to the Mets Foundation, which will distribute the funds to various charities.”