In case anyone cares, I’ve answered some questions over at Mets Today. It hasn’t posted yet, but there should also be some from me at MetsBlog.
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In case anyone cares, I’ve answered some questions over at Mets Today. It hasn’t posted yet, but there should also be some from me at MetsBlog.
Use code “Journal” for a 5% discount.
Excellent work as usual Mac. One question I’d like to ask the Mets guys.
Is the Mets pitching coach, Rick Peterson, making a big difference with the pitching staff? The Mets have seemed to turn several average starters into excellent pitchers. Is this just dumb luck, or is Peterson just that good?
With all the debates we have about the effectiveness or importance of McDowell, I wonder if Peterson is making a huge difference – at least in many people’s opinion.
Mac,
Great job, again over at the Mets blog.
I can’t tell if they were completely serious about all their questions.
For example, feeling that Escobar might be BETTER than Rentaria? Huh? Maybe they were just setting you up w/ a softball question.
And Stu, I am glad you weren’t the guy fielding the Davies question 🙂
td,
I just saw your post a second too late but you ask a GREAT question.
I have been thinking about how well guys like John Maine have pitched, how he’s helped guys like Glavine, Oliver Perez and even Jorge Sosa come back up. It’s pretty impressive.
An argument could be made that Peterson is the best pitching coach in Baseball. If you look at the Mets rotation on paper, they should be in 3rd or 4th place in the division, despite a good offense.
Speaking of their offense, I am thrilled that Braves killer Carlos Beltran is on the DL. Despite the Mets shuffling the rotation and making this series very tough, no Beltran increases the chances we can shut down their offense better.
One more thing.
I was looking at the pitching match-ups for the Phillies/Marlins series and unless the Phils make a change on Thursday the way the Mets did, we get to (thankfully) avoid Cole Hamels.
But the Mets rotation adjustment against us…taking Brian Lawrence out and moving El Duque to tomorrow night and John Maine to Thursday, really really stings.
Hopefully this post will make it, since I am a Mets fan, but I will remain respectful to the Braves fans.
Yes, Petersen has made a difference with Perez and Maine; he really seems to put 100% of himself into his job and is not a tough love kind of guy, he tries to “nurture: them along, which may be why they have responded. If you believe the press, he also made Tom Glavine believe he had to change and pitch inside, but Glavine then went out and made the changes. I think he has influence over everyone on the staff.
On the negative side, not everyone changes for the better; the kid we have, Burgos, never changed the way he threw. Rick wanted him to change speeds and the kid (only 23) tried to throw everything 100MPH and got lit up and is in the minors. Also, of course, there is the whole Kazmir for Zambrano deal he supposedly OK’d, and has become this generation’s Nolan Ryan for Jim Fregosi that I had to live with.
Regardless, even without your SS, Braves lineup is pretty intimidating. Most Mets fans I know want 2 out of 3 and will look at that as very successful. Have to keep the ball low and hope that middle of the lineup doesn’t get hot all at once, and our Mets keep hitting.
Kyle’s got the out pitch, he just doesn’t have command of it. Whether he’ll ever develop said command is of course a different issue.
I found your late-game hitting preference of Renteria interesting, Mac. I can definitely say there’s no one besides Chipper on the roster I’d rather have up there than Renteria…but I can also say that I’d much prefer Chipper. Probably just a result of too many “clutch” memories that stand out in my mind for him.
I have to go w/ Mac on this one. I love Chipper, I love having him up there, but if I had to pick 1 guy, I would go w/ Edgar too. He’s been money this year.
Yeah, I know. And he’s got a WS-winning hit under his belt. Like I said, I just have all these mental images of Chipper winning games in the last AB.
Stu;
I can see where you’re going. Chipper’s performance against the Mets must haunt their dreams.
Mac spoke from his heart. But he probably missed a chance to stick the needle in al ittle deeper by not naming Chipper!
Yeah, I’d have gone with something like, “Chipper, wouldn’t you agree?”
But Mac’s nicer than I am. Plus, his second-favorite team is the Mets.
Alex;
Hope things are going well for your baby. I just purchased the Atlanta Braves Mr. Potato Head for my grandson on the MLB site.
I’m just sayin’…
Kevin Lee-
Well, my baby is still currently residing in my wife’s tummy, but a Braves mr. potato head sounds like a great gift for him when he arrives 🙂
Stu…let me just say, I don’t care if it’s Renty, Chipper, Escobar, KJ, McCann…as long as someone beats the stinkin’ Mets.
I am kind of in the same boat as Mac about the Mets…my father & brother (as i have stated before) are die hard Mets fans.
Growing up in the 80’s, when the Braves & Mets were in different divisions and had no rivalry, I was practically an even fan on both! (still always Braves first). It all changed when the Braves moved to the NL East. (My mother smartly takes the side of the Braves when they play to even things out).
But when the Braves were out of it last year, and it was the Mets/Cards in the NLCS, I was 100% behind the Mets…besides my family, my searing, all encompassing hatred of Tony LaRussa (and his obnoxious attitude towards Cox whereas Willie Randolph is a respectful opponent and respects Cox)…it made it easy for me tp pull for our rivals in the NLCS.
But don’t mistake that for the complete enjoyment and ecstacy I feel whenever we beat the Mets or the hope that we embarrass them (if at all possible) by sweeping them at Shea this week.
both the braves and phillies web-sites have hamels is to pitch on friday with an extra days rest.
That sucks. Yahoo has him Thursday vs. the Fish but not surprised that would be wrong.
How aggravating…we were supposed to avoid Maine and Hamels this week and we now get both. Arrrgggg.
This series scares me. It’s much more important for the Braves than the Mets. The Mets are still in first even if we sweep them. The Braves have to win the series; if they lose 2/3, they are 5.5 out–that’s not insurmountable but it is substantial at this time of the year. Of course, there is always the Wild Card.
BTW, I was looking at the Braves schedule. As I figure it, the recent homestand was only the second winnning homestand the Braves have had all year. Can that be possible?
Great Moments in Met-Hate History:
The scene: A hotel in Amsterdam, October, 2006.
The time: Post-nightclub reality, probably 4:15 am.
I exit my taxi & stumble into the hotel lobby. I notice the internet kiosks. I calculate the time back in NYC and think, “Y’know, I’ll bet Game 7 of the NLCS is still going on.”
I sit at one of the kiosks & hit the Internet Explorer browser. The overnight clerk asks me if I’d like something from the bar.
I wipe a tear & mutter, “A Heineken, please.” And think, “God, I love this town.”
No audio on this old PC, so I fire up MLB.com’s Gameday the just in time to catch the fateful 9th inning—the Molina HR, the bases-loaded jam & the Beltran K.
Alone in the lobby, I give it one satisfying fist pump, finish my pint and go back to my room chuckling, knowing the enemy has expired for the season.
I would have had to say Chipper although this year Renteria isn’t a bad answer. I really like Stu’s suggested answer of “Chipper, wouldn’t you agree.”
I am so excited for this series. I feel very confident that we can go 4-2 on this trip and let everyone know that we won’t be going anywhere.
Is Mark Teixeira a Brave yet?
For just a single, in that situation, I’d take Renteria, then Chipper, then probably Escobar. Maybe Francoeur.
I think Renteria or Chipper is a win/win situation.
I think I would even take Chuck James or Corky Miller–anyone will be my hero this week if they get a GW hit against the Mets.
If the pitcher were a righty, I’d probably put Harris near the top of my list. Someone with speed can get on base more easily and in more ways than someone without it can.
I assume that’s at least part of the reason you chose Reyes, Mac. (I’d probably say LoDuca, mainly because he almost always puts the ball in play.)
Ditto…
That is one aspect I wish we had. We have it with Willie, but I just keep thinking that flash in the pan will wear out soon and he will return to his former self. And I still think of Harris as a bottom of the order hitter. Just makes me wish Kelly was faster…
Marc, thats our 3rd winning homestand this season
April 6th-15th 5-3 record
April 30th-May 10th 7-3
July 31st-August 5th 4-2
Low points at home this season…losing 5 of 6 to Boston and Detroit. Getting swept by Cincinnati after thumping the Pirates
Csg,
That split with St. Louis was sort of painful too…at home.
If Kelly had speed, he would be a GREAT leadoff hitter. But give me someone pesky like Eckstein as a leadoff hitter and I’ll be fine. That sucker has two World Series rings…
Joshua,
Why are we waiting on Willie’s demise…can’t we enjoy what he’s doing? I don’t understand.
Winning run on 3rd with game on the line…this year in this order, give me Edgar, Francouer, Escobar and Chipper. They all don’t mind going to the opposite field. By the way very good read on Francouer’s new approach….
http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070806&content_id=2133320&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl
Speed is BEYOND overrated for a leadoff hitter. Guys who consistently get on base are the only way to judge players.
Give me Kelly Johnson over Juan Pierre ANY DAY.
If Kelly had speed, he would be a GREAT leadoff hitter. But give me someone pesky like Eckstein as a leadoff hitter and I’ll be fine. That sucker has two World Series rings…
Not going to add anything to this. Just wanted to highlight Tony’s line of thinking.
Speed is not overated for a leadoff hitter. As Rickey Henderson, Vince Coleman, Tim Raines, Willie Wilson(Royals), Lonnie Smith(w/the Cardinals), have proven over the years, SPEED in the leadoff spot can really disrupt a ballgame. Sure you want someone who can get on base, but if that someone has speed…he is special.
What is my line of thinking Stu? Since you are such a genius?
new Corky thread!
Corky thread?
CSG,
Thanks. I missed one.
You can’t really compare leadoff hitters to day to guys like Henderson, Coleman, Raines,etc. because the game has changed so much. Base stealing in general is less important unless you have a very high percentage. There really are no base stealers today, including Reyes, that are nearly as good as those other guys because they worked on it more. Obviously, Willie Harris is not a particularly good base stealer so that aspect of his game is not too important. Today, speed is important in terms of getting from first to third and scoring on doubles into the gap. Harris can do that but unless you get on base consistently, that skill is not worth much. So, in general, I think the consensus today is that, given a choice between speed and on-base ability, you choose on-base ability. Speed can disrupt a game, but only if the guy gets on base.
You can’t underestimate the power of speed. Being super-fast makes it so much easier to get on base. Hell, if Ichiro hits a dribbler and it doesn’t go right to the pitcher, he is on base. And if he is on first, he might as well be on second as fast as he is (he can either steal on you or score from first on a double). Plus when a fast guy is on base, it takes the pitcher out of his gameplan. You have to throw more fastballs and keep part of your focus on the runner. It is silly to argue that speed doesn’t matter. That is just something fat people say to make themselves feel better.
Adding to Bobby V.’s comments regarding Rick Peterson, I’d say he’s definitely made an overall positive difference on the pitching staff. He’s had his share of clunkers – Zambrano, Burgos, and Jae Seo (who purportedly wouldn’t work with him which is why he was banished to Tampa Bay).
But he’s turned Maine and Perez around this year, got incredible years out of Roberto Hernandez and Darren Oliver, and got a workable couple months out of Jorge Sosa (I still don’t trust him though – he’s been lit up as a starter since he came back from injury and I don’t trust him in the bullpen).
The New York Times ran a really cool article a couple years ago on his super-tech pitching machines he runs the entire staff through. It even included a picture of Scott Kazmir all hooked up and pitching. Guess Peterson didn’t much like the readout. *sigh*
Honestly though, if this series comes down to a battle of the bullpens, the Braves will destroy the Mets because Mota and Schoeneweis have been absolute garbage this season and I don’t trust Sosa at all. Yet Willie still seems to love bring this deathly trio into the game in the most critical situations.
@ububba, lol. Awesome post.
But give me someone pesky like Eckstein as a leadoff hitter and I’ll be fine. That sucker has two World Series rings…
You’re one Big Red Machine story away from being Joe Morgan.
Hilarious. But serisouly, as a Met fan, the Kenny Rogers bases-loaded walk was worse.