With the PC Coaching Search dominating our thoughts recently, we’ve been a little lax on keeping you updated with the young baseball season after our initial live blogging efforts. But yesterday’s Phils/Mets contest gives us occasion to jump back into America’s pastime.
We’re certainly not in the business of jumping to conclusions (bonus points: second Tom Smykowski reference within a month), but there’s a couple of lessons we can take from yesterday’s game.
There’s not a whole lot separating these teams.
Jamie Moyer and Oliver Pérez both gave their clubs solid outings: Moyer got the win after surrendering just 2 ER in 6 IP, while Pérez left with a 2-0 lead after tossing 5.2 scoreless innings. The Phillies just happened to take advantage of some wildness by New York’s hurlers (7 BBs) and a crucial throwing error by Carlos Delgado, while the Mets failed to plate any runs after putting two runners aboard in both the 7th and the 8th innings.
Scott Schoeneweis and Aaron Heilman struggled for the Mets; Chad Durbin, J.C. Romero, and Tom Gordon locked it down for the Phillies after Moyer left. Bullpens are fickle, so expect to see the script flipped plenty of times this year.
Carlos Delgado can still hit baseballs out of the baseball park.
Delgado really struggled last year, posting an OPS of .781 — over 150 points below his career average. He was a solid 7-for-22 on the season coming into yesterday’s game, but his titanic solo shot off Moyer (a lefty, no less) in the 2nd inning yesterday surely goes a long way toward assuaging Mets fans’ fears that the lumbering first baseman is all washed up.
Either Delgado or Moisés Alou needs to be healthy and effective for the Mets; otherwise, the lineup ceases to threaten once pitchers get past Carlos Beltrán in the cleanup spot. New York’s 1 through 4 is as good as any in the National League (with the possible exception of Philly’s), but an ineffective Delgado and frequently MIA Alou gave the Mets only sporadic production from the rest of the lineup throughout last year.
It’d be great for the Mets if Delgado and Alou can both stay healthy and productive for the entire year, but barring that minor miracle, one of the two needs to swing the bat well to balance New York’s lineup.
The Phillies’ lineup is as good as advertised.
Yes, the Phils got two unearned runs off the Delgado throwing error (the fourth time the Mets hit Utley yesterday — I smell conspiracy), but they nonetheless churned out 5 runs in 2 innings with the game on the line. While Pat Burrell has been hot early (.385 AVG, 3 HR, 9 RBI’s, and an up-and-running MVP campaign headed by We Should Be GM’s), the amazing thing is that the Phils have gotten along without Ryan Howard kicking it into gear yet. The big guy is hitting .179 with only 3 RBI’s so far, so once he gets hot, it’ll make the lineup that much more fearsome.
A side note on the Phils’ offense: Jayson Werth is fast developing a reputation as a Met killer. He hit .370 in ten games against New York last year, and Mets fans still have nightmares about him swiping two bags off of Billy Wagner in that crazy 11-10 win last August 30. On Tuesday, he knocked in the go ahead run with a two out single in the 7th. With southpaws (Johan Santana and Pérez) comprising 40% of the Mets’ starting rotation, Werth will need to play a lot against the Mets — and so far, he seems up to the task.
Rick Astley is awesome.
The campaign to Rick Roll the Mets actually worked… and it seems their fans didn’t take too kindly to it.
Not the Yanks and Sox, to be sure, but a budding rivalry nonetheless. Game 2 of 18 takes place tonight on ESPN2, as the Mets send Mike Pelphrey to the mound to take on Phillies sinkerballer Kyle Kendrick.
