Mets a mess

This is probably going to end up as the low point of a successful Met season, but it sure is ugly. It doesn't help a team to have all five of its top outfielders hurt at the same time. And a few for extended periods. Lastings Milledge would have been playing every day if he hadn't gotten hurt early on for New Orleans, the Mets' Triple-A team. Beltran didn't go on the disabled list recently, but he is definitely not 100%. His power seems to be gone at the moment. He said he has another quad injury, and he is the kind of player that gets all his strength from his legs.

In addition to the outfield problems, Carlos Delgado is really hurting the team. He has not been able to sustain any kind of hot streak, and he seems to always come up when they need a big hit, and he has rarely delivered. He's one of the players I respect the most, but something needs to change. My suggestion is to move him down to 6th for a few weeks, moving David Wright up to 4th and Shawn Green 5th. It's also time to move Lo Duca back to 2nd, because Reyes is not scoring when he gets on nearly as much as last year, and I think Lo Duca is the best number two hitter on the team. It's time for some hit-and-runs with those two.

Reyes' lack of power, and occasional lack of hustle is getting worrisome. I've noticed that he is not running hard when he hits a grounder right at the 2nd baseman or 1st baseman. He actually looks tired to me, but it's time Willie Randolph reminded him that he needs to run hard whenever he hits the ball.

The bench needs some rearranging, too. I would like to see Ruben Gotay turned into a super-utility guy. He has been almost exclusively a 2nd baseman in the past, but he seems athletic and strong enough to play anywhere except catcher and pitcher. There is no reason in the world why Julio Franco should ever start at 3B with a guy like Gotay around. Again, it's time to start Franco's coaching or managing career. They can't afford to keep him around for his wisdom when he is contributing nothing on the field. One guy that is available right now is Brady Clark, and he would help until all the injured outfielders come back.

When/if Moises Alou returns, I would give him a first baseman's glove. Right now, Shawn Green can play first, and then Franco. I would give Delgado some more rest, and it would be nice to be able to move either Alou or Green to 1B for a game or two when more speed is needed in the outfield (like when Perez or Maine pitch).

The pitching has finally given out, after trying to win with no offensive support the past few weeks. The two guys who are contributing the least are Guillermo Mota and Scott Schoeneweis. Mota I can understand, because he just came back from a long suspension, but Schoeneweis needs to go on the DL. He says he has a torn tendon in his leg, and he sure pitches like it; he's all arm, with no follow-through. He's not good enough to pitch well at less than 100%, and they need another lefty to replace him.

As far as how the pitchers are being used, I was really shocked when Randolph removed Pedro Feliciano after a walk with Ryan Howard coming up. He went to Wagner in the 8th, always a bad idea. Feliciano is their best setup guy right now, and their best pitcher against lefties. He's on the team to pitch to Ryan Howard in the 8th inning! Just because he walked one guy, doesn't mean he is having a bad outing. To me, Randolph was just asking for Wagner to blow his first save of the season, when they could least afford it.

The Mets have been very fortunate that the Braves have been struggling with injuries and poor play of their own, but that won't last. The Phillies have woken up, and the Marlins are surprisingly close to the top again. I think the Mets need to trade for at least one more reliable reliever, and even consider upgrading at 1B or 2B. Mark Texeira and Todd Helton might be available, and they are huge upgrades over Delgado right now. Jose Valentin is back, but he's not fully healthy, and his knee could give out at any time. It might be a good idea to get a better, younger, and healthier guy to play every day, and put Valentin on the bench or trade him.

© Judy Kamilhor 2007