Almost as inspiring as the Mets coming back from a 7-1 deficit was Keith Hernandez managing to work a Just For Men plug into a Bill Clinton sighting.
Not nearly as suave was SNY’s Chris Cotter, insisting to Carlos Beltran (above) that Jason Isringhausen (9 blown saves in ’06) is one of the top closers in the game. Which game might that be?
Though the Mets have reliquished Evan MacLane in exchange for Shawn Green, Newsday’s David Lennon reports that New York’s financial burden won’t be nearly as brutal as previously feared.
The final hurdle was Green’s salary, and the Mets pushed Arizona to pick up nearly half of his contract, which the D-Backs ultimately did in sending $6 million along with Green. From a financial standpoint, it helped the Mets that they included MacLane, a decent 23-year-old prospect who was 9-8 with a 3.86 ERA in 20 starts for the Tides.
Green has been on a steady decline since 2001, when he established career highs with 49 home runs and 125 RBI for the Dodgers. This season, he was batting .283 with 11 homers and 51 RBI for the Diamondbacks, but the Mets are hoping that he will benefit from being surrounded by one of the best lineups in baseball. Green is most likely to be slotted sixth, behind David Wright, at least until Floyd returns from the disabled list.
“He’s going to be my rightfielder,” manager Willie Randolph said. “He’s not having a typical Shawn Green year, but maybe a change of scenery will be good for him. It was an outstanding pickup by Omar.”
Minaya said yesterday that the trade was not insurance for the injured Floyd, but it makes sense to hedge against the possibility that he may not be back any time soon. Floyd has yet to play in a rehab game in Port St. Lucie, and the Mets don’t have a timetable for his return, regardless of Minaya’s optimism.
The Endy Chavez Fan Club can be assured their man will continue to see playing time…as a defensive replacement for Green. Would the 5th or 6th inning be too soon?
(ADDENDUM : Victor Diaz was designated for assignment today. Much as we’d love to see Diaz catch on somewhere he totally fell off a cliff in ’06. Surely Howard Johnson is blameless).
Reds 14, Astros 0
Round Rock Express alumni Jason Hirsh was throttled tonight by Cincy, the Reds’ 8 run 3rd inning matching their biggest single-frame outburst of the year. Adam Dunn and Scott Hatteberg each hit 3 run HR’s, and Kyle Lohse (above, 8 IP, 4 hits, no runs) didn’t look like the pitcher that couldn’t keep his place in the Twins’ rotation.
The Reds are a mere game behind the Cardinals in the NL Central, and maintained a 2 1/2 game advantage over the Phillies in the Wild Card chase. Philly’s post-Abreu spurt continued with a 6-3 win at Wrigley tonight, Ryan O’Malley’s 2nd big league start not turning out nearly as well as last week’s shutdown of Houston. Jamie Moyer earned the win in his Phillies debut (6 IP, 6 hits 3 earned runs, 4 K’s), and Shane Victorino and Danny Sandoval, playing in place of collision victims Rowand and Utley, combined for 4 hits and 2 runs.
The Rockies promoted Kaz Matsui from Colorado Springs today. Kaz has been playing short and CF a bit for the Sky Sox.
oy vey. i thought we’d be safe with a six run lead, even with weaver on the mound. i always underestimate the parade of sub-par pitching that follows
nearly every sub-par start. it ain’t in the cards this year. makes me long for the
stomach aches i got from tavares the past few seasons. well, we’ll see if mulder’s ready to pitch again tonite.
Luckily for the Cards, the Reds also lost. 7-1 games still shouldn’t turn into losses though.