Mike Silva's New York Baseball Digest » Blog Archive » 500, Stepping Up, Pavano, and Quirky Ballparks

500, Stepping Up, Pavano, and Quirky Ballparks


By Mike Silva ~ April 18th, 2009. Filed under: Morning Digest.

- Phil Cuzzi managed to tick off Mark DeRosa, Joe Girardi, and Mariano Rivera. The called third strike was definitely a make up for the blown 1-2 call. The strike zone, always a pet peeve of mine, has been all over the place so far this season.

- The one aspect of Citi Field no one is talking about is the brick facade behind home plate. There are some serious bounces taking place so far this week. Scoring on a wild pitch is going to be an adventure going forward. Imagine of this was October of 1986? Perhaps Kevin Mitchell gets thrown out at the plate.

- Peter Abraham points out that right field has been very friendly to hitters so far. Could the new Yankee Stadium be even better for left handed hitters?

- You have to give credit where credit is due. Derek Jeter has filled the A-Rod void and really stepped up late in ballgames. Not that A-Rod would be this clutch, but Jeter recognizes the Yankees offense is short handed and has won two tough ballgames this week.

- Jerry Manuel might have left Livan Hernandez in an inning too long. I don’t think you can get three times around the order with Livan. I realize the bullpen is overworked, but I think you get your five solid innings with Livan and call it a day.

- There was a ton of love for Gary Sheffield after his 500th homer. That should dispel any rumors that he would be a bad influence on the ballclub. So far he has done exactly what you would want: shut his mouth and not infringe on Daniel Murphy’s development.

- How much should the fan that caught the Sheffield 500th homer get? How about trading off a sub prime mortgage for it?

- Carlos Delgado is the best hitter in the Mets lineup. His at-bat, where he worked out a walk in the seventh, against Stetter is exactly why he has found his stroke.

- Before you give up on Hideki Matsui remember that Delgado was hitting below .200 in early May last year. I must admit he looks sickly.

- I predicted Omir Santos would have an impact on this team, although I thought it would have been because Ramon Castro got hurt.

- Brian Bruney (6 innings, 12 K’s) is becoming a very nice bridge to Rivera.

- Someone needs to teach Daniel Murphy how to bunt.

- I am not a huge fan of John Sterling, but his home run calls do have to make you laugh. Love his new “you’re on the mark Teixeira”.

- Joba is in the perfect position. He can do exactly what Livan Hernandez is doing: be a fifth starter. However, if he shows little progress by the end of 2009 I will begin my Joba to the bullpen quest again.

- Will the fans still boo Luis Castillo before today’s game?

- Over/Under on how many innings Carl Pavano lasts Sunday afternoon at the Stadium? Unlike Kris Benson’s return to Shea, Pavano will be lit up and last no more than three innings.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com
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3 Responses to 500, Stepping Up, Pavano, and Quirky Ballparks

  1. James K.
    April 18th, 2009 at 8:55 am

    I can’t resist – according to PITCHf/x, which tracks the location, type, and velocity of every pitch, that last pitch by Mariano was in fact in the strike zone. Good call by the umpire. PITCHf/x is a great tool and we never again have to speculate on whether an ump blew a call or not.

    I’ll be at the Mets game today.

  2. Jeter Fan
    April 18th, 2009 at 9:38 am

    “How much should the fan that caught the Sheffield 500th homer get? How about trading off a sub prime mortgage for it?”

    I believe the fan who caught the ball already traded it to Sheffield for Game Jerseys for the fan and his friends who were at the game. At least that is what Sheffield said in the psot game press conference.

    Fitting that the 500th HR came against the team he hit his first HR with.

    “Brian Bruney (6 innings, 12 K’s) is becoming a very nice bridge to Rivera.”

    then…..

    “Joba is in the perfect position. He can do exactly what Livan Hernandez is doing: be a fifth starter. However, if he shows little progress by the end of 2009 I will begin my Joba to the bullpen quest again.”

    First – Sheesh, not this stuff again.

    Second – how can you say Bruney is doing so well, then reiterate that you are going to want Joba back in the bullpen?

    Third – you can’t compare Joba to Livan when one is an up and coming potetntial top of the rotation starter (Joba) and the other (Livan) is an older, innings eater who is only there because the Mets had no one else in their system who could fill that role?

    Fourth – It takes more than one full season for a young starter to get his bearings. A Dwight Gooden comes along once a generation. Give Joba time – he will be fine. The Yankees have too many good bullpen arms in their system not to let Joba be a starter.

  3. Ceetar
    April 18th, 2009 at 9:58 am

    Pavano: 8IP, 2H, 0R, 1BB, 9K.

    The difference between Jeter being clutch and Wright not? About 8 miles. If Jeter hit’s his ‘home run’ at Citi Field, or another normal sized stadium, it’s a routine fly out to RF.

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