Leverage, Early Shower, 8th Inning, and the 4th of July
By Mike Silva ~ July 4th, 2009. Filed under: Morning Digest.
- Those guys who were umpiring in the stands at Yankee Stadium couldn’t have done any worse than what we have seen this year.
- The Mets/Phils game is one of those games you kick out before 8:30 PM and find something more productive to do.
- The Phil’s (Hughes and Coke) have really stabilized this bullpen. In last 7 apps, Hughes has pitched a CG SHO: 9IP, 4 Hs, 1 BB, and 10Ks. Coke has been un-scored upon on in 15 of last 16 outings (0.66 ERA) Who needs Huston Street?
- The sloppy mistakes by the Mets are mind boggling. To quote our buddy Dr. Mark (who I met at the Long Island Ducks game yesterday) “I have become numb to the bad play”.
- Joe Girardi still can’t seem to grasp the importance of players knowing their roles out in the bullpen. I have no reason to argue with Hughes pitching the eighth. With the way he is pitching you could make the point he has been as dominant as Joba circa 2007. Just be honest when the question is asked so there is no communication issues. I think Hughes has shown a knack for his relief role and should be given the eighth inning going forward. Have Bruney do the situational outs with Coke in the seventh.
- Another solid outing by Pat Misch and Elmer Dessens eating up 4 innings. They aren’t going to be high leverage relievers, but they have come in and saved Feliciano and Green from having to pitch every day.
- It very well could be that AJ Burnett is finally over that “New York adjustment period” and you will see the Burnett from 2008. That would be huge slotted behind CC Sabathia the rest of the season. For the Tampa fans that started to get giddy my message is “it’s too late”.
- Oliver Perez was less than impressive in his AAA outing. Again, does it matter? What kind of harm will he bring to this very imperfect season? Just bring the guy back and let’s see what he has. Knowing that Ollie tends to rise up to games that matter, it makes sense that a Friday night in Buffalo isn’t going to get his juices going.
- On the Buffalo topic, congrats to Nelson Figueroa for making the AAA All Star Team. This guy has pitched some of the best ball of his career. It’s a shame the Mets can’t find a spot for him in the rotation. My guess is that Tim Redding gave them 2.25 million reasons.
- Shelley Duncan, Austin Jackson, and Chris Stewart will represent the Scranton Yankees.
- Need your baseball fix? Listen to the replay of my “Classic 4th of July Games” show. Enjoy the fireworks and fun!
