Baseball

Adam Rubin hits on the one question many Met fans are now asking themselves after three seasons under Sandy Alderson. In a post to ESPN New York, Adam writes: Forget Ike Davis’ struggles for a second. Forget even the payroll constraints, which is asking a lot to look past. Here’s one question that rarely gets asked: Where are the Moneyball players with the Mets? And by that I mean: Why have there not been more productive free agents signed to those $2 million to $4 million contracts? Or how about some low-cost acquisitions via other routes that provide placeholders until a prospect is ready to assume the role? Bam! Finally, this is getting some attention. We all know about having to operate with a $90 million payroll constraint, but wasn’t winning on the cheap supposed to be Sandy’s hallmark? As Rubin points out, wasn’t finding those hidden gems supposed to be a Mets front-office strength because of the executives’ small-market pedigrees? The article ends with a sobering reality: So if you’re looking for reasons why the Mets today sit at 10 games under .500 this early in a season for the first time since 2001, blame the lack of spending. Blame the deliberate pace of building from within. But also blame the lack of identification of placeholders who can contribute at reasonable costs in the interim. It’s still five days until Matt Harvey next pitches…

Forget the cowbell, the Yankees need more Toronto. New York is ten games over .500 so far this season. Breaking it down, they are 8-1 when playing the Blue Jays and 20-17 when playing everyone else.

Last week I read an article here on MMO, and at the end of the article Joe D. added his comments. Joe was explaining that MMO is not a site that is going to sugarcoat things. We’re going to give it to straight. We’re passionate about the Mets, but we’re not going to insult your intelligence. Joe’s last sentence was “we serve hard liquor here“. Those five words have inspired this edition of 3N3. As we approach the quarter-post of the season, I want to take a step back, and look at 3 positive things, and 3 negative things that we have seen so far. My intent is not to bash the team, but to give my honest assessment. So here we go. 1. Captain America: David Wright, is one of the few legitimate offensive threats this team has. Besides what he brings to the plate, David Wright is everything a baseball player should be. He plays hard every game. He loves getting his uniform dirty. He’s great handling the NY press corp. He’s just the real deal. One concern I have with David, is I would like to him go to the mound when the starters are struggling. He used to do it with Pelf, and I think he should do it more. He is sixth in the NL with a .403 on-base percentage and is ninth with a .320 mark vs. righthanded pitchers. Wright is also hitting .444 (16-36) with RISP, tied for the third-best mark in the National League. 2. Murphy Keeps Hitting: Other than David Wright, and perhaps the newly acquired Rick Ankiel, Daniel Murphy is the only genuine MLB hitter in the lineup. Like Wright, Murph comes ready to play on a daily basis. He’s done everything the organization has asked him to do from playing in left, then moving to first, and finally settling at second base. Hard work has now established him as a pretty good second baseman. During all that confusion, Murphy continued to hit. Going into yesterday’s game he was is 15-for-his-last-36 (.417) and had at least one hit in nine of his last 10 games, batting .400 (16-40) with two home runs and five RBI over that clip. He has 13 doubles, tied for the seventh-most in the NL. It’s a pleasure watching a Daniel Murphy at bat. 3. The Real Deal: I’m not the type of guy to go gaga over any young inexperienced player, but man Matt Harvey is surely something special. More and more I keep hearing from long time fans how Harvey reminds them of Tom Seaver. Harvey is 5-0 record with a 1.93 ERA, fifth-best in the league. Entering yesterday, he’s allowed three runs or less in 16 consecutive starts, the fifth-longest streak in franchise history. His starts are becoming an event, and he may be the only Met All-Star this year. 1. Davis & Duda Are Duds: To me, the two greatest disappointments on this team are Ike Davis & Lucas Duda. We all heard how Ike isn’t sick this spring, or recovering from injury, so he should get off to a good start. We all heard how this is a make it or break it year for Lucas Duda. These two guys are horrible. Ike Davis: has a .149 batting average, four home runs, nine RBI. Why is he still on the big club? I simply don’t understand how a GM can look at how this team is doing nothing on offense and yet allow Davis to waste a roster spot. It’s mind boggling. Lucas Duda: Has a .226 batting average, eight home runs, 14 RBI. Even worse for Duda is that he’s a horrible outfielder. Every time the ball gets hit in his direction I hold my breath. Just awful, awful, awful. I laugh every time Gary Cohen tells us Davis & Duda are Terry’s “big bats”. If that doesn’t make you reach for the mute button, nothing will. 2. Gee & Hefner, the 40% Void: Dillon Gee and Jeremy Hefner, 2/5 or 40% of the Mets starters are a combined 2-10 this season. Hefner is 0-5 with a 5.00 ERA, while Gee is 2-5 with a 6.04 ERA. Even more frightening is who knows how deep into the game these two can or will go? Both Gee & Hefner have had nine starts this season, Hefner has thrown 45 innings, and Gee 44.2

Via Paul Lukas – We’ve known for several months now that MLB teams would be wearing G.I. Joe caps on Memorial Day. But reader Brendan Hickey has picked up on something that hasn’t yet been officially announced: If you go to each MLB team’s online shop and go to the listing of men’s authentic jerseys, the first item listed is a jersey with camouflage numbering and lettering, similar to the ones worn this past Saturday by the Angels and White Sox (that was for Armed Forces Day). In each case, the team’s online shop only shows a home camo jersey or a road camo jersey — not both — depending on whether the team is playing at home or on the road next Monday. Tucked away in the fine print is the following line: “As worn on-field Memorial Day May 27th, 2013.” So every MLB team will be wearing G.I. Joe jerseys next Monday (yes, even the Yankees), in addition to the G.I. Joe caps. It’s been said many times before, but it bears repeating: Memorial Day is not a day for celebrating the military. It’s a day for honoring the military dead. A more appropriate gesture would be an MLB-wide black armband. An even better gesture would be a pregame moment of silence, without anything on the uniform. But as is so often the case nowadays, merchandising and pandering trump common sense. Amen.

The story. Hey, maybe the dude can parlay this into becoming a spokesperson for K-Y® INTRIGUE® Premium Intimacy Lubricants?

Make sure you post any fantasy baseball questions you may have in the comments section of the daily Roundup. I will answer all of your questions, and you can post multiple questions if you want.If you haven't listened to Episode 2 of the Fake Teams podcast, make sure you check it out in this link.The Phillies rotation is not performing to expectations this season, as Roy Halladay had shoulder surgery and Cole Hamels is not the Cole Hamels we drafted on draft day, but Cliff Lee is still one of the best pitchers in the game. He shutout the Marlins last night, throwing a complete game three hitter. Lee walked two and struck out five to earn his fifth win of the season. Lee is now 5-2 with a 2.48 ERA, 2.99 FIP, a 1.02 WHIP and a 55-13 K-BB rate in 72.2 innings. He has given up 2 runs or less in seven of his ten starts this season, including each of his last four starts. His strikeout rate has dropped from 8.83 K/9 last year to 6.81 K/9 in 2013, and his ground ball rate has dropped from 45.0% to 38.3% this season, so both are minor concerns his owners should be aware of Read more Cliff Lee news

The Tigers scored 9 runs in the first five innings, and hung on to win. Current Series Tigers lead the series 1-0 Tue 05/21 WP: Max Scherzer (6 - 0) LP: Corey Kluber (3 - 3) 1 - 5 loss Detroit Tigers Bless You Boys @ Cleveland Indians Let's Go Tribe Wednesday, May 22, 2013, 7:05 PM EDT Progressive Field TV: FSD-HD (DET)/STO-HD (CLE)/MLB.TV RADIO: WXYT (DET)/WTAM (CLE)/MLB Audio Justin Verlander vs Ubaldo Jimenez Mostly cloudy,rain. Winds blowing out to right field at 10-20 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 75. Complete Coverage > Pre-Game Reading Material Series Preview: Detroit Tigers - May 21-22 Game 44 Preview: Tigers at Indians @ Bless You Boys Latest News The areas east and south of Cleveland are under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch through 10 PM tonight, and Cleveland itself could see some rain tonight as well. So tonight's game could be affected by weather. Francona: Swisher (on MLB's paternity list) is scheduled to rejoin the Indians in time for Friday's game in Boston. — Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) May 22, 2013 Tonight's Lineups Cleveland Detroit CF Michael Bourn LF Andy Dirks 2B Jason Kipnis RF Torii Hunter SS Asdrubal Cabrera 3B Miguel Cabrera LF Michael Brantley 1B Prince Fielder 1B Carlos Santana DH Victor Martinez DH Jason Giambi SS Jhonny Peralta 3B Mark Reynolds C Brayan Pena RF Ryan Raburn CF Don Kelly C Yan Gomes 2B Omar Infante Drew Stubbs is sitting tonight against a tough right-hander, and Yan Gomes is getting another start.

Clay Buchholz was in the groove as the Red Sox finished their road trip with a 6-2 victory against the White Sox. Nick Cafardo writes that the Red Sox should do everything they can to retain Jacoby Ellsbury. The notebook...

Good morning, one and all. It's nice waking up after a series win, isn't it? Much nicer than waking up after Jim Johnson blowing a save, that's for sure. The Orioles seem to be back in the groove, and tonight we get to watch the their top prospect (non-injured division) make his major league debut. Break out the powdered donuts for Kevin Gausman! Camden Depot: Wei-Yin Chen: Double Play MachineSome might chalk that many double plays from a fly ball pitcher to luck. Or is he just CLUTCH? Away from the Diamond: Manny Machado - Video | MLB.comManny Machado was on MLB Network for an interview. I don't get MLB Network, but I do get the internet! You can watch the interview with John Smoltz here. Kevin Gausman poised to fulfill promise with O's debut | orioles.comBritt Ghiroli's "get pumped about Gausman" article. A local’s guide to enjoying a road trip to the home of the Baltimore Orioles | Big League Stew - Yahoo! SportsI posted this in yesterday's comments, but in case you aren't the sort to read those, here's a story I wrote for Big League Stew about Camden Yards. Orioles' Manny Machado doesn't need smeared eyeblack, violent crashes to prove he's a phenom - Yahoo! SportsMore Manny love, this one hand-in-hand with a Bryce Harper dis in the headline. Schoop has stress fracture in back; likely will rest 6 to 8 weeks - baltimoresun.comJonathan Schoop won't join the party in the major leagues anytime soon as it turns out his sore back is a stress fracture. Adam Jones and Orioles teammates wear ‘Canadian Tuxedos’ on trip to Toronto | Big League Stew - Yahoo! SportsThe writer makes a mistake in where they were traveling from, but really you just need to look at these photos that Adam Jones posted on Twitter. Orioles GIFs | TwitterThose of you who read the GIFs of the Week post know about our GIFs only Twitter feed, but if you haven't checked it out, it's a must follow. Aaron posted a number of awesome Chris Dickerson GIFs from Tuesday's game and Dickerson himself replied saying thanks. On this day in 1999, the Orioles scored 10 runs in the first inning against the Texas Rangers. Brady Anderson, king of the HBP, took one for the team twice in the inning. Happy birthday to former Oriole Mike Gonzalez and to Camden Chat contributor twistedlogic! Haha, twistedlogic is birthday buddies with Mike Gonzalez.

Today’s Roto Riteup covers two injuries, one demotion, and one singular superstar. On today’s agenda: 1. Mike Trout’s Sophomore Season 2. Jaime Garcia and Shoulder Surgery 3. Vance Worley gets demoted 4. Adam Eaton sees a setback Mike Trout’s Sophomore Season At the start of the year, many took delight in Trout’s slow start at the plate, but now it’s hard to argue Trout’s rookie year was a mirage. Through Tuesday’s action, Trout was hitting .293 with nine homers and nine steals, making him be close to pace for a 30/30 season once again. Trout’s striking out less, walking more, and displaying a higher ISO than he did last season. If there was any doubt in your mind that Trout was superhuman, let it be lost forever. Jaime Garcia and Shoulder Surgery Garcia was discussed in this very column just a matter of days ago, but now it’s official that he’ll need to head to the hospital and undergo shoulder surgery. Jaime first injured his shoulder last season, but he opted to stay away from the doctors and simply rest and rehabilitate. That strategy turned out to work for a little while, but he’ll now he’ll likely miss the rest of the 2013 season, and possibly part of the 2014 year. For now, Tyler Lyons and John Gast are filling in for Jaime and Jake Westbrook, but we could see Michael Wacha up in the big leagues pretty soon to help provide some firepower. Vance Worley gets demoted A former finalist for Rookie of the Year, Worley is going to the minors after getting smacked around by the Braves yesterday morning. Jeff had a nice big piece on Worley yesterday afternoon, so I’m penning this section due to excitement from the possibility of Kyle Gibson getting the call. The Twins have yet to say who will be taking Worley’s rotation slot, but Gibson is likely the top candidate. Adam Eaton sees a setback The Diamondbacks’ outfielder has been out for the entirety of the 2013 season with an UCL sprain, and he was supposed to have returned by now, but now he’ll need to visit a specialist to see if his setback is anything serious. A serious setback would result in Tommy John surgery, while a really serious setback would result in amputation of his limb. Eaton was supposed to be a roto sparkplug this season, but it looks like the D’Backs’ faith in their outfield depth was faulty.