Reyes Aggravates Injury

Jason Adamowicz
Mets Gazette Editor

Jose Reyes aggravated his sore oblique in the top of the seventh inning in tonight's game while fielding a Troy Glaus grounder.

David Wright noticed Reyes grimace after the play and signaled to Jerry Manuel. Manuel decided to remove Jose from the game at that point.

After the game it was announced that Reyes would not be available for tomorrow's finale with the Braves or the All-Star Game.

Jerry Manuel had the following to say about the issue:

"I just decided that the best thing was to take him. It's nothing specific. It's basically what he's been battling. He's OK, He'll be fine."

Reyes still believes that playing injured was the right decision:

"It wasn't a mistake because I felt like I could play, that's why I got on the field. It felt better today when I came in because I was able to do two rounds of BP for the first time outside. I wanted to stay in the game, but leaving was for the best."

Another Example of Organizational Indecisiveness

Jason Adamowicz
Mets Gazette Editor

I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but I still don't buy the reasoning for Reyes batting second in the lineup.

In essence the Mets are trying to bench Reyes but yet play him at the same time.

It is yet another example of how the Mets can be organizationally indecisive. Here's a few other examples of organizational indecisiveness that comes to mind:

1. The handling of Carlos Beltran's injury.

Should he have surgery? Should he not have surgery? Oh wait, I guess he did have surgery. We didn't approve it. We did approve it.

2. The handling of Oliver Perez and John Maine.

These two pitchers have been given an abundance of opportunities to establish themselves as big league starters. Many other organizations would have cut ties with both of them a long time ago. Not the Mets. They are both on the horizon of returning. Or are they?

3. The handling of Jennry Mejia.

Mejia is needed in the bullpen and is crucial to its success. Let's only pitch him during non-critical situations. On second thought, let's send him down to develop as a starter.

Back to the latest head scratcher.

Jerry Manuel believes by batting Reyes second you bring more things in to play for the hurting Reyes. For example, if Pagan gets on, Jose can bunt for a hit.

Why can't he bunt for a hit from the lead off spot?

If he is also considering sacrificing Pagan over, Cora or Tejada are perfectly capable of accomplishing that task. The advantage with them doing it is Jose is not jeopardizing his health.

Reyes is also refraining from sliding head first. So now, not only is he refraining from batting left handed, but he also has to make an unnatural adjustment in a split second when on the base paths.

This whole situation makes me wonder who is in control. I remember the first game Jerry Manuel managed after Willie Randolph was fired.

The Mets were facing the Anaheim Angels (or whatever they were called back then). Reyes came up a bit lame running out a ground ball and Manuel decided to pull him.

Reyes was visibly upset and wouldn't leave the field at first. Manuel stuck to his guns and had a "heart to heart" with Jose in the clubhouse. I was impressed with how decisive Jerry was in a difficult situation. What has happened since then?

Fellow editor and the Yoda of our staff, Tom Greenhalgh, made a great point last night when he stated "Manage your players. Don't let them manage you."

How much of these "Reyes Rules" are Jose's idea and how much are Manuel's?

It might be hard to believe, but there is a silver lining to this history of hesitancy by the Mets organization.

It is a sign of a group of people trying too hard. They find themselves in these situations because they try to take the best pieces from two different options and turn it into one. Unfortunately, this option isn't the most realistic in most situations.

Look at it this way. At least they're not like the Pirates organization. The last two owners they have had have made it perfectly clear they could care less about winning or the product on the field.

Mets Lineup For Game Two Vs. Braves

Jason Adamowicz
Mets Gazette Editor

Cora in, Tejada out at second. Reyes still in the two hole.....

CF- Angel Pagan
SS- Jose Reyes
3B- David Wright
1B- Ike Davis
LF- Jason Bay
RF- Jeff Francoeur
C- Rod Barajas
2B- Alex Cora
P- Mike Pelfrey

Gazette Game Recap: Braves 4, Mets 2

Tom Greenhalgh
Mets Gazette Editor

Let me begin by saying that I sincerely regret having spent three plus grueling hours watching this baseball game. It's not simply the fact that losing to Atlanta stings like '99 that I say this. It's because the manner in which this game was played was agonizing.

It was really that bad.

In my opinion (which really means nothing because I have no say in the matter) both teams should be awarded a loss. The toxic combination of dropped pop ups, misplayed fly balls, failure to turn routine double plays, failure to cover bases, base running blunders, lax defensive attitudes, not running balls out, collisions trying to cover first base, and the mere fact that these teams (especially New York) failed to capitalize on most of these miscues is simply pitiful.

On a major league baseball field with major league baseball players that supposedly represent the best the National League has to offer - at least as far as record is concerned - we were witness to something mistakable for a minor league game at best. It seemed at a point that Bobby Cox (who mind you was on the winning side) was ready to boil over like a tea kettle and further solidify his hall of fame ejection record by arguing an inconsequential call just so that he could avoid watching the rest of this game.

To be more specific on what actually made this so bad, I'll just say that the tone was set early. Jose Reyes' error on a routine ground ball marked the first run of the game. The Braves second run of the game came on an RBI single in which the 3rd out was made at 3rd base by roughly 30 feet (no exaggeration necessary). The Mets second run of the game came on a horrid misplay in left field in which a Jose Reyes fly ball sailed right over Eric Hinske's head.

Finally in the 7th inning, R.A. Dickey (while clearly exhausted) surrendered back to back bombs to Melky Cabrera and Omar Infante.

Yikes.

It was just about over at that point.

A Question To Ponder:

The last puzzling question for me, which was addressed prior to the game by esteemed co-editor Jason Adamowicz, is why in the world is Jose Reyes playing if he has to bat right handed against right handed pitching in an attempt to avoid injury? Shouldn't he just sit out if the Mets are really that worried about him getting more seriously hurt and if they are really holding true to their "prevention and recovery" motto?

Manage your players. Don't let them manage you.

Mets' Reyes To Have MRI

Frank Gray
Mets Gazette Editor

The New York Mets are now in crossing their fingers mode. It was announced late Friday night that their dynamic lead off man, Jose Reyes will undergo an MRI for his injured right oblique. This story was first reported by ESPN's Adam Rubin.

There now is speculation as to his status for the remainder of the Atlanta series as well as the upcoming All-Star game. New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel had been batting the switch hitter from the right side of the plate to spare him more pain and allow him to still be in the lineup. His productivity in response to this change has not been good. He is batting at the .250 mark during this past seven day stretch.

This is a troubling sign as his career average is .285. This has prompted Manuel to bat him second in the order to keep him in the lineup due to the importance of the Atlanta series, but the question will be if he can remain in the lineup throughout it. As always, we will have more to report when this story develops. Until then, this is not a hopeful sign.

Update:

Results for Jose Reyes' MRI came back negative as there was no sign of structural damage to his ribs or oblique.

The bad news is he is still hurting as he has yet to bat from the left side since the injury occurred.

Cliff Lee Headed To Texas

Tom Greenhalgh
Mets Gazette Editor

Joel Sherman has confirmed via twitter that Cliff Lee is headed to the Texas Rangers.

Thus, the Mets (who weren't the most likely candidate anyway) will have to look elsewhere if they want a front line starter.  Look for Omar Minaya to perhaps look at Ted Lilly.

For now, the balance of power in the National League East has not been altered.  For now.

Mets Lineup For Game One Vs. Braves

Jason Adamowicz
Mets Gazette Editor

Tonight's lineup begs one very interesting question........why is Jose Reyes batting second?

CF- Angel Pagan
SS- Jose Reyes
3B- David Wright
1B- Ike Davis
LF- Jason Bay
C- Josh Thole
RF- Jeff Francoeur
2B- Ruben Tejada
P- R.A. Dickey

Nick Evans Called Up

Tom Greenhalgh

Mets Gazette Editor

Speculation had been mounting that Nick Evans may be headed back to the big club.  Adam Rubin of ESPN New York presented his theory:

The evidence is mounting. Evans was a healthy scratch from Binghamton's game on Thursday at Altoona. And a team official acknowledged late Thursday: "We are considering a right-handed bat now."

According to the New York Mets twitter page, Evans has been called up.  Ryota Igarashi has been optioned to Port St. Lucie.  

Evans has posted a .290 average with 15 home runs and 46 RBI in 77 games for AA Binghamton this season.

If Lee Is Traded, Do the Mets Have A Plan B?

Robert Knapel
Mets Gazette Correspondent

It has become more and more apparent that the New York Mets will not be able to acquire Cliff Lee.  While they were already bidding against the Minnesota Twins and the Texas Rangers, it now appears that the New York Yankees have jumped into the bidding as well.

The Yankees are rumored to be favorites to land Lee.  It is believed that the Mariners are going to accept the Yankees deal, a deal that is built around catching prospect Jesus Montero, which means the Mets will need to look elsewhere for pitching.

The Mets need not look any further than the north side of Chicago.  With the Cubs currently 10.5 games out of first place, they will be looking to move potential free agents.  The player that would interest the Mets is Ted Lilly.

Lilly is in the final year of a 4-year contract.  He is one of the top players that the Cubs would be interested in trading.  Since he will be a type-A free agent and will garner two compensation picks in return, he would cost the Mets at least two prospects.

However, Lilly would be worth it.  So far this season, he has gone 3-7, but he has posted a 3.76 ERA in 93 and 1/3 innings.  Lilly also has a low 1.10 WHIP.  Part of Lilly's success can be attributed to the fact that he is able to keep his number of walks down.  Lilly has walked just 2.1 batters per nine innings this season.

The Cubs would most likely want both a pitching and hitting prospect in return from the Mets.  A potential deal could include starting pitcher Jeurys Familia and middle infielder Jordany Vladespin.  Both are young prospects with a lot of potential.  They both have the ability to reach the Cubs major league roster in the next two or three years.

Rapid Five: Braves Edition

Tom Greenhalgh

Mets Gazette Editor

It feels like the old days a little bit, doesn't it? Perhaps this is the year in which the Mets/Braves rivalry will be rekindled with some meaningful head to head match-ups late in the season. For now, the two will be meeting for a three game series at Citi Field to close out the pre-All-Star game slate. The Braves are the first National League team to reach 50 wins, while the Mets are 3 games off the pace and sit in a three-way tie for the Wild Card lead.

To help us preview the weekend series, we had a sit down with Brett Kettyle. Brett is the leader of the Atlanta Braves writers community on Bleacher Report and his work can be found here. So without further ado, here is the latest edition of Rapid Five.

Mets Gazette: What is the biggest story of your team this year?

Brett: The Braves have had plenty of big stories, from Bobby Cox retiring to the debut of Jason Heyward. But the biggest story has to be all of the Braves close wins. This team never seems to give up, and has won a ton of ballgames in its last at-bat.

Mets Gazette: Who has been your best player thus far?

Brett: As good as Tim Hudson has been, Martin Prado has been the best player. He currently leads the NL in batting average and has shown modest pop (10 home runs). The leadoff spot was a black hole before Prado took over.

Mets Gazette: What or who is your biggest disappointment/worst player?

Brett: Nate McLouth has been the Braves worst player. Although he is injured now, he has produced a .176/.295/.282 slash line and has left the Braves with a hole in centerfield. Even when he returns, the Braves will likely be looking for a new outfielder.

Mets Gazette: What are your teams strengths and weaknesses currently?

Brett: The Braves have a 3.65 team ERA, so pitching (especially the bullpen) has been a strength. The team also has incredible depth, which has helped the Braves through injuries to Chipper, Escobar and Heyward. The biggest weakness is whoever is in centerfield. Whether it's McLouth or Melky, they haven't gotten the job done and have acted like a second pitcher in the batting order.

Mets Gazette: Your thoughts on the Mets and your expectations for this series?

Brett: The Mets have surprised me so far with their pitching, and if guys like Dickey and Pelfrey can continue their success I think the Mets and Braves will battle down to the wire. Looking at the pitching match-ups for the series, there should be a couple low scoring games which could go either way.