Official Mets 2009 Season Thread.

[The Guid]

AAAAAND he's picked off lol

 

[cruzg24]

mhm, that breaking ball is very nice. It has a lot of dive.

 

[cruzg24]

Ahhhh it feels like a breath of fresh air to have a nice bullpen. Great game to start the year.

 

[cruzg24]

lol this song gives me goosebumps every time. They made this video BEFORE they won in 1986. This team was soooo cocky and confident yet so good....

 

[cruzg24]

CINCINNATI -- While the Mets revel in the Opening Day performance of their revamped bullpen, the pitcher who was to have been their closer this season is preparing to take a significant step in what he now considers his likely 2009 return to the big leagues.
Billy Wagner, seven months removed from surgery to repair a ligament and a muscle in his left arm, is to be in Port St. Lucie, Fla., on Tuesday with the intention of throwing off a mound.

Wagner said as much Wednesday afternoon, speaking from his home in Virginia. He had spoken earlier with general manager Omar Minaya.

Wagner said he has been throwing regularly -- "long, long toss" and to a catcher on flat ground -- and following a program prescribed by Chris Correnti, the trainer who had come to the Mets at the urging of Pedro Martinez, and who now is the club's Minor League pitching rehab trainer.

"I do exactly what I'm told," Wagner said. "But I'm going to break the rules by getting back before they expect it. ... With no big setbacks, I'm kinda shooting for late in July or August. But we'll see. I know I have a lot of hurdles. I told Omar [that] everybody doubting me is my motivation. ... that, and getting a ring.

"I'm going to get back. I'm not going to get any saves. But I'd like to help. That could be some bullpen."

Wagner intends to travel Monday, throw off a mound Tuesday and Thursday after periods of long toss, and then return home.

"I think they need to see where I am," Wagner said. "The want me to throw about six times a week for two months, because I'm a reliever. Then I'll go back down [to Florida] in June and get myself in shortened Spring Training and get in some games."

Wagner, who turns 38 in late July, underwent surgery Sept. 8 to repair the medial collateral ligament in his left elbow and a muscle, the flexor pronator, in his forearm.

Wagner, who ranks sixth all-time in career saves with 385 -- he needs six to pass fifth-place Dennis Eckersley -- was well aware of how the Mets' re-aligned bullpen performed Monday in a 2-1 victory against the Reds. Sean Green entered the game in the sixth inning with the tying run on second base and two out, then retired his four batters. J.J. Putz allowed a walk and nothing else in the eighth, and Frankie Rodriguez retired the side in order in the ninth to earn the save.

"Impressive," Wagner said. "I know what it's like. I'm happy for all of them."

Wagner also noted that the quiet seventh and eighth innings made K-Rod's job easier in the ninth.

"It's not easy, I'm not saying that," Wagner said, "but when you get that kind of pitching before the closer comes in, his job is different. It's only one run, but they've got no momentum. They've already been deterred."

The Mets didn't have much of a deterrent in the seventh and eighth innings last season.

"I'd face a team that just scored two or three the previous inning," Wagner said. "They were hot. That's why when Aaron [Heilman] and Duaner [Sanchez] were so good in 2006, my job was so much easier. [The opposing hitters] would come up in the ninth all aggressive, trying to make something happen. That's an advantage for the pitcher.

"The guys in the seventh and eighth can dictate where the game is going. And if that's what they've got with those three, they oughta be in good shape."

omg......

Wagner to Putz to K-Rod...............
We'll just have to wait and see how he recovers from his injury so I dont have high hopes right now.

 

[Giantmetfan07]

eh, after last night I wouldnt mind him coming back...

 

[cruzg24]

Nice runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out.

 

[cruzg24]

Crap no runs, but we made him work for 27 pitches.

 

[cruzg24]

Nice 1st inning by Perez. Thats usually a good sign, just have to wait and see when he gets into trouble to really gauge his start.

 

[cruzg24]

Perez strikes out the side in the 2nd.

 

[cruzg24]

Nice double by Church. This ST drill about taking breaking balls the other way is rlly paying off.

3-0 NYM

 

[Giantmetfan07]

nice, seems like the lineup has really been workin these last 2 days.

 

[cruzg24]

Yea Delgado and Beltran especially have been hitting rlly well. Wright has a low BA, but he is getting on base a lot and scoring runs.

 

[cruzg24]

Damn the most important part of a game is how a team answers back after giving up a run.
Nothing has been above 90mph on his fastball. Usually is 93-94.

4-3 Reds.......

 

[Giantmetfan07]

he was struggling that inning. Couldn't keep that fastball up in the zone early on and once he got a good pitch it was too good, not far enough away, and goodbye.

 

[cruzg24]

Perez is officially the most frustrating pitcher in mets history. Time to tack on some runs once again.

 

[Giantmetfan07]

problem with him s he is so inconsistent, thats why I was realllly hoping he would be 4th and Maine would be 3rd, because I have more faith in Maine.

 

[cruzg24]

Mets done in the 4th. I kind of understand why they put Perez against the Reds though. He's 9-4 against the Reds, but I would still put Maine out there 1st. Perez isnt ready yet.

 

[cruzg24]

Walk to Edwin. 1 out.

 

[cruzg24]

Finally get out of that inning, top of the order coming up.