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September 7, 2006
Month in Review: August
In April, the season seems so long. 162 games. And here we are in September, with just one month to play of regular season baseball. The season just flies by. In any event, here’s our penultimate installment of this season’s Month in Review, a monthly examination of all the ins and outs of the team’s recent performance. You may find our previous months here: April May June July The Mets had a solid July, going 16-9 against some of the league’s easier competition. August saw a modest improvement in the competition, and the Mets, in turn, responded with a modest improvement in their record, going 19-9. Here are their records against each individual team: Team W L Colorado 5 1 Florida 1 2 Philadelphia 5 5 St. Louis 3 0 San Diego 3 0 Washington 2 1 The Mets stumbled a little against the NL East opponents (8-8), but went 11-1 against teams from the other two divisions. Next, home/road splits: Split W L Home 13 2 Away 6 7 The dominance at home is a little surprising. Up to this point, the Mets had been a better team on the road than at home; the bats really came alive at Shea in August. Finally, our run differential splits: Split W L 1 run 5 3 2-3 runs 6 3 4-5 runs 5 1 6+ runs 3 2 Not bad. Nice to see a lot of wins by 4+ runs. Comings: Lastings Milledge, Royce Ring, Mike DiFelice, Ricky Ledee, Michael Tucker, Heath Bell, Dave Williams, Guillermo Mota, Shawn Green, Brian Bannister, Oliver Perez, Anderson Hernandez Goings: Mike Pelfrey (Norfolk), Eli Marrero (waivers), Heath Bell (Norfolk), Royce Ring (Norfolk), Lastings Milledge (Norfolk), Brian Bannister (Norfolk), Dave Williams (Norfolk) Congratulations are due to Heath Bell, who earns a spot in the “Comings” and “Goings” Hall of Fame. Injuries: Ramon Castro, Cliff Floyd, Pedro Martinez (Last month’s figures are listed in parentheses.) Runs Scored: 148 (157) Runs Allowed: 119 (131) Team OBA: .342 (.352) Team SLG: .452 (.463) Opponents’ OBA: .308 (.350) Opponents’ SLG: .429 (.427) Starters’ ERA: 5.31 (5.20) Relievers’ ERA: 2.56 (3.30) The offense remained the key to the Mets’ winning ways, but the pitching improved considerably also. The starters’ ERA rose for the fifth straight month, but I think the rotation might have actually outpitched that figure in reality. The opponents slugging may have stayed the same—homeruns allowed are a serious problem for the pitching staff—but the walk rate fell substantially from previous months, resulting in a opponents’ OBP more than 40 points lower. The bullpen remains a huge help, with Heilman especially looking much improved over the past month. Pitchers “Beaten”: (Not necessarily the pitcher who took the loss) Ricky Nolasco, Jon Lieber (2), Scott Mathieson (2), Woody Williams, Clay Hensley, Chris Young, Jason Bergmann, Tony Armas, Byung-Hyun Kim (2), Jeff Francis, Jason Jennings, Jeff Weaver, Mark Mulder, Jason Marquis, Jamie Moyer, Josh Fogg Pitchers “Beaten by”: (Again, not necessarily the pitcher who got the win) Scott Olsen, Dontrelle Willis, Randy Wolf (3), Billy Traber, Cole Hamels, Jon Lieber, Jeff Francis Best Hitter: Carlos Delgado. The man returned in August, hitting .291/.414/.686, including eight homers and 26 RBI. To be fair to Carlos, he has yet to have a truly terrible month as his patience and power provide something of a cushion when he falls off, but it’s still nice to see him hit like he’s capable. Honorable mentions go to Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, Paul Lo Duca, and Endy Chavez. July winner: Carlos Beltran Worst Hitter: David Wright. Well, I guess Wright had to have a bad month sooner or later. The damage: .245/.313/.392 in 102 at bats. July winner: Chris Woodward Best Pitcher: None of the starters truly had a terrible month, for the first time in a while. El Duque had one awful start that ruined an otherwise good month, and even Month in Review whipping boy Steve Trachsel pitched better. That being said, no one had a great month, either. I’ll do something I don’t like doing and give the award to a reliever. Billy Wagner had a great month despite a hiccup on the first of the month. He went on to save 10 games, while posting a 9:1 K/BB ratio. July winner: John Maine Worst Pitcher: He only pitched 8 innings, but that was enough. Oliver Perez had an awful eight innings that saw him go 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA. The main culprit was his control (7.88 walks per nine inngs), as usual. July winner: Steve Trachsel Best Pitching Performance: Wow. Only one Met went past seven innings in August (Pedro on the 9th against San Diego), and that went 7 1/3. There were a lot of mediocre performances. If I had to pick (and I do), I’d take Orlando Hernandez’s performance at Shea against Colorado. El Duque went six scoreless innings, striking out eight and walking just one. It’s the closest thing the team had to a dominant performance in August. July winner: John Maine Best Defensive Play: David Wright’s far-ranging grab and perfect throw in the fifth inning on August 30th at Colorado. David might not be much of a fielder yet, but he certainly makes some pretty plays. July winner: Cliff Floyd Biggest Surprise: Dave Williams. The veteran has surprised everyone with his performance as a Met so far considering his less-than-stellar results with Cincinnati. The secret to his success: not walking anyone. He’s the anti-Oliver Perez. July winner: John Maine Biggest Disappointment: Wright. It’s always disappointing when a player as good as Wright shows he’s human. July winner: Tom Glavine Luckiest Player: Chavez has had a great season, and surprisingly Chavez’s line drive rates imply that the improvement is real. That said, Chavez had to be lucky to hit .384 in August. Anyone has to be. But Chavez’s line drive rate actually fell last month despite a huge jump in his batting average on balls in play, and that had more to do with his success than anything else. July winner: Cliff Floyd Unluckiest Player: Darren Oliver got battered around a bit in August (6.39 ERA) despite having one of his best months peripheral-wise. He struck out 12 and walked a pair in 12 2/3 innings. July winner: Chris Woodward What’s in Store for September: The Mets just have to tread water in September, with the division pretty much wrapped up. September starts with a series in Houston before a return to Shea for three against the Braves and four more against the Dodgers. They then travel to Dolphin Stadium and PNC Park for three game sets against the Marlins and Pirates, respectively. The team returns to Shea for its final homestand of the season which includes eight against the Marlins and Nationals. The Mets hit the road after this with three against the Braves, followed by their final series of the season, against the Nationals at RFK. The last game of the season is scheduled for October 1st. What do the Mets need to do? First and foremost on their agenda should be making sure that everyone is rested for the playoffs. Wright looked sluggish in August, and you may want to make sure that all the regulars see a little time on the bench. As for the starting pitching, it’s a worry, and it would be nice if they could show a little more as the playoffs loom in the near distance, particularly Pedro. I’d love to see Pedro get three starts in September, but I’m growing doubtful. At this point, the one thing I want for Pedro is that he doesn’t head into the playoffs cold. It’s something to keep an eye on. The other thing that needs to be done is a further audition for the fourth playoff starter’s spot. It should go to Maine based on the past two months, but Trachsel does have fourteen wins. I’m not confident that Willie Randolph will be able to see past that win total and his experience. References: You can see David Wright’s grab at Mets.com’s Top Plays archive. 22 Responses to “Month in Review: August”Leave a ReplyYou must be logged in to post a comment. |
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This is my favorite blog you guys do. Great job ALex
Finally back on the east coast! And what a day to return! Alex, you should bash Oliver Perez everyday! I didn’t see game, was he really that good?
Man this offense is clicking.
BTW, anyone who wants to debate whether Beltran deserves the MVP needs only look at the anemic offensive performance put up in 2 of the 3 games he missed.
Not really…I (and some others) suspected he would be solid down the stretch…just not quite this good. BTW, his last 20 innings at AAA before being called up, he had a WHIP somewhere around 0.7
He’s perfect. I want his records sent to me. This vicious young hoodlum will be transformed out of all recognition.
Sweetlew - I agree on Beltran for the MVP. Seems like when he’s not in there the offense is non-existent. Did the Braves give up yesterday or were Williams and Perez that good?
Does anyone realize that out of all the pitchers the Mets were beaten by in August (Scott Olsen, Dontrelle Willis, Randy Wolf (3), Billy Traber, Cole Hamels, Jon Lieber, Jeff Francis) 6 out of 7 were lefties? People better see that this is the reason to take notice of the Wells deal and the Marlins and Phillies staff.
Very true Grand Inquisitor — but we have Trax to make it exciting - after all he’s won 14 games - what a joke! But seriously, and I know this is getting the cart before the horse, do we need to offer him arbitration in the offseason so that when he signs with someone else we get draft picks?
Thanks, Ramon. Good thing you pointed it out or we all might have missed it!(lol)
Excellent point my friend. There may be a GM in this league stupid enough to sign him to a multi-year deal. Damn you Steve Phillips! Why can’t you get a job somewheres in the league? Well, thank goodness there’s always Jim Duquette…
Clockwork Orange?
It is interesting to me what they will do with the pitching staff for the playoffs.
Givens are Pedro, Glavine, Trachsel, Maine, Bradford, Feliciano, Heilman, Wagner. That is 8, so if they go with 12 they will take 4 more from this group presumably, Bannister, Oliver, Mota, Williams, O Hernandez and R Hernandez. I would guess Oliver, Mota, O Hernandez and Williams but who knows. It is interesting to think of the futere starters in NY without any Free agent pickups they have Pedro, Glavine, Trachsel, Maine, Perez, Pelfry, Bannister, O Hernandez, Williams, Humber, Soler. That is a deep set of guys, some proven, many not but a nice talent pool. By the way….has anybody heard from Zambrano?
Shouldn’t that say “What’s in Store for September:”
Four, no? Today - the weekend?
I believe Willie is on record that Williams will probably not be a bullpen option for the playoffs
Send that man a prize poor guy.
The run differential splits W-L numbers don’t add up, Alex. The totals you posted work out to 20-9, not 19-9.
Absolutely. Some things you never catch no matter how many times you edit. For instance:
Yeah, the 4+ runs should read 5-1, not 6-1. That’s a typo. Both errors are now fixed.
Also a mistake I caught this morning when I read Andrew’s piece but didn’t have time to fix until now. For some reason I was thinking today was an off day. Man, my editing job last night was terrible. That’s what I get for doing it while Project Runway was on. I should get fired or something.
Alex-
Let me second the crowd: these Month-in-Review pieces are the MetsGeek MVPs. I love em.
Other than the starters & Wright, August was an all-cylinders month. Very sweet. The next couple weeks could be nice testing grounds: 11 games vs. the Dodgers & the Marlins, two hot teams with something at stake.
This is where I really want to keep my eyes on Glavine, Maine, & Williams. I already know Duque should start over Trachmarks in October, and I know OPer won’t make it. But the first three (plus Pedro) I really wanna see.
If healthy, Pedro, Glavine and Duque are starting Games 1, 2 and 3. Mark it down, it should be no mystery. I am of the opinion Trax deserves Game 4 as long as he does not fall apart in September with Maine on the roster as an emergency starter/ RH long man. To me there is no room for Dave Williams as a reliever, though he has been a nice find. In the 5 games series, only 7 relievers are necessary and they will likely be
Oliver
Maine
Mota
Feliciano
Bradford
Heliman
Wags
I think Bert gets left off but could be added later on if we advance.
This leaves room for a bench of 6, which will include Chavez (assuming FLoyd and Green start, though I’d prefer Chavy in left for his D), Woody, a catcher, Franco and two others. Who those other 2 are is a big ? right now.
I agree with almost everything you have here Hubie, but I don’t think Maine will be on the NLDS roster. I think Trachs gets the nod in Game 4 if there isn’t a sweep (although I think he should be the one left off the NLDS roster - but that’s a whole other debate), so Maine wouldn’t really be necessary. Unless Willie thinks two of his starters will need to be pulled early necessitating two long men, I think he carries one more reliever. That releiver will probably be R. Hernandez, although I would like to see Ring get the call so there is one more lefty.
As for the bench…I think they should go with A. Hernandez and L. Milledge. Milledge could start against a left handed starter and he could be used as a pinch runner or RH pinch hitter if need be. A. Hernandez could acts as another pinch runner, late defensive replacement or be the “last guy on the bench” capable of playing all the infield positions thus allowing Woody to be the primary right handed pinch hitter.
Months in Review are always my favorite posts…
I suggest that you guys should do a less elaborate “Week in Review” along with the Month in Review next year, even just with stats. At least do “Fortnight in Review” or Month in Review Parts 1 & 2.