Around the Beast

Nationals 5-Brewers 1

Jeff Suppan pitched well for Milwaukee until the sixth, when the [long-absent] Washington offense came alive. After J.J. Hardy mishandled a double-play ball, the Nats broke through, scoring on doubles by Ryan Zimmerman and Jesus Flores and on a Lastings Milledge sacrifice ground ball. Wily Mo Peña his his first home run of the year earlier in the first inning, and Suppan drove in the Brewers’ only run of the game.

Odalis Perez pitched well for the Nationals (5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 84 P) but left with a no-decision. Brian Sanches, just called up from Triple-A Columbus, struck out the side in the sixth and was credited with the win. Saul Rivera, Luis Ayala, and Jon Rauch closed the door for Washington.

Rockies 5-Mets 4 (F/13)

The Mets dropped their fifth straight game as Matt Holliday hit a walk-off single in the 13th off of Aaron Heilman after homering off of Billy Wagner in the ninth to tie the game (Wagner’s second blown save of the year). It was a back and forth game as neither team dominated on the mound.

Oliver Perez was all over the place for the Mets, going 5 innings allowing 6 hits for 4 earned runs, walking 8 and striking out only 2, and allowing a home run on 110 pitches (just 56 for strikes). Rookie starter Greg Reynolds never dominated for the Rockies, going 6 full innings allowing 4 earned runs on 4 hits, walking 3, striking out 5, and allowing 2 home runs on just 84 pitches thrown. He left the game after allowing back-to-back home runs to Carlos Delgado and Fernando Tatis (who replaced the injured Marlon Anderson) in the 6th.

Driving in runs for the Mets were Luis Castillo, Delgado, Tatis, and Jose Reyes, who got in the home plate umpire’s face after being called out on a very low strike three in the 13th. Garrett Atkins, Clint Barmes, and Holliday drove in runs for the Rockies.

Astros 5-Phillies 4

Brandon Backe was superb for the Astros, giving up just one run in 7.1 innings pitched, striking out 6 and walking one. Adam Eaton didn’t pitch terribly for the Phillies (7.0 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO,2 HR, 96 P), but couldn’t keep the ball in the park, giving up two home runs to Hunter Pence.

Also driving in runs for the Astros were former Phillie Michael Bourn (who also stranded three on base), and Carlos Lee (his 36th of the season). For the Phillies, Pat Burrell homered in his second-straight game and Pedro Feliz and Jimmy Rollins also drove runs in.

Diamondbacks 11-Braves 1

Doug Davis returned from cancer surgery in unbelievable fashion, shutting the hot-hitting Braves lineup down for 7 innings, allowing just one earned run on 5 hits, walking 2 and striking out 4 on 89 pitches. His team responded, taking batting practice off of Jo-Jo Reyes (5.0 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO, 3 HR) and Chris Resop (2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO, 1 HR).

Homering for the D-Backs were Stephen Drew, Eric Byrnes, Conor Jackson, Chris Young, and Mark Reynolds. Whew. Kelly Johnson drove in the only Atlanta run of the night.

Giants 8-Marlins 2

Scott Olsen finally came back down to Earth, surrendering 5 earned runs off of 8 hits in just 3.1 innings pitched, walking 3, striking out 2, and allowing a home run on 81 pitches. Olsen drops to 4-2. He was relieved by Doug Waechter, Renyel Pinto, and Tyler Tankersley, who all pitched much more effectively. Dan Uggla homered for Florida (his 15th of the year) in the ninth, driving in both Marlins runs of the evening.

Barry Zito finally got his first win of the season, giving up just one earned run in 6.1 innings of work, walking 4 and striking out 5. Bengie Molina and Jose Castillo homered for the Giants. Aaron Rowand drove in three runs, and Rich Aurilia drove in two more for San Francisco.

Brett Carroll had to leave the game in the fourth inning after separating his right shoulder. He’ll be placed on the 15-day disabled list.

 

Around the Beast

Braves 4-Mets 2

Atlanta starter Tim Hudson pitched masterfully, surrendering just 2 earned runs in 8 innings, striking out 4 and walking none on 100 pitches. Hudson got the win and is now 7-3 on the year. His only mistakes came in the second inning, when he served up home runs to Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado.

The Mets needed Johan Santana to pitch a gem, but their ace didn’t come through, allowing 3 earned runs on 12 hits in 7 innings on just 90 pitches, walking none and striking out only one. He drops to 5-3 on the season.

The damage came in the 7th, when Beltran misplayed a ball hit by Kelly Johnson, leading to RBIs by Omar Infante (who had been 0-19 against Santana), Chipper Jones, and Mark Teixiera. Willie Randolph didn’t take Santana out of the game, and the inning was only finished by a beautifully executed 1-6-3 double play.

Talk about teams headed in different directions; the hot-hitting Braves have won four in a row and are crusing while the mediocre Mets have lost 7 of 10 and are reeling.

Phillies 7-Astros 5

The Phillies scored early but almost blew it in their first game of the year at Minute Maid Park. Starter Kyle Kendrick did not pitch a great game, giving up 5 earned runs on 8 hits in just 5 innings of work on 91 pitches, walking one and striking out 2. But Astros ace Roy Oswalt was not much better, also giving up 5 earned runs on 11 hits in 6 innings of work, walking 2 and striking out 4 on 95 pitches.

Ryan Howard had a very good night, going 3-5 with a home run (his 14th) and 2 RBIs (and 2 strikeouts, as well). After the Astros had tied the game in the 6th, Pat Burrell hit a go-ahead pinch-hit home run in the 8th off of rookie Wesley Wright. Also driving in runs for the Phillies were Carlos Ruiz, Pedro Feliz, Geoff Jenkins, and Chase Utley (his 33rd of the year). Chad Durbin picked up his first win of the year, and Brad Lidge notched his 12th save of the year, this one against his former team.

Driving in runs for the Astros were Berkman, Brad Ausmus, Ty Wigginton, and Geoff Blum. Wright took his second loss on the year.

Marlins 4-Diamondbacks 0

The red-hot Marlins completed their sweep of the Diamondbacks in an outstanding performance by young Andrew Miller, who shut Arizona out in 7 innings, allowing 5 hits, striking out 9 and walking just one batter on 107 pitches. Miller, who picked up his 4th win, was opposed by Dan Haren, who allowed 4 runs on 8 hits, striking out 8 and walking none on 94 pitches.

Wes Helms drove in two on a pinch-hit double in the 7th to drive Haren from the game. Jorge Cantu also drove in two runs for the Marlins.

 

Marlins beat Dan Haren [Flying Fish]

Every day, it gets harder and harder to discount the Florida Marlins as a fluke. Yes, their pitching is thin. Yes, their team is young. Yes, one of their best players is on the DL. But the team keeps winning, somehow. Tonight, young Andrew Miller and the Marlins shut out Dan Haren and the Diamondbacks 4-0. Miller, who struggled in the beginning of the year, allowed 5 hits on 107 pitches in 7 innings, walking 1 and striking out 9. That’s pretty remarkable stuff against a hot-hitting Arizona team. The Marlins continued to capitalize from unlikely contributors, tonight’s being Wes Helms (who drove in 2 on a pinch-hit double in the 7th) and Jorge Cantu. Does NL Beast think this team is going to peak at some point in the not too distant future? Absolutely. But the Marlins have proven NL Beast wrong for about the last month on that call, so who knows?

Video of Victorino-Jackson Collision

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Phillies Pregame – 3:40 PM EDT

The Game: Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Philadelphia Phillies

The Matchup: Brandon Webb (7-0, 2.49, 37/16 K/BB, 1.06 WHIP) vs. Brett Myers (2-2, 4.70, 37/12 K/BB, 1.36 WHIP)

The Story: Cy Young hopeful Brandon Webb goes for his 8th win in 8 starts. ‘Nuff said about him.

Brett Myers goes for his 3rd win, after posting a no decision in a strong 7 inning, 10 strikeout outing last week against the Giants. Myers seemed to find his strength again last week after shying away from his fastball in earlier starts this season. We’ll see if the long toss continues to pay off this afternoon.

Last night’s 5-4 win displayed nothing but grit from the Phils, but with Ryan Howard slumping, Pat Burrell cooling off, and Chase Utley coming back down to the stratosphere, the rest of the team has to continue to pick up the slack. Take Eric Bruntlett: He’s probably due only a couple more starts until Jimmy Rollins takes back his leadoff spot, but Bruntlett has filled in great, both in the field and at the plate.

With any luck, the Phillies make this one competitive. If they are able to pull off a win – taking 3 out of 4 from the Dbacks – it would be a very big statement to the rest of the league.

Stat of the Day: Ryan Howard is on pace for 231 strikeouts. His 199 strikeouts last year was a Major League record.

Postgame: Phillies 5 – Diamondbacks 4

Eric Bruntlett doubled and Chase Utley singled in the top of the 8th for two consecutive RBI hits. Utley’s put the Phils up 5-4. Tom Gordon gave up a leadoff double to Chris Snyder in the bottom half of the inning, but got out of the inning cleanly with three consecutive outs. In the 9th, Brad Lidge went 1-2-3 with two strikeouts and a groundout to first. Ryan Howard finished off the game by diving to touch the bag after electing to finish the play himself.

Before Bruntlett hit the game tying double a scary play happened at first. Shane Victorino struck out swinging, but the ball got passed catcher Chris Snyder and Victorino took off running down the line. As Victorino approached the bag, Dbacks first baseman Conor Jackson reachd in front of Victorino in an effort to catch the ball. A scary collision occurred in which Jackson ended up face down in the dirt and Victorino was clearly shaken up. After a short delay, Victorino stayed in the game and scored from 1st on the very next pitch. Jackson was not so lucky. Clearly shaken up, he walked off the field under his own power.

There was no intentional wrongdoing by Jackson, but I don’t know how responsible it was of him to lean across the basepath in that situation. He was being competitive and trying to make a play. But suppose he caught the ball – Victorino likely would have been called safe because of interference. Luckily, it looks ike both players will get away from this one largely unscaved. In my opinion Jackson should be more careful in that situation. He almost got himself and another player seriously injured.

Kyle Kendrick only let up 3 ER, despite allowing 10 hits and giving up one walk. He threw 60 out of 92 pitches for strikes and punched out two batters in 6 innings of work. It wasn’t pretty – nothing has been for the Phillies this year – but it was a healthy number 5 outing.

The Phillies only managed 7 hits off the Dbacks, and only 4 off of Micah Owings in is 7 innings. Owings recorded 7 strikeouts, allowing 3 ER and 1 HR to Pedro Feliz in the 7th.

This was a gritty, all-around win for the Phils. It wasn’t fun and it wasn’t easy, but they got the job done. The lineup is too potent to ever count them out, and the bullpen is keeping them in every game that isn’t a blow out.

Promising stuff tonight.

-Greg Berlin

Phillies Pregame – 5/7, 9:40 PM EDT

The Game: Philadelphia Phillies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

The Matchup: Kyle Kendrick (6 GS, 2-2, 5.01, 16 SO, 11 BB, 4 HR, 1.55 WHIP) vs. Micah Owings (6 GS, 4-1, 4.42, 30 SO, 12 BB, 6 HR, 1.20 WHIP)

The Story: Kyle Kendrick on the mound as the Phillies look to rebound from last night’s frustrating loss against the Diamondbacks and Randy Johnson.  With any luck, Kendrick will be better than Adam Eaton was last night, walking the Big Unit on FOUR PITCHES!  Of the walk, Eaton said after the game, “It’s pretty pathetic.”  Pathetic indeed.  Eaton started well, but he may be regressing to 2007 form…

The Phils bats weren’t silent last night, but they didn’t get the job done.  They left seven men on base, including men on first and third in the 9th.  The Phils could use this game, as they are going up against surefire Brandon Webb tomorrow.  He’s 7-0 with a 2.49 ERA, and yes, you read that correctly.

Phils are gonna need some luck in the next couple days.  All hands on deck!

Stat of the Day: Kyle Kendrick’s opponents’ batting average is .293. Oy…

Phillies Pregame – 5/6, 9:40 PM EDT

The Game: Arizona Diamondback (21-11) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (19-14)

The Matchup: Randy Johnson (4 GS, 1-1, 4.79, 22 SO, 9 BB, 1.45 WHIP) vs. Adam Eaton (6 GS, 0-0, 4.72, 19 SO, 13 BB, 1.37 WHIP)

The Story: You never want to look up and see Randy Johnson opposing you, but it’s safe to say he’s not the pitcher he once was.  Regardless, he’s should get a lot of Ks against the Phillies hackers.  Adam Eaton is bound to never get a decision this year, posting none in 6 starts.  The righty has lasted at least 5 innings in five of his six starts, and continues to be quite the pleasant surprise for the Phillies.

It’s unlikely that the Phils’ bats with be as hot as they were last night, but overall the team is just hot all around.  Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard seem to be taking baby steps towards getting back to their old selves.  Even Eric Bruntlett is starting to swing the bat with a triple and two hits last night.  Look for Jason Werth to be back in the lineup after sitting out the last two games.

The Dbacks will look to recover from an all around poor performance yesterday.  The NL’s second best offense (183 RS) owns the highest slugging percentage in the league (.459) and are still posting the major’s best record (21-11).

Stat of the Day: The Phillies own the NL’s best road record at 9-6.

Lineups later.

Phillies Postgame: 5/5 at ARI

Phillies 11 – Diamondback 4

A great game all around from the Phillies. Jamie Moyer pitched 7 fabulous innings of baseball, allowing only 6 hits and 2 earned runs and striking out 5. The 45 year old spent the night methodically painting the plate and tricking batters. Only experience lends itself to the type of game Moyer pitched last night. Oh, by the way, he had no walks.

Moyer’s counterpart, Max Scherzer, the highly touted Dbacks prospect and fastball hurler, did not fair so well. Scherzer only lasted 4 innings, with a line of 7 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, and 5 SO. At times he looked magical, throwing fastballs in perfect spots and catching hitters off guard. At other times he looked inexperienced and desperately in need of another pitch. Take a look at his pitch breakdown:

Through 4 innings, Scherzer pitched almost all fastballs, with the occasional slider and a couple of change ups. His fastball comes in several varieties, but if he can’t develop a curve he’s may very well be destined for the closer’s spot.

As I wrote in the pregame, this game would be sink or swim for Scherzer. The Phils have a ton of strikeouts, but also a ton of homers in this lineup. It was sink for Scherzer and walk on water for the Phils. Rather than go through each batter, let’s just put it this way: Pat Burrell was the only player without a hit. The Phillies totaled 17 hits through the game, pounding pitcher after pitcher for the Dbacks. Even Ryan Howard looked on his game last night. After two smoked balls to outfielders – one an RBI sacrifice – he finally got on the board with a hit. But really, all you need to know last night is that everybody hit.

Despite the great hitting performance, the player of the game still goes to Jamie Moyer. You’d think he was 25 if he didn’t throw like a grandma. Oh yea, he had two hits of his own, including an RBI double, and very nearly a third hit.

Sunday Division Roundup

Mets 5-Diamondbacks 2

One of the better pitching matchups of the year as Johan Santana squared off against Dan Haren in a pitchers’ dual that exploded in the 9th for the Mets. Santana was his classic self, going 6 full innings striking out 8 and walking 4, giving up just 1 earned run. Haren was almost as good, going 6 full giving up 2 runs on 2 hits (one a homer to David Wright in the 4th), striking out 7 and walking 1.

Jorge Sosa picked up the win for the Mets (he’s 4-1, unbelievably) and Billy Wagner notched his seventh save of the season after Arizona 1B Connor Jackson made a crucial throwing error in the top of the 9th that started a 3-run rally for the Mets. Bringing in runs for the Mets were Jose Reyes, Wright, and Marlon Anderson. Chad Qualls took the loss for Arizona. What a statement for the Mets, as they take the series off of the NL-leading D-Backs.

Phillies 6-Giants 5.

Charlie Manuel got his 500th win as the Phils took the game on a San Francisco error in the bottom of the ninth that brought in the winning run. Carlos Ruiz tied the game up in the 8th, allowing Brad Lidge to pick up his first win of the year. Cole Hamels allowed 4 runs on 7 hits through 6 innings, but he did have 5 strikeouts and no walks. Young Giants starter Tim Lincecum was better, surrendering no earned runs in 6 innings of work, striking out 5 and walking 2. But it was errors that would prove costly to the struggling Giants, who drop to 14-18. The Phillies remain a half-game up on New York and Florida.

Marlins 10-Padres 3

The big bats came to play today as Dan Uggla hit an RBI double and a home run to keep the Marlins tied with the Mets for second place in the division. Hanley Ramirez was 2-4 and scored 2 runs, and Matt Treanor was 2-4 with 2 RBIs. Young southpaw Andrew Miller finally pitched well for the Fish, getting his 2nd win and allowing 2 runs on 6 innings of work, striking out 4 and walking 2. Greg Maddux dropped to 2-3, allowing 11 hits for 5 runs, 4 earned, for 5.2 innings of work.

Braves 14-Reds 7

The Braves had 19 hits on the day, outhitting the Reds almost 2:1 and surviving a rocky outing by Tom Glavine. Chipper Jones contributed his fair share with a 3-run home run and a 2-run single. Also coming through big for the Braves were Mark Kotsay who homered and had 3 RBIs and Kelly Johnson, who was 4-6 with 2 RBIs. Glavine lasted just 4.2, surrendering 6 earned runs on 7 hits, striking out 3 and walking 5. Royce Ring picked up his first win of the season for Atlanta. As bad as Glavine was, Reds starter Bronson Arroyo was far worse, pitching just an inning and a third, giving up 7 earned runs. Josh Fogg came in for mop-up duty and didn’t pitch much better, giving up 5 earned runs on 6 hits in 2.2 innings.

Nationals 5-Pirates 2

Tim Redding continued his dominant streak, picking up his 4th win and allowing just 1 earned run on 6 innings of work, striking out 5 and walking 1. He was opposed by Pirates ace Ian Snell, who dropped to 2-2 after allowing 4 earned runs on 10 hits with 2 strikeouts and a walk. Aaron Boone hit his first home run as a National, filling in at third for the day as Ryan Zimmerman ended his Major League leading 205 consecutive game streak. Also driving in runs for the Nats were Nick Johnson, Austin Kearns, Felipe Lopez, and Wily Mo Peña. The Nats are red-hot, having gone 8-3 on the last homestand.

-Jonathan Kraft

Saturday Division Roundup

Diamondbacks 10-Mets 4

Mike Pelfrey did not pitch well for the Mets, throwing more than 100 pitches in 5 innings, allowing 5 earned runs, walking 4 and striking out 1. He was charged with the loss, and is 2-2 on the year Diamondbacks ace Brandon Webb pitched well enough, but was not dominant, giving up 5 runs, 4 earned, on 7 full innings of work with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. Augie Ojeda, replacing the injured Orlando Hudson,  terrorized the Mets, driving in 6 runs. For the Mets, Carlos Delgado hit a 3-run shot, but was one of the only Mets whose bat showed up. Combined, Jose Reyes and David Wright were 0-7 with a walk on the day. Duaner Sanchez‘s line on the day: (0.1 innings, 4 H, 5 ER) Ouch.

Nationals 9-Pirates 8

The Nats barely squeaked one out against the Bucs, as mediocre pitching gave way to clutch offense from the Nats. Cristian Guzman was a triple away from hitting for the cycle, and totaled 6 RBIs on the day. Guzman and Felipe Lopez jumpstarted the Nats offense, combining to go 6-9 on the day in the 1 and 2 spots. Matt Chico might have bought himself some more time to try and fix his pitching woes, but was not all that good, going 4.1 and letting up 5 runs, 4 earned, with 3 walks and 4 strikeouts. Jesus Colome picked up the win and Jon Rauch notched his 7th save of the year.

Giants 3-Phillies 2

The Phillies lost a heartbreaker as Bengie Molina hit a go-ahead RBI double off of Rudy Seanez in the 10th. Brett Myers pitched very well, going 7 innings, allowing 6 hits, 2 earned runs, walking 3 and striking out 10. But he received almost no run support other than home runs by Chase Utley (again) and Geoff Jenkins and an RBI from Pat Burrell. Giants starter Matt Cain was very effective, shutting the Phils down on 7 innings of 3-hit ball, striking out 8 and walking 1.

Braves 9-Reds 1

Yunel Escobar led the Braves to a hit parade Saturday as he went 3-4 with 2 runs and an RBI. The Braves had 15 hits on the day compared to 4 for the Reds. Jo-Jo Reyes pitched well for Atlanta, allowing just 1 earned run on 5.1 innings, striking out 5 and walking 3. Brian McCann had 2 RBIs for the Braves, who now sit just a game below .500.

Padres 7-Marlins 2

Young Ricky Nolasco continues to struggle for the Marlins, giving up 10 hits over 4.2 innings of work yesterday as Padres ace Jake Peavy cruised. Peavy went 5.2 and struck out 8, allowing just 2 earned runs. Mike Jacobs‘ 2 run blast in the bottom of the first was all the offense the Marlins could muster. After a hot start, the Marlins are just 4-6 in their last 10.

Mets Postgame: 5/2 at ARI

What a way to open the roadtrip, as the New York Mets defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-2 on the backs of their superstars, David Wright and Jose Reyes, and on their most valuable player so far, Ryan Church. David and Jose each fell one hit shy of the cycle–Wright needed a triple, Reyes a home run. Church hit his fourth home run of the year and drove in three on the night, bringing his RBI total to 19.

It doesn’t get much better than this. Reyes gets on base, Church advances him, David drives in runs, and the rest of the team follows the lead. These 3 guys are key to winning, as is John Maine, who looked shaky at times, but got the job done, going 6 full innings to pick up his 3rd win of the year (surprising after his pitch count got way up there–he even had 12 pitches on just one Micah Owings at bat), and surrendering 2 earned on 6 hits, striking out 6 and walking 2. Joe Smith, Pedro Feliciano, and Duaner Sanchez combined for 3 scoreless innings in relief.

The Diamondbacks were a shadow of their usual self tonight. Owings took the loss, going 5.2 giving up 7 earned runs on 11 hits, striking out 2 and walking 3. He’s obviously banged up, as anyone watching the game could tell based on his motion. 2B Orlando Hudson had to come out of the game with a minor leg injury (he’s day to day). Here’s my observation of the D-Backs. They have a ridiculous amount of talent (especially in Justin Upton who is a phenom to say the least), but they are very, very young. Their pitching needs to be solid to carry them, and tonight it obviously was not. But this is a team that is going places.

A happy note for the Mets, LF Moises Alou made his return to the lineup, batting in the 5 spot behind Carlos Beltran. Alou went 1-4 with an RBI on a hard hit ball up the middle that could have easily been a double play ball. Weird to see the bottom of the lineup consisting of Carlos Delgado, Raul Casanova, and Luis Castillo. Those 3 combined to go 2-11 on the night, by the way.

Great win tonight for the Amazins, it’s going to be a tough one tomorrow as Mike Pelfrey takes on Snakes ace Brandon Webb.

–Jonathan Kraft

Mets Pregame: 5/2 at ARI

The Game: New York Mets (14-12) at Arizona Diamondbacks (20-8 )

The Matchup: John Maine (2-2, 3.58 ) vs. Micah Owings (4-0, 3.48 )

The Story: After an embarrassing 13-1 loss against the Pirates, the Mets took a day off and flew across the country, and look to bounce back against the red-hot D-Backs. The big story is Moises Alou, who is expected to play very soon, possibly even tonight. That should hopefully put some fire back into the Mets lineup, which has been disappointing to say the least in recent days. My guess is that Willie will bat Alou sixth, moving the struggling Carlos Delgado down to seventh (can you believe it?) in the order. The Mets will be facing some of the league’s best pitching over the next three days, and the key to winning this series is in Jose Reyes‘s ability to get on base.

Tonight’s pitching matchup features two of the premier young pitchers in baseball. John Maine has looked shaky on the mound at times, but has still managed to pitch pretty well so far, holding opponents to 2 runs or less in his last four starts. Micah Owings has been a nice surprise this year for the Snakes, posting an incredible 28:9 K/BB ratio. He’s the weakest of the three opposing pitchers in this series, and will be followed up by Brandon Webb (against Mike Pelfrey tomorrow) and Dan Haren (against Johan Santana on Sunday).

The D-Backs are the hottest team in baseball, riding on their young bats, including Justin Upton, Chris Young, Stephen Drew, Orlando Hudson, and Eric Byrnes. It goes without saying that a series win here for the Mets would be a huge statement.

-Jonathan Kraft

Figueroa skipped in rotation

According to the Daily News, Mets starter Nelson Figueroa will be skipped in the rotation this weekend, allowing Johan Santana to pitch Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

MetsBlog is not happy about the move, and says that Figueroa has been the Mets most successful pitcher this year not named Santana. How true is that? He does have the second best WHIP in the rotation (1.34) after Santana (0.92), but has also averaged the most runs allowed (4.26).

This is a no brainer–you’re playing the hottest team in the NL, who do you want on the mound, Nelson Figueroa or Johan Santana. I understand Figgie’s been a great story (and relatively effective), but I’d rather see Santana on the mound against one of Arizona’s premier starters (slated to be Dan Haren as of now). Besides, this is a good opportunity to use Figgie out of the pen this week.