|
The Mets host the Washington Nationals in a two-game series on September 9 and 10. I am posting this on Sunday night as I will be taking my son back to college on Monday and Tuesday. If there is any news from this point on, this KTE will be outdated.
The Mets are 8 and 4 against Washington this year. The Nationals haven’t been to Shea since last May 12-15 when they won three of four. This included an ignominious loss on Thursday afternoon, 1-0, when Jason Bergman beat Mike Pelfrey. The Nationals have been playing good ball of late, winning 8 of 9, including 2 of 3 from the Phillies last week.
Tuesday’s game will match Oliver Perez and John Lannan. Oliver is 1 and 1 against the Nationals this year. On April 24, he got the loss in DC, going 5 2/3 and giving up 5 ER. He beat them on August 14, again in DC, going 6 2/3 and giving up 3 ER. Against Oliver, the only Nationals with any success are Austin Kearns and Willy Mo Pena but, alas, both are on the DL. Christian Guzman is 0 for 4. Ryan Zimmerman is 4 for 15.
Lannan (LHP, from Long Beach, NY) pitched against the Mets twice this year: on April 17, he went 6 IP, one ER, in a 3-2 Mets win and on May 13, 6 IP, 4 ER, 12 H, in 6-3 Mets win. Against Lannan, Ryan Church is 3 for 7, one HR, 4 RBI; Jose Reyes is 4 for 10; and David Wright is 3 for 10 with two doubles.
Wednesday’s matchup is Mike Pelrey v. Odalis Perez. Big Pelf has faced the Nationals twice times this year, and both showed signs of the greatness to come: on April 15, he went 7 innings, no ER in a 6-0 win; and in the aforementioned May 15 game, getting the loss despite going 7 2/3 innings and giving up only one ER. None of the Nationals have done much against him.
Odalis Perez is 1 and 2 against the Mets in ’08. On April 15, he gave 2 ER in 6 IP but the Mets won 6-0. He got the win on May 12, 4 R, 11 hits, 6 1/3 IP. On August 12, he got the loss, giving up 3 ER in 6 IP. Versus Odalis, successful are: Luis Castillo, 9 for 24 with a homerun; Carlos Beltran, 7 for 15; Jose Reyes, 7 for 10, and; David Wright is 5 for 12 with 2 HRs. On the negative side, Carlos Delgado is 1 for 12, but much of that was before he became super-human.
Zzzz. This is dull. Sorry. As an attorney, my writing has gotten drier over the years. Statement of facts, points of law, argument, conclusion. Yawn. By attorney standards, I’m a riot, but as a blogger, not so much.
So I turn this over to dcbatgirl. She is the owner of the Nationals season ticket group that I share in. She is such a devout Nationals fan, that she got a side job giving tours of the new ballpark. At our ticket draft, we drew Scrabble tiles for draft position and she replaced the regular W with the Nationals trademark “Curly W.” She agreed to participate in a “Q & A” with me for this KTE:
You were just at Shea. What did you think? Um, I think that Mets fans are probably looking forward to moving to Citi Field. I did have a good time when I went to Shea, including picking up a souvenir baseball for my collection.
Are you disappointed with the Nationals this season? If you’re asking if I wish they’d win more, sure that would be nice, but I had reasonable expectations. I’ve been to some pretty fun games, including our terrific opening night, and 3 great wins during our last home stand, when the Nats won 8 of 9. Our latest home stand included 2 wins over the Phillies. In anticipation of your thanks for these wins, “you’re welcome.”
Do you think Jim Bowden and/or Manny Acta should get fired? Manny is definitely a keeper. I have only positive things to say about Manny’s positive, no-excuses approach. Thank you for giving us Manny.
Jimbo is a little tougher. He is definitely not boring. I could do without some of the drama, like the July episode when Bowden mentioned during a radio interview that Chad Cordero would be non-tendered … before he spoke with Chad. Ooops! And one could look at the Nationals’ record and conclude that things aren’t going so well. But with the Nationals’ emphasis on rebuilding our minor league affiliates, it may be a little too soon to judge how things are going. Plus, wild Jim’s high-risk projects are definitely interesting. For example, I’m really cheering for Elijah Dukes these days, somewhat to my surprise. Nonetheless, all things considered, I probably would prefer a more polished GM.
What do you think of Lastings Milledge? Lastings, Lastings, Lastings. I definitely get riled up by his miscues in the outfield and his questionable base-running decisions.
I also have moments when I wonder how coachable he is. But he clearly has some talent, and I am willing to be patient for a while longer. How much longer, I’m not sure.
Are you still a fan of Schneider and Church? I was always neutral on Church. Don’t love him or hate him. I don’t think he was going to realize his potential in Washington, for a variety of reasons, and I wish him well in New York. Please stop bonking him on the head, huh?
I am not neutral about Schneider. I love Schneider. I special-ordered a women’s jersey to celebrate the Schneiderman. My friends used to call me Brian Schneider’s girlfriend. When Schneider was traded, my phone rang and people stopped by my office for days, just to make sure I would be okay.
But I am a fickle gal. It has been pretty easy for me to transfer my love to Jesus Flores and Wil Nieves. Thank you so much for sending us Jesus! He is going to be a star. And Wil Nieves is both a great back-up catcher and hotie. One of my favorite moments all season was Wil’s walk-off homer against the Cubs.
Does it drive you crazy to see and hear all us Mets fans in Nationals Park? There are Mets fans at Nationals Park? I hadn’t noticed them.
Which Nationals should Mets fans be wary right now? Given last September, you should be wary of our entire plucky club. Beyond any general wariness, Elijah Dukes is an amazing talent, and on any given day you might see little Willie Harris channeling Superman.
Finally, some of our readers are single. Would you date a Mets fan? Romance is a mysterious thing, so I wouldn’t rule it out. Besides, every guy has attributes and drawbacks. I don’t think I’d look for a Mets fan, but I’m pretty sure the odds of success would be higher with a Mets fan than with a Phillies fan.
Good luck with the rest of your season. Except, of course, in your games on September 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, and 18.
-dcbatgirl
|
