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XIGT, 3/4/2012 - Bones Babies vs. Geren Tambourines

Edgy MD Mar 04 2012 08:22 PM

Pelf, Niese toss blanks; Baxter goes deep March, 4, 2012 By Adam Rubin Mike Pelfrey and Jon Niese tossed two scoreless innings apiece and Ramon Ramirez, Manny Acosta and Garrett Olson each had scoreless frames as the Mets played a four and a half inning intrasquad game in their final tune-up for Monday night’s Grapefruit League opener. Mike Baxter delivered a two-run homer on a slider from left-hander Chuck James and Bobby Parnell recorded only two outs while allowing three hits, two walks and hitting a batter. Parnell has an option remaining and can be sent to the minors without passing through waivers if he is ineffective in camp. The game was called after Parnell plunked Zach Lutz in the left elbow. Parnell was disconcerted after drilling Lutz and had to be consoled on the field by pitching coach Dan Warthen as well as Terry Collins, although Warthen said the game was stopped at that point only because Parnell had reached his pitch allotment. Warthen said he was unconcerned about Parnell’s control on March 4 because flamethrowers take longer in camp to get their arsenal in order, the pitching coach suggested. As for Parnell being visibly upset after plunking Lutz, including pacing around the infield grass, Warthen said: “When you hit one of your teammates, you’re always bent out of shape.” Lutz chatted with trainer Ray Ramirez and had the elbow wrapped after the game, but said he did not need X-rays. He twice was hit in the head with pitches last season and missed significant time with a pair of resulting concussions. “Just my luck,” Lutz said about getting plunked Sunday. Pelfrey allowed no hits and one walk while striking out two. He worked exclusively from the stretch to try to quicken his time to the plate and reduce stolen bases against him this season. Pelfrey surrendered 29 steals last season, with only two would-be base-stealers caught. The 94 percent success rate against Pelfrey was fourth-worst in the majors last season among pitchers who logged at least 190 innings and had at least 10 steal attempts against them. Pelfrey was better than only Edwin Jackson (22 of 23 successful, 96%), Randy Wolf (18 of 19, 95%) and Ted Lilly (35 of 37, 95%). Pelfrey was pleased on Sunday with his sinker, which he hopes to rediscover after allowing a career-high 21 homers in 193 2/3 innings last season. He allowed a homer in 2011 at a rate twice as frequently as the previous season. “I was happy with the movement, the sink on it,” Pelfrey said. “That was the pitch that I went into the offseason and thought I had to get back, and it was good today.” As for pitching without working from the windup, Pelfrey added: “I felt last year that one of the problems was that I gave up too many stolen bases. I’m just trying to get quicker from the stretch. I’m trying to get more comfortable there.”

John Cougar Lunchbucket Mar 04 2012 09:47 PM Re: XIGT, 3/4/2012 - Bones Babies vs. Geren Tambourines

Bobby Pee feels too much inside. He's gotta be more more of a heartless prick to make it in this league.

Edgy MD Mar 05 2012 06:44 AM Re: XIGT, 3/4/2012 - Bones Babies vs. Geren Tambourines

It's early and shit, but Baxter and Nooie have both gone deep against lefties. Loewen's got to break off a piece of that while it's going around.

Ceetar Mar 05 2012 06:48 AM Re: XIGT, 3/4/2012 - Bones Babies vs. Geren Tambourines

Edgy DC wrote: It's early and shit, but Baxter and Nooie have both gone deep against lefties. Loewen's got to break off a piece of that while it's going around. Well, maybe. I mean, Terry's likely going to give them very few AB against lefties. Willie Harris got 42 last year, and that was mainly when due to injuries forcing him to start.

Edgy MD Mar 05 2012 06:52 AM Re: XIGT, 3/4/2012 - Bones Babies vs. Geren Tambourines

Sure and all, but benches are short. And that's 42 at-bats they really, really would have liked to have given to other people, but couldn't. A lefty off the bench who can defend himself against lefthanded pitchers is not a bad thing to have, especially since any depth the Mets can muster need to continually keep the heat on the starting outfielders.

Ceetar Mar 05 2012 06:58 AM Re: XIGT, 3/4/2012 - Bones Babies vs. Geren Tambourines

Edgy DC wrote: Sure and all, but benches are short. And that's 42 at-bats they really, really would have liked to have given to other people, but couldn't. A lefty off the bench who can defend himself against lefthanded pitchers is not a bad thing to have, especially since any depth the Mets can muster need to continually keep the heat on the starting outfielders. True, I guess what these guys are more trying to show is that maybe you can take a second lefty bench bat to replace Hairston if he indeed (which seems likely) misses the early going. The Mets don't really have a standout lefty-masher to Hairston's splits that can play CF floating around that should obviously get that spot right?

Edgy MD Mar 05 2012 07:02 AM Re: XIGT, 3/4/2012 - Bones Babies vs. Geren Tambourines

The next righthanded bats available appear to be Rottino and Pascucci. Collins seemed to be making little effort to get Pascucci much PT at the end of 2011.

Ceetar Mar 05 2012 07:13 AM Re: XIGT, 3/4/2012 - Bones Babies vs. Geren Tambourines

Edgy DC wrote: The next righthanded bats available appear to be Rottino and Pascucci. Collins seemed to be making little effort to get Pascucci much PT at the end of 2011. hmm, and neither of those guys are CFers really, so that gives Loewen and Baxter maybe a leg up.

Edgy MD Mar 05 2012 07:26 AM Re: XIGT, 3/4/2012 - Bones Babies vs. Geren Tambourines

Loewen or Baxter is likely to make the roster as the fifth outfielder anyhow. That's now the fourth outfielder slot. The loser will certainly fall into the competition for the fifth outfielder slot, but I doubt that the need for a third centerfielder will trump the desire to have both a righthanded and a lefthanded hitting outfielder on the bench. If Hairston can't answer the bell, I think it looks like one of Loewen, Baxter, and Nooie, and one of Rottino and Pascucci. The depth chart in center, then, would be Torres, Loewen, Bay, and Cedeño, I guess. Not ideal, but tolerable in the short term, looking to Nieuwenhuis and den Dekker as preferable long-term options.

Ceetar Mar 05 2012 07:32 AM Re: XIGT, 3/4/2012 - Bones Babies vs. Geren Tambourines

Edgy DC wrote: Loewen or Baxter is likely to make the roster as the fifth outfielder anyhow. That's now the fourth outfielder slot. The loser will certainly fall into the competition for the fifth outfielder slot, but I doubt that the need for a third centerfielder will trump the desire to have both a righthanded and a lefthanded hitting outfielder on the bench. If Hairston can't answer the bell, I think it looks like one of Loewen, Baxter, and Nooie, and one of Rottino and Pascucci. The depth chart in center, then, would be Torres, Loewen, Bay, and Cedeño, I guess. Not ideal, but tolerable in the short term, looking to Nieuwenhuis and den Dekker as preferable long-term options. Yeah, I'm figuring Nieuwenhuis is all but not really competing for this spot. Previously Loewen/Baxter weren't really competing for backup-CF, I'm just pondering if their ability to play there requires (in TC/SA's eyes) something more than good righty splits. I guess if anything this actually makes them more versatile than Hairston who's really more of a lefty split guy, even though they didn't use him that way last year and he hit righties better which was almost definitely a small sample size thing.

MFS62 Mar 05 2012 07:47 AM Re: XIGT, 3/4/2012 - Bones Babies vs. Geren Tambourines

A guy who throws 95-100MPH like Parnell needs to be able to pitch inside. Keeps the batters from digging in/ feeling comfortable against him. But if he were going to hit someone, I wish it would have been someone else's adoptee. Later

Benjamin Grimm Mar 05 2012 08:51 AM Re: XIGT, 3/4/2012 - Bones Babies vs. Geren Tambourines

My hunch is that Nieuwenhuis will end up on the big league roster soon than the Mets are officially anticipating. I expect to see him at [crossout:3qdcucl2]Shea[/crossout:3qdcucl2] Citi by early May, and Matt Harvey by mid-June. (Which reminds me... are we doing "Expectations of Twelve" this year?)

Edgy MD Mar 05 2012 08:54 AM Re: XIGT, 3/4/2012 - Bones Babies vs. Geren Tambourines

We can, but I need to make time to put up the threads. Need a different alliteration too. Feel free to take over at any time.