May 25 2007 01:37 PM
Space Truckin
The Mets have activated El Duque to pitch tonight against Sergio Mitre (2-2, 2.25)... they have not announced who will leave the roster to make space. Mitre has never faced the Mets, but has won his last two starts, pitching will in Pittsburgh and Tampa. El Duque beat the Marlins in April, and hasn't lost to the Fish since July 2000.
Saturday night, the Mets send the suddenly human John Maine (5-2, 2.77) to face Wes Obermueller (1-2, 3.71). Obermueller pitched three scoreless innings on May 2 at Shea in a 6-3 Fish loss.
Sunday afternoon, Jorge Sosa (3-1, 3.75) will take on the crazy Scott Olsen (4-3, 4.76). Olsen got the win on April 30, pitching six innings, giving up ten hits and two runs. Olsen is perhaps best known for being just a little bit [url=http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/05/23/ap3749003.html]crazy[/url]. And not in a good way, as he's even fought [url=http://www.sportech.info/2006/05/23/how-did-scott-olsen-get-that-black-eye-you-ask/]teammates[/url].
The Mets will miss Dontrelle Willis in this series, who is 11-3, 2.46 in his career against the Mets, despite giving up seven runs in five innings in a loss earlier this year.
Walk Away
No pitching staff in baseball has had worse control than the Marlins', who have walked 203 batters in 427 innings.
Hand Me Down World
The Mets have dumped several would-be prospects on the Fish in recent years. Only one ex-Met will be in the opposing dugout this weekend, though, fireballing Mormon righthander [url=http://florida.marlins.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=434637]Matt Lindstrom[/url]. Mike Jacobs and Henry Owens both went on the DL recently, and Jorge Julio, erstwhile Met, was exiled to Arizona. Owens is currently rehabbing, though, and could come back this weekend.
A few former Fish on the Mets' roster: Ramon Castro, Carlos Delgado, Damion Easley, Paul LoDuca, the suspended Guillermo Mota, and the injured Moises Alou have all called Miami home.
Bad Reputation
The Marlins come into tonight's game off a crazy 11-inning win against the Phillies, a game that featured an 85-minute rain delay, manager Fredi Gonzalez's first managerial ejection, and [url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=270524128]bench-clearing brawl[/url]. The Marlins used six relievers in the game, so they should be nice and tired this weekend.
Thank You
Lots of interesting promotions this weekend at Dolphin Stadium. Tonight 100 lucky fans will win autographed Fredi Gonzalez lineup cards. Tomorrow night, the first 5,000 cars receive Marlins windshield visors, and the first 25,000 fans receive Thunder Sticks, so you might want to turn the CW11 to "mute" and just watch the game. Sunday afternoon is Dan Uggla Youth Bat day, and it's also Jewish Heritage Day, so let's all wear our Shawn Green 20 shirts!
I've Got A Feeling
Wear shorts, bring an umbrella. Low 80s, high 70s all weekend, with scattered thundershowers the whole time. Basically, Florida weather.
Day of the Eagle
The Marlins have hit 13 first-pitch home runs this season. Only the Braves (15) and Rangers (14) have hit more.
Ball of Confusion
Todd Linden was claimed by the Marlins last week. We last saw Linden in San Francisco [url=http://www.ultimatemets.com/gamedetail.php?gameno=7265]misplaying[/url] a Jose Reyes fly ball into a bases-loading hit, allowing David Wright to drive in two runs off former Met Armando Benitez, who used to be a Florida Marlin before he fell off the cliff. Ah, the circle of life.
Rock Bottom
Nobody strikes out like the Marlins do... they lead the NL with 393 K's in 47 games. Their closer situation is also still pretty unsettled, as only one team in the NL has less saves than the Marlins' 10 (the Reds have nine). They've blown eight saves this season.
Stealin'
Jose Reyes leads the major leagues with 26 stolen bases. Hanley Ramirez, also known as the third-best young shortstop in the NL East, is tied for fourth with 15. Miguel Olivo has thrown out only 5 of 21 runners, and Matt Trainor is 0 for 9.
Ramirez, however, leads the majors in runs with 43. The Marlins are 16-12 in games where he scores, and 6-10 when he does not. He has also hit in ten straight games, batting .395 during that stretch.
Bell Bottom Blues
Kevin Gregg appears to be the guy answering the call at the end of games for the Marlins these days, picking up their last three saves, including two in consecutive games on May 20 & 22. Gregg is a journeyman, though, and Henry Owens will likely take the job back when he is activated.
Honky Tonk Women
Backup catcher Matt Treanor is married to beach volleyball player Misty May.
Backup catchers get all the chicks.
Dear Mr. Fantasy
Some of the Fish hitters have been hot lately; if your league allows daily transactions, you might want to activate Dan Uggla (10 for 26 over the past seven days), Hanley Ramirez (9 for 27 with 2 HRs), and Miguel Cabrera (9 for 28). On the flip side, Jeremy Hermida, recently activated off the DL, is 5 for his last 25 with 7 K's. Miguel Olivo is 3 for 18, and Alfredo Amezaga is 2 for 13.
As far as the pitchers go, Dontrelle Willis and Byung-Hyun Kim both start twice next week. Willis is a good bet, facing Jason Marquis and the Cubs, followed by the slumping Chris Capuano and the Brewers. Kim is riskier, largely because he sucks.