Met fans can definitely say that the last series against Arizona has been a breath of fresh air.
The team won two out of three games and played the best I have seen since last year. But I still have concerns about the Mets manager Willie Randolph.
The game where the Mets lost 10-4 was a disgrace and could have been avoided. He needs to learn when to keep and take pitchers out of the game.
This problem has gone on for as long as he has been manager. I saw it a lot in 2006, but it never was brought up until late last season.
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In the case of the 10-4 loss the other day, we saw Randolph keep Sanchez in the game and saw him give up four hits and a walk and five earned runs. Why would Randolph keep him in that long?
The reason is because he doesn't have the faith in his starting pitchers to go more than five to six innings in a game.
I feel that Perez twice has been able to go the seventh inning, but no. He puts the untrustworthy Aaron Heilman in who probably blew three to four games this season.
Sanchez obviously couldn't do anything after the second hit, so take him out.
Then in yesterday's game Feliciano is in the game and they take him out after giving up a slow grounder hit. WHY?
Willie Randolph needs to wake up and learn how to play his pitchers or he is going to be out of a job. We won't win a championship if he doesn't learn from his mistakes.
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4 months ago
Choosing when to keep a pitcher in a when to relief him is a decision based on instinct, numbers, and luck. The worst part is, it is impossible to tell if a manager made the right decision most of the time.
The problem I have with Willie is his reputation of favoring veteran players. I don't know if Willie had a hand in trading for Luis Castillo, but the Mets would have been better off with Ruben Gotay, who is younger, healthier, and can hit for some power. Milledge is another guy who didn't get enough playing time in New York, but that won't be a problem for as long as Ryan Church is hitting well.
Lastly, why Ramon Castro was sitting on the bench all of last year when he was clearly the best catcher on the team is a mystery that may never be solved.
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