fathom

QUOTE(BigSqwert @ Jul 15, 2006 -> 12:40 AM) The way Randy is pitching I don't like our chances. 2 more innings, and we'll have a much tougher pitcher to face. I would love to see Ozzie get more aggressive with certain players on our team. If Anderson gets on base with no outs, we should be doing something with Ozuna at the plate.

Guiel always has good at-bats against us. If we don't comeback, it's just another loss in the Widger category.

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Jul 15, 2006 -> 12:38 AM) How was Contreras' first pitch difference than Johnson's called strike? I'm telling you....I'm not a fan of coaches getting tossed, but Cooper should have taken one for the team. QUOTE(TitoMB345 @ Jul 15, 2006 -> 12:38 AM) Trust me, there is PLENTY more of this to come if the Yankees keep getting these calls. PLENTY. I hate the Yankees more than I hate every single other thing in the world of professional sports. Even more than the Bears! I eagerly anticipate your posts this series then.

QUOTE(Reddy @ Jul 15, 2006 -> 12:37 AM) it's not thome's fault 2 of 3 He hasn't been close to touching a pitch of RJ's. He would have walked on that 3-1 pitch, but that was a lot closer to being a strike than his first AB.

Note to Ozzie....play Cintron instead of Thome if we face Randy Johnson again this season.

Iguchi let RJ get away with a terrible pitch, and then K's. Who has a better chance to hit Randy...Thome or Garland?

Lets carry that momentum over and have better at-bats this inning. Ozuna's best chance of hitting RJ is to bunt one and make him field it.

Either Ozzie or Cooper needs to get tossed.

A quick observation on Widger....he seems unable to put the ball in play unless he pops it up. He had a very short swing last season, but it's incredibly long now.

QUOTE(Reddy @ Jul 15, 2006 -> 12:19 AM) ok come on now, tonight has mostly been a product of bad umpiring... and pablo I'm sorry, but I'm not going to blame an umpire for a first pitch blown call. I must have missed it, but I don't recall a rule saying a pitcher has to throw a get-me-over fastball when it's a 1-0 count with the bases loaded. It's been disturbing this season the way our pitchers have failed after a bad call by the umpire.

Well...that's what we get for having an infielder continue to play in the outfield. The more I see us face the top teams in the league, the more I think we need at the deadline.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 04:38 PM) I don't think there's a chance in hell KW would ship Freddy out of town without consulting Ozzie and getting his OK first. He doesn't need his blessing, but its best for everyone that he gets it, at least concerning Garcia. You're a wise man.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 04:29 PM) Freddy's throwing harder than 86. He's consistently around 87-89 and can reach back to throw 90-93 if he wants to. And if KW decides to deal him, there's a good chance that the Sox are going to have to eat a large portion of his contract. And B-Mac will be forced into the #5 spot, which means that the Sox will need two relievers in return to gain anything out of the deal. I don't see it happening. I haven't seen him above 91 mph on a legit gun this season. Also, it doesn't matter what he can max out at. If he's consistently around 88 mph the whole game, he's going to get crushed.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 04:29 PM) Tom Gordon Tom Gordon + Cole Hamels? Ok. For the short-term, Gordon is more valuable than Milledge. We all know that we're focused on the next 2 seasons as our "window".

QUOTE(LVSoxFan @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 04:28 PM) I second that. I'm seeing starting pitching as the issue, not the bullpen. Addition by subtraction.

QUOTE(redandwhite @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 04:25 PM) I'm shocked that Garcia' stock has hit rock bottom amongst fans. Why's that? He lost his fastball, which in turns makes his offspeed pitches easier to lay off of. He doesn't hold on runners, which is pathetic since he allows even more base runners right now. His K rate has drastically declined in the last few years. He's honestly the one pitcher I watch on the team and I wonder, how does he get anyone out?

QUOTE(RME JICO @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 04:25 PM) I don't see Mackowiak going anywhere this year. Tim Kurkjian on BB 2nite said the Mets were looking at Livan Hernandez and didn't mention the Sox. That is actually a pretty good sign that something is in the works, because everyone knows how KW works. Maybe the Sox could get Castro back with the deal. You mean the back-up catcher? I'll pass. He has some attitude issues. The thing people forget about Widger is that he's our player rep. Thus, he's going nowhere during the season.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 04:20 PM) I don't know about that, the Dbacks got a pretty damn good return for Javy. Ha, no kidding. What I meant was that enough time went by this summer where if the Mets wanted him, they could have jumped in on the bidding. And why would the Mets care about Garcia being locked up next year? With their money, they could either try to trade for Willis then or sign Zito/Schmidt. They're rumored to be a big player for Zito, and having Garcia's contract on the books would only hurt them. I'm going to make the prediction that we don't trade any of our starters this year.

If it is Johnson on the mound, does Thome play? Pablo in that spacious LF might be comical.

QUOTE(redandwhite @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 04:16 PM) I think things change. The mets are in a diar need for starting pitching, saying months prior that Milledge isn't available no longer has any meaning. Once again, things change. I actually agree with you on this. However, I think they'd try to get back into the Willis race or go after someone like Schmidt. I can't see Minaya giving up Milledge for Garcia and Vazquez. Vazquez didn't exactly impress the New York community when he was there with the Yankees. If the Mets really coveted him, he would have been traded to them in the offseason.

If we make a deal, besides getting a solid reliever, we should also get some prospects that could be used in order to try and get Carl Crawford in the offseason. We already have one great chip to use (Fields).

We have enough off days early on in this 2nd half where we'd be able to get by with only having 4 starters for a time.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 04:03 PM) Am I the only one who thinks it'd be silly to get rid of a starter for bullpen help that, really, we don't need? Not if that starter is Garcia. There's been a lot of great posts in this thread about why he should be the one that goes. I know I wouldn't mind not seeing his 88 mph finesse s*** the rest of the way. I would be so unbelievably proud of KW/Ozzie if they trade one of the underachieving starters.

Any trade we make that gets rid of Garcia would be terrific! He's so washed-up, and it wouldn't shock me if his ERA reaches 6 by the end of the season. We'd be a better team with McCarthy in the rotation and adding another reliever.

QUOTE(redandwhite @ Jul 14, 2006 -> 02:35 AM) Good point. I agree. The Reds should have and could have gotten more for what they gave up. Look no further than tonights Reds game to see why that team needs some bullpen help, and quick. They also pitched Standridge in the 9th, and he typically wouldn't see the field in a close game. I'm not saying they didn't need relief help....I'm just stunned at who they had to give up.