Omar already starting his "Please don't fire me if we don't make the playoffs" pitch for the Wilpons:

Minaya cited the injuries to Billy Wagner and John Maine as obstacles he wasn't sure the team could overcome.

"A lot of people compare things," Minaya said. "This is the '08 situation and we've worked hard to get where we are today with a very difficult year, with a lot of obstacles and injuries and everything else.

"We've got to be grateful to be where we are. And we have to find a way to get in. If you would have told me that with all the obstacles we've had this year injury-wise we'd be where we are today, I would have said, 'Wow.'"

NY Daily News

If you would have told me that with all the obstacles we've had this year injury-wise we'd be where we are today, I would have said, 'Wow.

You're the reason why the Mets are in this position, jackanapes.

Alou barely played. El Duque never pitched. Castillo is a disaster. Pedro is hanging on by a thread. Wagner got hurt and was spitting the bit when he wasn't.

But that's the risk you take when relying on old players. If not for Pelfrey, Murphy and Tatis, the Mets season would be long over.

Also, Jose Reyes is a ####### dog. That is all.

I wanted the Braves to screw the Mets out of the playoffs by manhandling them down the stretch. Failing that, I guess getting beaten by the Phillies to help beat the Mets will do.

You're the reason why the Mets are in this position, jackanapes.

Ah, Mets fans are finally agreeing with me.

At least this is killing that Delgado-for-MVP talk.

At least this is killing that Delgado-for-MVP talk.

EVEN BETTER! Now we'll get to see Ryan Howard beat out Pujols.

The Mets should go ahead and hire Ned Yost. It will them perfect their September crashes.

####### Mets.

Ryan Howard is sheer Bondsian this September. His month-by-month OPS, compliments of ESPN:

April: .646
May: .934
June: .726
July: .978
August: .791
Sept: 1.332

Talk about mood swings...

I'm thinking 50 HR and 150 RBI along with a Phillies East title, and the MVP voters flock his way.

They are tied in the loss column with the Phillies and one up on the Brewers. All is not lost yet.

Losing to the Phillies and Cubs at this time of year is one thing.

Losing to the sad-sack Braves and Nats at this time of year is another.

Honestly, I am just tired of this season. It's just been exhausting. 99% of me wants them to make it but there is a small part of me that just wants the year to end because the Mets have been a tough team to follow the entire season. Last year, the team was only especially tough to watch the last few weeks.

This is a typical Met game this season. The Mets get off to a quick start as the offense starts the game well and builds a lead. The offense stalls, the starting pitching gives away some of the lead that has been built up, and the bullpen hangs on for dear life. That's just tiring to watch often.

Also, Jose Reyes is a ####### dog. That is all.

I think he's doing pretty well for a guy playing with both hands wrapped around his neck.

I think he's doing pretty well for a guy playing with both hands wrapped around his neck.

I'm not buying that. He had a lousy first week in September--capped off with that 0fer in the doubleheader, but he's hitting .308/.379/.423 since.

Nothing gets my pulse racing faster in old-timey baseball style than a neck-and-neck race to the finish to determine who sucks the least.



(In all honesty, however, I do believe, 100%, that we are going to pull this out.)

Frankly, I think it's Manuel who has his hands wrapped around his neck, making small but subtle mistakes that have been critical. All have something important in common.

1) Leaving Santana in when he was obviously gassed to start the 8th against the Braves Saturday night. First two runners get on, starting us down the road to the first loss of the last four that have given away the lead.

2) He brought in Ayala instead of Feliciano to start the 9th with the two-run lead on Sunday night, even though the situation virtually begged for a left-hander. The debacular five-run 9th ensued.

3) He started Church last night in RF, even though (a) a LHP was on the mound, and (b) Pelfrey -- a ground-ball pitcher -- was on the mound for the Mets, negating the defensive justification for preferring Church in RF to Evans in LF (with Tatis swinging over from LF to RF).

What do all of these moves have in common? They are the classic "push-button," by-the-book move of a manager who is goes with the Proven Veteran™ in each situation -- at least "proven" to the greater extent than the alternative. Stick with your horse, Santana, instead of turning it over to the shaky bullpen. Go to your "closer," Ayala, even though he's been much more lucky than good even since coming to the Mets and he was terrible before that, instead of playing the L/R percentages. Ride Church, even against LHPs, because you can't trust the kid, Evans, in a tough pennant race situation.

IMHO, these moves by Manuel are a signal to his players that he lacks confidence in a lot of them. And maybe he's right to lack it; after he did NOT go to Feliciano to start the 9th on Sunday, and he did go to him later, Pedro II sucked royally. And it probably doesn't make much difference now on the Church issue, since now that Tatis is probably lost they'll have to go with Church in RF and the Kiddie Platoon in LF anyway.

But I have not liked a lot of Manuel's approach the last week, and while he remains a substantial improvement over the guy he replaced, it would be totally fine with me if they looked for someone better when the season is done.

negating the defensive justification for preferring Church in RF to Evans in LF (with Tatis swinging over from LF to RF).

The flaw in this, to me, is an underestimation of just how bad Tatis is in the OF.

Tatis this year has performed *below average* for a LF (and more so for a RF). His defense more than offsets his offense. And you saw that last night.

They are tied in the loss column with the Phillies and one up on the Brewers. All is not lost yet.

If the Cubs can wrap up home field by the end of the weekend, the Mets might benefit from playing 4 games against a lot of Iowa Cubs. (Then again, so might the Brewers in the following series.)

I'm thinking 50 HR and 150 RBI along with a Phillies East title, and the MVP voters flock his way.

He's currently at 45 and 136. I gotta say, 5 HR and 14 RBI in the last 11 days of a very tight race, on top of what he has already done the last couple of weeks, he might just deserve it. That would be 13 HR and 35 RBI in the last 23 games of the year.

OK, flame away.

I won't flame. It wouldn't make him a better player than Pujols, but it is a fairly traditional way to win MVP awards. Amazing production down the stretch of a pennant race wins that award a fair amount.

He's also hitting lefties all of a sudden. It was fashionable to bash Yost's use of the platoon split in his last game, but given what Howard is doing against lefties, it might not have mattered.


It must suck for Mets fans to have their team shut down by O. Perez.

The flaw in this, to me, is an underestimation of just how bad Tatis is in the OF.

That's no justification for Church over Evans, Chris.

And frankly, I don't think it's much of one for Church over Tatis in a game where Pelfrey is pitching, either. Of the 21 outs Pelfrey recorded, there were 13 GB outs (including a DP) and 5 K outs (including a DP of the K/CS variety) . . . and 4 fly ball outs. Yes, there was the one fateful blooper Tatis did NOT catch. But if we're going to go on the basis of the one that wasn't caught, instead of the percentages, then I have to point out that if Manuel had done what I'd wanted, then Evans (not Tatis) would have been in LF, and that ball probably would have been caught.

Put it this way: if there is EVER going to be a situation where Church is going to sit, surely -- surely -- last night had to be it. Lefty on the mound for the Nats, the Mets' most GB-ish pitcher throwing. And yet, still no Evans. I think that is just bad managing.

That would be 13 HR and 35 RBI in the last 23 games of the year.

But we know context doesn't matter. A finish like that in a close pennant race is no different for MVP-consideration than if that performance occurred during a 23 game stretch in May. In fact, it's no different than any collection of discrete 23 game performances. One could select 23 games from throughout the season in which Pujols combined for many more than 13 HR and 35 RBI. The fact that Howard's numbers might occur at the end of the season is simply the result of clustering of the distribution of HR and RBI throughout the season, and certainly shouldn't have anything to do with MVP voting.

The fact that Howard's numbers might occur at the end of the season is simply the result of clustering of the distribution of HR and RBI throughout the season, and certainly shouldn't have anything to do with MVP voting.

You don't read a lot of the columnists and writers that actually vote, do you?

But we know context doesn't matter. A finish like that in a close pennant race is no different for MVP-consideration than if that performance occurred during a 23 game stretch in May. In fact, it's no different than any collection of discrete 23 game performances. One could select 23 games from throughout the season in which Pujols combined for many more than 13 HR and 35 RBI. The fact that Howard's numbers might occur at the end of the season is simply the result of clustering of the distribution of HR and RBI throughout the season, and certainly shouldn't have anything to do with MVP voting.

Well played.

The flaw in this, to me, is an underestimation of just how bad Tatis is in the OF.

Well, you won't have Tatis to kick around any more. He's out for the season.

What a world
The determining factor in the NL East race is the health of Fernando Tatis...who called that in March?

I agree with Sam; Church should've received at least one game off recently, regardless of the handedness of the pitcher. I mean, this is a guy who admits he's in spring training mode, and he's playing every day, including a doubleheader on Sunday.
Did anyone think he was *not* going to strike out in the 8th inning last night?

Perhaps Tatis' injury is a blessing in disguise. We got a lot out of him this year (even with his bad defense), and I wouldn't mind him in a bench role for us next year.

Regardless of what happens in these next 12 games, I really hope Reyes picks it up. The fans and media will be all over him if completes another September swoon (.204/.283/.315 so far this month).