Jerry's Juice (with a little Alex's Ade)

Last night's loss was mildly disappointing in that the Mets need to win as many home series as possible with the way they've been playing on the road and the fact that the Braves won't back down.  At 3 back in the standings, the Mets do still have a shot to be in first by the All-Star break, after which, we get back Carlos Beltran who's been looking great in his rehab starts.  With that though, let's see what Jerry had to say about last night's performance:


"I was very satisfied with the way [Jon Niese] pitched tonight.  He had a good rhythm going, a good tempo. He pitched well. He gave up a couple home runs, but we'll take that kind of outing from a young pitcher every time."

And Jerry's right.  Jon Niese's performance was definitely the bright spot of last night's performance.  Since coming off the DL on June 5th, Niese has posted a 2.61 ERA with a 5-1 record.  I don't think anyone is asking him to be a top starter, but it would be great if the Mets had a guy in the middle to back of the rotation that is consistent.   Don't forget there is a whole second half of baseball yet to play, and if the Mets are going to contend, they'll need "this kind of out from [this] young pitcher every time."  Plus, if the Mets make a move for a top pitcher before the trade deadline and do make it into the playoffs, Niese could slide right into the pen or even get a spot start in longer series.  And the best part is, the guy is only 23 years old.


 "He just didnt get any hits" - Manuel when asked what might have been wrong with Jason Bay last night

How do you argue with an astute baseball mind like this?  It's why we always go to him for some juice after a loss!  Bay has been playing better and if not for a great play in the outfield by Chris Heisey, Bay would have potentially been the hero and knocked out Bronson Arroyo who had the New York Mets' number yet again.  The important thing to remember is Bay is quietly knocking in RBIs on a daily basis right now and once Beltran comes back, this lineup is really going to be something to reckon with top to bottom.  I predict Bay to have a great second half.  And speaking of Arroyo:

"We can't seem to solve him.  He keeps us off balance, makes big pitches in the right situations.  He did a good job...He has tremendous instincts for pitching."

And Jerry's right again! In his career, Bronson Arroyo is 7-2 against the Mets with a 3.31 ERA.  And, if you don't count his first start against them in 2000 with the Pirates in his rookie year (2.2 inn, 9 ER), that becomes 7-1 and a 2.39 ERA.  Arroyo kills right handed hitting posting the lowest average against righty's in the NL this season so far.  This takes Wright, Bay, a right-handed hitting Reyes (due to injury), and many others like Jeff Francoeur to a disadvantage.  However, the next time the Mets may see Arroyo, they will have a healthy Reyes who can hit lefty, a healthy switch-hitting Beltran, Ike Davis (and not at cleanup), and with that, more protection for all those righties mentioned earlier. 

The only time the Mets see Arroyo again this year would be in the post season, but as Alex Cora said:

"If we get to where we want to get as a team, we may have to face him in October.  Hopefully we can make the adjustments."

It's great to hear about a player thinking about the playoffs.  So many times we see the politically correctness and not looking too far ahead, but Alex Cora is showing that this clubhouse has their eyes on the prize.  This isn't just about a bounce-back year, it's a winning year, and this team can do it.  Drink it up!