Yesterday there was alot of talk and worry about Figueroa starting this game. I commented on more than 1 web page that he's not a bad pitcher. I'd seen him pitch in spring training and he seemed to have good stuff. And he showcased that stuff last night. His fastball was between 86-88 most of the night. His curve ball is nasty and made more than a few Brewers look silly. And his slider was thrown to both sides of the plate with ease. I think everyone out there can agree that Nelson is no Brian Low-Rents or Jose Lima. In case people are not aware of it, Nelson has done everything needed to get back to the Major Leagues. He was drafted by the Mets in '95, got traded to Arizona, and sometime after that had shoulder surgery. He pitched in Mexico, Taiwan, The Dominican Republic, and finally picked up again by the Mets this spring. He's paid his dues, and took advantage of his opportunity.
It was nice to see the bats come alive with runners in scoring position last night. David had 2 hits and Pagan continues to hit the ball. Yesterday afternoon on Daily News Live, Joe Benigno said what I've been saying for a few days now. Move Castillo down the line-up and have Pagan hit in the 2 hole. Pagan drives the ball and can bunt. Castillo's bad knees and weak bat hurt the Mets when he's hitting in the #2 hole. Neither he nor I care about Castillo being the prototypical #2 hitter. He hurts the offense in that spot. It's no coincidence that the Mets started scoring runs when Castillo got sore. It does the Mets no good to have an automatic out in the 2 hole. It does more for the team to have someone there that can drive in Jose, not just move him over to 2nd base. Willie's by the book managing and line-up moves are hurting this team. This team should score at least 5 runs every game. And that hasn't been happening since Castillo's arrival.
Another question I've been asking and now others are too is what to do with Pagan when Alou' claims to be healthy. Do you sit Pagan and start Alou' again in left field? Do you take the hottest bat out of the order to start a brittle and slow outfielder who can't stay in the line-up? Considering the fact that Alou' is a sneeze away from the DL, I say park his butt on the bench. Use him 1-2 games a week and as a pinch hitter. Maybe he'll manage to stay healthy enough to finish the season then. Unless something major happens this season, Pagan has to be the left fielder next year. Unless F. Martinez explodes thru the system, Pagan is the starting left fielder next year.
All in all it was a good night. Pagan continues to impress, David is hitting the ball again, Jose' gets to sit for a game or two [and hopefully refocus himself], and Castillo wasn't making outs. And most of all Figueroa proved that the Mets do have talented pitching waiting to step up and fill the needs of the team. Here's hoping for another strong outing from Santana and some runs to support him.
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