Friday morning, in an e-mail to the Local sports talk radio program, I said all Murphy needed was a HR to finish off his week and get the Mets going against the Fish. Well, he was a day late but he delivered none the less. Get out the cape and paint a big red "S" on his chest because Daniel Murphy is turning into "Superman" at the plate.
With a shaky bull-pen and spot starts by retread pitchers, the Mets knew they would need to score runs this weekend to put some distance between them and the Fish in the standings. The Wizard of Ollie cast a spell over the Marlins on Friday night and David Wright provided all the offense needed. His 2 run HR in his 1st AB set the tone and allowed Ollie to do his thing. Murphy continued to hit the ball and Heilman did the unthinkable. A perfect 6 out save to seal the win.
If anyone out there is still wishing for the days of Willie and Rickey you need professional help. Dan Warthen has been a blessing to this team and has Big Pelf's endorsement. I read an article earlier this week that had Big Pelf basically blasting Rickey for trying to make every one of the pitchers the same. What kind of pitching coach tells a pitcher to "never throw that pitch again"? Mike says Dan uses the pitchers abilities to the utmost and doesn't dismiss comments or suggestions from the pitchers. Who are the 2 biggest surprises this season in the rotation? Big Pelf and Ollie. Both pitchers were stifled and belittled by Rickey's comments to them. Since the firing they both have become dominating on the mound and someone to count on in the big game. It's amazing what a little confidence and encouragement will do for a player.
In last night's game the team was counting on Brian Stokes to give them a chance and he did just that. He pitched well and showed surprising velocity on his fastball. I saw 98 MPH on a few pitches and consistently saw 92-95 MPH. He had a very good slider and spotted it well most of the night. His only mistakes were leaving 2 pitches in the wrong spots for 2 very dangerous hitters. Those pitches were promptly parked over the fences and ended Brian's night after 5.3 innings. Then the hero came to the rescue.
Daniel Murphy is that hero. Called off the bench to pinch-hit with the Mets clinging to a 5-4 lead and one runner on base, he did as all "Super Heroes" do. Once Murphy was announced as the hitter, the Fish brought in Pinto the left-hander to face the rookie. Well the rookie continued to add to his growing legend. After working the count, Mighty Murphy blasted an opposite field 2 run HR to give the Mets the lead for good. He hit the back wall hard enough to have the ball bounce back into the field and now has another souvenir for the trophy case. The fans at Shea have fallen in love with the Young slugger and cheered for his appearance on the dugout steps. With some encouraging from Castro, Mighty Murphy stepped out of the dugout and tipped his helmet to the crowd as they roared their approval. Daniel [I like that name] continues to show a calm demeanor and maturity at the plate as his .500 average will attest to. If he continues to hit like he has, the Mets could have a star player for years to come.
The Carlos brothers even got in the HR act. Delgado hit a mammoth shot that cleared the bull-pen and Beltran hit one to the apple in center field. That was the first HR for Beltran in 82 ABs!!! He also had a 2 run double in the first. If Beltran can ever get to being a steady hitter in the line-up, it sure would make winning games a lot easier. His bat has been sorely missing all too often this year and that has been the source of many sleepless nights for Mets fans.
Today Big Pelf goes to the mound looking for the sweep of the Fish and his 11th win. Who would have thought in spring training that Big Pelf would be the team leader in wins and the most reliable starter in July and August. With a strong outing from Mike and some more support from Mighty Murphy the sweep is within reach and first place will soon be home to the Mets once again. I love the fact that the Mets are winning on the bat and arms of young hungry players. I hope Omar is paying attention. The future is now for the Mets and it rest with the youngsters, not old brittle players with fat contracts.
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2 comments:
Well, Pelfrey blew it big time. He just doesn't know how to beat the Marlins. Without those groundball outs. Pelfrey is very prone to the longball as last night's game showed. Murphy is still the hot hitter at the plate but have you noticed a steady decline in his defense since his first day? His bat is worth it but he should work on shagging some flyballs...
Adam Rubin thinks he'll be playing second base next year. I think he'd make a good replacement at 1st base if Delgado doesn't want to play for less money. I can't see the Mets picking up Delgado's option for next year at 16+ million no matter what he does this year.
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