Minor League Update — 5/30/09

Buffalo Bisons (AAA):
14-33 (17.0 games back)

Rene Rivera had the biggest hit of the day for Buffalo, a two-run homer in the fourth inning, but his teammates let him down, as the Bisons fell to the Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays) 10-2. Emil Brown, acquired from the Oakland Athletics, made his Bisons debut today, and went 0 for 4 –he fits right in with the rest of the lost herd.

• Alex Cora started at shortstop again for Buffalo, he had a hit and, more importantly, appears ready to rejoin the Mets when he is eligible to come off of the disabled list (Tuesday, June 2)
• Rene Rivera, 1 for 4, homered for the second consecutive day
• Brandon Knight lasted just 4.2 innings and gave up four runs (all earned) on five hits and four walks –the former Olympian only struck out two
• Connor Robertson, acquired in the Scott Schoeneweis trade, allowed six runs (all earned) in just 0.2 innings of work; he gave up six hits, two over the outfield fence
• Cory Sullivan extended his hitting streak to eight games
• The Bisons elimination number is now at 80 and free falling

Binghamton Mets (AA):
21-25 (6.0 games back)

Lucas Duda crushed his second home run of the season and Ruben Tejada continued to heat up, but the B-Mets dropped the game, losing 6-5 to the New Britain Rock Cats (Minesotta Twins). The crushing blow for New Britain was a three-run roundtripper for right fielder Rene Tosoni, his seventh of the season.

• Josh Thole had two more hits and is now batting .369; he’s going to stick with Binghamton for a number of reasons, but it’s obvious that he is ready to take on a greater challenge
• Lucas Duda had two hits, a double and the home run, and scored two runs
• D.J. Wabick also had two hits, which raised his batting average to .320
• Dylan Owen’s struggles continued; he allowed six runs (all earned) on 10 hits and three walks while striking out only two over five innings, batters are now hitting .327 against him this season

St. Lucie Mets (A+):
22-22 (7.5 game back)

The St. Lucie Mets trailed the Clearwater Thrashers (Philadelphia Phillies) 3-1 after seven innings, but the Mets scored a run in the bottom of the eighth and won the game on a two-run double by Luis Rivera, just his second hit of the season, in the ninth.

• Reese Havens left the game after the fifth inning; no explanation has been announced
• Francisco Pena continues to improve offensively, he added two more hits in today’s game
• Angel Calero pitched seven innings and gave up three runs (all earned) while striking out five

Savannah Sand Gnats (A):
25-24 (3.0 games back)

The Sand Gnats split a double header with the Asheville Tourists (Houston Astros) today, winning the first game 11-8 and dropping the second game 5-2. Joshua Satin had Savannah’s big day, driving in five runs in victory while being pitched around in the loss.

• Wilmer Flores had three hits on the day, including a double, and is now batting .257 on the season
• Joshua Satin homered, doubled, and walked three times during the two games; he drove in five runs and scored three times
• Jefry Marte had two hits and is climbing away from the .200 mark, now batting .207
• Elvin Ramirez pitched the Sand Gnats to victory in game one; he lasted five innings and allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits and two walks

Minor League Update — 5/29/09

Buffalo Bisons (AAA):
14-32 (16.0 games back)

The Bisons defeated the Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays) 9-3 behind a strong pitching performance from starter Fernando Nieve (claimed off waivers from the Astros in spring training). Matt Joyce, who the Rays acquired from the Detroit Tigers during the off season in exchange for Edwin Jackson, homered for the Bulls in the bottom of the fourth inning to drive in all three of the team’s runs. Rene Rivera and Mike Lamb each went deep for the Bisons.

• Alex Cora batted second and played shortstop; it was Cora’s first rehabilitation game on his way back to the majors –he had one hit (a double) in five at bats
• Jonathan Malo, who has been tagging along with the Mets in case they need to activate him to play shortstop, had three hits in four at bats and scored two of the team’s runs
• Fernando Nieve struck out seven over 6.1 innings; he allowed three runs (all earned) on six hits and a walk
• Dillon Gee and Carlos Muniz were placed on the seven-game disabled list prior to the game and replaced on the roster with Emil Brown and Alex Cora; following the game, Lance Broadway (acquired from the Chicago White Sox for Ramon Castro) was also added to the roster
• Crash Davis was unavailable off the bench for Durham

Binghamton Mets (AA):
21-24 (5.0 games back)

Binghamton began a three game series with the New Britain Rock Cats (Minesotta Twins) today, and came with a 6-0 victory in game one. The offense collected 12 hits (at least  one from every starter except for second baseman Jose Coronado) and the Ryan Coultas and Edgar Alfonzo combined to allow only three hits and two walks. The B-Mets could have blown the game open, but the team went just 5 for 14 with runners in scoring position.

• Josh Thole had three more hits and drew another walk, he is now batting .366 and has a .435 on-base percentage –both lead the Eastern League
• Nick Evans drew a walk and had a single in four at bats; he now has seven hits in seven games with Binghamton, which matches the amount of hits he had in 22 games with Buffalo this season
• Ryan Coultas tossed eight shutout innings for Binghamton, striking out four and only allowing two walks and two hits; Coultas now has a 2.55 ERA for 2009

St. Lucie Mets (A+):
21-22 (7.5 game back)

Tonight’s game between the St. Lucie Mets and the Clearwater Thrashers (Philadelphia Phillies) was rained out. Brad Holt (3-1, 3.57), slated to start tonight, will instead start Saturday for the St. Lucie Mets.

• Reese Havens leads the team with 26 RBI and is tied with outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis for the team lead in home runs with seven
• Greg Veloz leads the club with six stolen bases; however, he also leads the St. Lucie Mets with five caught stealing
• Eric Niesen, Jenrry Mejia, and Brad Holt are tied for the team lead with three wins apiece
• Jenrry Mejia has the lowest ERA for a starting pitcher on the team, with a 2.06 ERA over eight starts

Savannah Sand Gnats (A):
24-23 (3.5 games back)

Jefry Marte showed flashes of his talent today, homering twice and finishing the day with three hits in four at bats; however, the Sand Gnats only scored those two runs and lost to the Asheville Tourists (Colorado Rockies) 3-2. The Sand Gnats were plagued by the defense, three errors, and the Asheville pitching staff, which combined for 10 strikeouts.

• Jefry Marte had three hits, including two solo home runs, in four trips to the plate; Marte only had one home run on the season coming into today’s game
• Jordany Valdespin also had three hits today for the Sand Gnats, including a double
• Sean Ratliff had the team’s only other hit; Ratliff is now batting .314 for the season
• Manuel Olivares pitched three scorless innings in relief; he struck out one and allowed just one hit

Crown Jewels

Johan Santana as of today has fallen slightly behind Wandy Rodriguez (!) for the NL ERA lead, but Johan does lead the NL in wins (tied with Bronson Arroyo) and strikeouts.  Those three categories constitute what is often thought of as the “Pitching Triple Crown”.  Though not as popular historically as the hitter’s Triple Crown, the ERA/W/K trifecta  does represent a combination of the three pitching stats that are probably most familiar to fans as indicia of  pitching success, for starting pitchers anyway.

Since 1900, National League Pitching Triple Crowns (i.e., leading all three of the Triple Crown categories in the same season) have been been won by ten men.
Before 1950:
Pete Alexander (1915, 1916 and 1920)
Christy Mathewson (1905 and 1908)
Hippo Vaughn (1918), Dazzy Vance (1924) and Bucky Walters (1939)
After 1950:
Sandy Koufax (1963, 1965 and 1966)
Steve Carlton (1972), Dwight Gooden (1985), Randy Johnson (2002) and Jake Peavy (2007)

Since 1900, American League Pitching Triple Crowns (i.e., leading all three of the Triple Crown categories in the same season) have also been been won by ten men.
Before 1950:
Walter Johnson (1913, 1918 and 1924)
Lefty Grove (1930 and 1931)
Lefty Gomez (1934 and 1937)
Cy Young (1901), Rube Waddell (1905), Bob Feller (1940) and Hal Newhouser (1945)
After 1950:
Roger Clemens (1997 and 1998)
Pedro Martinez (1999)
Johan Santana (2006)

No one has ever won a Pitching Triple Crown in both the AL and the NL.  At the moment it is certainly looking as if Johan has a fighting chance to be the first.

Minor League Update — 5/28/09

Buffalo Bisons (AAA):
13-32 (16.0 games back)

Wily Mo Pena led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a home run, his second of the season, which broke up the Lehigh Valley IronPigs’ (Philadelphia Phillies) shutout bid. The IronPigs won the game, which was broadcasted this afternoon on SNY, 7-1. Former Met Miguel Cairo hit a solo home run in the top of the ninth inning and IronPigs pitcher Antonio Bastardo was brilliant, tossing seven shutout innings. Bastardo is becoming one of the top pitching prospects in the National League East, and could be called on this summer to help stabilize the Phillies rotation.

• Willy Mo Pena’s home run was his second of the season; Pena is struggling in his return to the Mets organization, hitting just .225
• Argenis Reyes doubled in the bottom of the eighth inning, extending his hitting streak to nine games
• Nelson Figueroa struck out six batters, but gave up six runs (all earned) in 6.2 innings
• Robinson Cancel batted as the tying run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but he flew out to center field

Binghamton Mets (AA):
20-24 (5.0 games back)

The B-Mets attempted to win another game with a late inning rally today against the first place Connecticut Defenders (San Francisco Giants), but the Defenders escaped with the win, holding off the B-Mets 8-7. Connecticut scored four runs in the seventh inning and tacked on another two in the eigth to take an 8-5 lead. Binghamton scored a run in the seventh and two more in the eighth and then attempted to tie the game in the ninth, but the team hit into a fielder’s choice and had a runner caught stealing to squander its last chances.

• Ruben Tejada hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning, the shot put the B-Mets ahead 4-2 at the time and was Ruben’s first round-tripper of the season
• Josh Thole had two doubles, drew a walk, drove in two runs, and scored two runs; he is now batting .356 (leads the Eastern League) and is only .001 behind the league leader in on-base percentage (Thole’s on-base percentage is .424)
• Tobi Stoner allowed three runs (all earned) on five hits and four walks in 6.1 innings today; Stoner now has a 2.49 ERA, despite striking out only 12 batters

St. Lucie Mets (A+):
21-22 (7.0 game back)

Chris Errecart homered to lead off the top of the eighth inning, putting the first place Brevard County Manatees (Milwaukee Brewers) ahead for good, winning the game 4-3. Carlos Guzman was the star of the night for St. Lucie, collecting three of the team’s five hits.

• Ike Davis doubled once in four at bats, but also struck out three times
• Reese Havens struck out in his only at bat of the night, but walked three times and scored one of St. Lucie’s 3 runs
• Carlos Guzman had three hits, including a double and a two-run single, and drove in all three of the team’s runs
• Scott Shaw started the game and allowed three runs  (all earned) in five innings; he walked two and struck out three
• Nicholas Carr relieved Shaw and gave up one run (earned) in four innings; both of St. Lucie’s pitchers uncorked a wild pitch

Savannah Sand Gnats (A):
24-22 (2.0 games back)

Chris Schwinden pitched five shutout innings in relief, striking out six, and the Sand Gnatas shutout the Asheville Tourists (Colorado Rockies) 6-0. The victory was an all-around team effort, as the offense collected 13 hits and the pitching staff struck out 10.

• Joshua Satin had two hits, including a double, in five at bats and is now batting .327 in 2009
• Sean Ratliff had two hits for the second night in a row, and drove in two runs; Ratliff also walked and scored a run
• Jefry Marte doubled and drove in a run, but the young third baseman is struggling in the South Atlantic League, batting just .191
• Robert Carson started the game and struck out four in three innings, however, he walked three batters

Special Ks

In last night’s win over the Nats, Mets pitchers had 15 Ks, the first game this season in which the Mets staff totaled 15 or more Ks. This was the 26th nine-inning game in franchise history in which Mets pitchers had 15 or more Ks. The Mets had one nine-inning game last season in which they struck out 15: September 1, 2008 — Santana struck out 10 and the bullpen 5. The franchise record for Ks by the pitching staff in a nine-inning game is 19 Ks. Tom Seaver did that himself on April 22, 1970 in a complete game 2-1 victory against the Padres. And then David Cone matched Seaver with a 19-K complete game shutout over the Phillies on the last day of the 1991 season. The Mets staff struck out 20 Cubs in a thirteen inning victory on August 1, 1999 when Al Leiter struck out 15 in 7 IP and the pen added 5 more Ks in the other six innings.

Minor League Update — 5/27/09

Buffalo Bisons (AAA):
13-31 (15.5 games back)

Jon Niese’s AAA struggles continued tonight, as he allowed five earned runs over six innings in a 5-3 against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Philadelphia Phillies). Kyle Kendrick started the game for the IronPigs and allowed just three runs over his six innings of work, the IronPigs bullpen threw three hitless innings in relief of Kendrick. The two teams finish their three-game series tomorrow with a 1:05 p.m. game.

• Argenis Reyes, batting leadoff and playing shortstop, had two hits in four at bats and is now batting .283 for the season
• Javier Valentin, getting the start at third base, had one hit on the night while batting third in the order, Fernando Martinez usual batting spot while in Buffalo
• Jon Niese pitched six innings and allowed five runs (all earned) on seven hits and three walks; Niese struck out two, but gave up two home runs; the performance lowered his ERA from 8.06 to 7.96
• Robinson Cancel batted as the tying run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but he flew out to center field

Binghamton Mets (AA):
20-23 (4.0 games back)

The Binghamton Mets used late inning magic to win another extra-inning game from the first place Connecticut Defenders (San Francisco Giants). Binghamton trailed 5-3 heading into the bottom of the eighth, but scored a run on a suicide squeeze laid down by shortstop Ruben Tejaeda. Connecticut turned to its perfect closer, Dan Otero (he had not allowed a run or blown a save heading into the game), in the bottom of the ninth inning. Otero struck out Nick Evans swinging and caught Lucas Duda looking to begin the ninth, but then gave up three consecutive singles to Shawn Bowman, D.J. Wabick, and Jose Corondao to blow the save. Binghamton won it in the 11th on an errant throw by pitcher Dan Griffin, who was attempting to turn a groundball into a force out at third.

• Josh Thole had an off night with just one hit in six at bats; he is now second in the league with a .349 batting average
• Lucas Duda had two hits in five at bats and drew a walk; he now ranks third in the league in walks (26)
• D.J. Wabick, Jose Coronado and Ruben Tejada (who played second base tonight) all had three hits; Coronado and Tejada each drove in two runs
• Michael Antonini allowed four runs (all earned) on five hits and two walks in 6.1 innings, he struck out eight and now has a 5.02 ERA for the season (4.88 heading into the game)

St. Lucie Mets (A+):
21-21 (7.0 game back)

The St. Lucie Mets played a double header with the first place Brevard County Manatees (Milwaukee Brewers) tonight. Each game was scheduled to last seven innings, however, it took the Manatees eight innings to win game one by the final score of 6-5. St. Lucie hit three home runs in the game (Daniel Stegall in the third, Zach Lutz in the fifth, and Brahiam Maldonado in the sixth.St. Lucie bounced back to win game two 5-0 behind a brilliant performance by starting pitcher Eric Niesen.

• Ike Davis struggled in today’s first game, going 0 for 4 at the plate, but rebounded for two hits, including a double, a walk and two runs batted in in the second game
• Reese Havens had two hits and scored two runs in the double header
• Zach Lutz home run in the fifth inning of game one came with two men on base, at the time it gave St. Lucie a 4-3 lead
• Jenrry Mejia pitched four innings in the first game and struck out eight; however, he left after allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and four walks; the 18-year-old has a 2.06 ERA this season
• Eric Niesen pitched six shutout innings in the second game of the double header, striking out six and only allowing two walks and five hits, he has a 2.16 ERA for the year

Savannah Sand Gnats (A):
23-22 (2.5 games back)

The Sand Gnats scored a run in the bottom of the first inning and made it hold into the ninth, but the Lexington Legends (Houston Astros) scored three times in the top of the ninth inning and won the game 3-1. Savannah scored its run on an RBI single by Sean Ratliff, the team had nine more hits to follow but was incapable of scoring another run. Lexington scored their runs on a fielder’s choice, an infield single and a bases loaded walk.

• Jefry Marte was hitless in five at bats and is now batting just .190 for the season; Marte turns 18 on fathers day and may not be ready for long season baseball
• Sean Ratliff had two hits in four at bats and drove in the team’s only run
• Wilmer Flores continues to heat up, collecting another two hits on the night; the 17-year-old is now batting .255 for the 2009 season
• Jeffrey Kaplan pitched 7.2 scoreless innings, allowing six hits and two walks while striking out three; Kaplan has a 1.05 ERA for the seaosn

Most Games Played 2005-2008

A fellow fan made a comment about Carlos Beltran being “physically soft”. That didn’t sound right to me. So I did some quick research.

From 2005 to 2008, Beltran played the 28th most games in all of MLB (tied with Berkman and Peralta). During that time the most any one player could play was 648 games which no player managed to do. Ichiro led with 646 games. Beltran had 596 games. That’s about 92% of all possible games played (648). Now assume, every team has that one player that the team sends out and relies on to play every single day, well the Mets have three of those guys in David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Carlos Beltran. The most players a team had in this top 30 list was 4 players. The Phillies have Jimmy Rollins, Pat Burrell, Pedro Feliz, and Chase Utley. The Yankees on the flip side also have three guys from that list: Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Mark Teixeira. Any player who can crack the top 30 in games played during a 4 year stretch isn’t physically soft.

Here is the list of players and their games played from 2005 to 2008:

Rank	Names	Games Played
1	Ichiro Suzuki	646
2	Grady Sizemore	639
3	David Wright	634
4	Miguel Cabrera	633
	Jose Reyes	633
6	Bobby Abreu	632
	Raul Ibanez	632
	Michael Young	632
9	Adam Dunn	630
10	Jason Bay	621
11	Derek Jeter	619
	Randy Winn	619
13	Justin Morneau	618
14	Jimmy Rollins	615
	Miguel Tejada	615
16	Mark Teixeira	613
17	Alex Rodriguez	612
18	Pat Burrell	610
	Orlando Cabrera	610
	Albert Pujols	610
21	Garrett Atkins	607
22	Juan Pierre	605
23	Adrian Beltre	604
24	Felipe Lopez	601
25	Carlos Lee	600
26	Pedro Feliz	599
27	Chase Utley	598
28	Carlos Beltran	596
	Lance Berkman	596
	Jhonny Peralta	596

Face Time

Livan Hernandez faced 34 batters in his complete game for the Mets last night.  The last time a Mets pitcher faced 34 batters in a game was six seasons ago, when Al Leiter pitched an 8-hit complete game shutout against Pitttsburgh on September 23, 2003. The Mets won that game 1-0, with the only run of the game scoring in the sixth inning on a Piazza single, Tony Clark double, and a game-winning-RBI groundout by Timo Perez.

It’s actually qute odd that the Mets had not previously had a pitcher face 34 or more in a game since 2003. From 2004 through 2009, there had been 157 NL games in which a pitcher faced at least 34 batters, but not one by a Met pitcher until last night. Nine NL teams have had, from 2004 until yesterday, more than 10 games by a pitcher in which he faced at least 34 batters, and the NL team with the fewest such games by a pitcher since 2004, other than the Mets, was San Diego with four such games. But the Mets had not even one such game from one of their pitchers from 2004 on until Livan’s performance last night.

Baby on Board

• Fernando Martinez made his Mets and major lague debut last night to much fanfare — he becomes as of now the youngest player in the NL and the second youngest in the majors (Detroit pitcher Rick Porcello is a few months younger) .  In his debut game, Martinez was 0 for 3, struck out twice, and got hit by a pitch — welcome to the big leagues, kid.  But he did eke out an RBI on a ground out. 

• When Darryl Strawberry made his major league debut as Met (26 years ago this month), he was about six months older than Fernando is now. Darryl struck out 3 times in his first game, three times in his second game, twice in each of his third and fourth games and once in his fifth game for a total of 11 Ks in his first five games (a 300+ K pace over a full season). After his first 8 games, Darryl had a .138 BA, a .219 OBP and a .276 SLG, for a .495 OPS. After his first 40 games, he was only up to a .180 BA, .245 OBP and .317 SLG for a .562 OPS. But then over the rest of his 1983 season, 82 games worth, Darryl’s numbers were .295 BA, .379 OBP and .609 SLG for a .987 OPS (and this in a year when the major league leader in SLG and OPS, George Brett, finished with a .562 SLG and a .947 OPS).
   
• After Darryl, who would one pick as the Mets outfielder who came out of  the Mets’ own minor league system and produced the most for the Mets big league team?  Probably Cleon Jones or Mookie Wilson, though Mazzilli, Dykstra and Swoboda also came out of the Mets’ system and played well for the Mets.

Minor League Update — 5/26/09

Buffalo Bisons (AAA):
13-30 (15.5 games back)

The Bisons offense struggled to function without the potent bat of Fernando Martinez, who was promoted to the Mets this afternoon, scoring only one run against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Philadelphia Phillies). Starting for Buffalo tonight was the rehabing Oliver Perez, who allowed only one run, but took the loss. The IronPigs won the game 2-1, scoring their runs on a bases loaded walk from Perez and a passed ball from Kyle Snyder.

• Jason Cooper filled in for Martinez, playing left field and batting third; Cooper went 0 for 4 and struck out twice
• Javier Valentin doubled and drew a walk, his ninth in just 12 games
• Oliver Perez threw 4.1 innings (48 strikes and 40 balls), walked five, struck out five, and allowed just one run and three hits; Perez may recieve one more rehab start before returning to the major league club
• Fernando Martinez was hitless in his Major League debut with the Mets including two strikeouts; however, Martinez beat out a potential double play ball to drive in a run –his first career RBI; Martinez was batting .291/.337/.552/.889 in 42 games with Buffalo before his promotion

Binghamton Mets (AA):
19-23 (5.0 games back)

Tonight’s B-Mets game was rained out. Binghamton was hosting the first place Connecticut Defenders (San Francisco Giants). The two teams will play a double header (two seven inning games) on June 6, 2009 –the next time that Connecticut makes the trip to Binghamton.

• Josh Thole leads the Eastern League in batting average (.357), ranks third in the league in on-base percentage (.426), and is tied for second in the league with 14 doubles. Thole also ranks third in the league with hits (50). He has 17 walks on the season and only 19 strikeouts.
• Roy Merritt is tied for third in the Eastern League in saves with 10
• Michael Antonini is tied for third in the league with four wins
• Fernando Marintez played with the Binghamton Mets in 2007 (at age 18) and hit .271/.336/.377/.713 in 60 games; he returned in 2008 to play in 86 games for Binghamton and hit .287/.340/.432/.772

St. Lucie Mets (A+):
20-20 (6.5 game back)

The St. Lucie Mets were supposed to start a two-game series today with the first place Brevard County Manatees (Milwaukee Brewers), but rain postponed the game. No makeup date has been announced.

• Fernando Marintez played with the St. Lucie Mets (30 games) in 2006; at age 17, Martinez hit .193/.254/.387/.641 in the pitching dominated league

Savannah Sand Gnats (A):
23-21 (1.0 games back)

Savannah dropped today’s game 4-1 to the Lexington Legends (Houston Astros). Wilmer Flores (17) and Jefry Marte (17) each had a hit in the loss and Jeurys Familia (19) pitched seven innings for Savannah. Flores drove in the Sand Gnats only run with a sacrifice fly to right field in the bottom of the sixth, Marte scored on the play.

• Jean Luc Luc BLaquiere led the Sand Gnats with two hits; the non-prospect is now batting .214 for the 2009 season
• Joshua Satin broke an 0 for 11 with a single in the bottom of the fourth; his batting average is still an impressive .327
• Jeurys Familia pitched seven innings and allowed six hits; he struck out three, walked one and allowed four runs (all earned) –his ERA is now 2.05 (was 1.52 before the game)
• Fernando Martinez never played with Savannah, but he did play with the Hagerstown Suns (also in the South Atlantic League) as a 17-year-old in 2006; Martinez hit .328/.383/.497/.880 in 46 games with Hagerstown (now affiliated with the Washington Nationals)

A Walk in the Park

Mets pitchers surrendered 9 walks last night, but the team won anyway.  How unusual is that?

Last night was the 11th game in Mets history in which Mets pitchers surrendered exactly 9 walks in a nine-inning game but the Mets won anyway (overall, the Mets record is 11 wins and 36 losses in nine inning games in which their pitchers surrender exactly nine walks).  It’s actually the second time this year the Mets won despite nine walks given up in nine innings — the Mets also won the second game of the 2009 season, 9 to 7 over the Reds, despite nine walks surrendered.   Such games used to be a very rare thing — it took from 1962 until 1974 before the Mets franchise won its second nine-inning game despite nine walks surrendered and now here we are in 2009 and the Mets have done it twice in a couple of months.  There are more walks surrendered these days in the majors than there used to be.  From 1962 to 1974, the average walks per game in the NL was 3.08; this season the NL average so far is 3.75, which would if it holds up all season be one of the highest walks per game seasons in league history.

Minor League Update — 5/25/09

Buffalo Bisons (AAA):
13-29 (15.5 games back)

Fernando Martinez and Mike Lamb homered today for the Bisons, leading the team to its first three-game winning streak of the season. Buffalo managed to outslug the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Philadelphia Phillies) 8-7, highlighted by a five-run inning in the bottom of the fourth, which saw the Bisons bat around. Despite scoring eight runs on 15 hits, the offense only managed two extra-base hits (the home runs).

• Fernando Martinez only had the one hit, a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth, and is now slugging .552 for the season; Martinez home run this afternoon was his eighth of the season, tying him for fourth in the International League, however, the other players with eight or more home runs in the league are 25-years-old and older, Martinez turns 21 in October
• Javier Valentin had two hits and drove in a run, he is now batting .343/.465/.629/1.094 in 11 games for Buffalo
• Dillon Gee left after throwing four innings and allowing four runs –he only threw 66 pitches and now has a 4.10 ERA for 2009

Binghamton Mets (AA):
19-23 (5.0 games back)

The B-Mets were on the verge of losing today’s game against the New Britain Rock Cats (Minesotta Twins) 2-0, but the offense scrapped together a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth to send the game in to extra innings. The late-inning comeback continued in the 10th when Binghamton scored another two runs to tie the game at four. Binghamton then won the game in the 11th with a bases loaded walk by Josh Peterson. The final score was 5-4 in favor of Binghamton.

• Nick Evans, batting third, had two hits in six at bats, including a double, and scored a run; Evans did strike out three times in the game
• Josh Thole pinch hit for Salvado Paniagua in the ninth and drew a walk, he remained in the game and walked again in the 11th inning; Thole is third in the Eastern League with a .426 on-base percentage and leads the league in batting average (.357), his OPS is up to .904
• Ruben Tejada had another two-hit game and now has his batting average all the way up to .255
• Shawn Bowman had a tough game, a rarity for him this season, going hitless in five at bats
• Jose Sanchez pitched eight innings for Binghamton, striking out six and walking two

St. Lucie Mets (A+):
20-20 (7.0 games back)

The St. Lucie Mets were off today and will start a two-game series as the visiting team against the first place Brevard County Manatees (Milwaukee Brewers) tomorrow.

• Reese Havens and Kirk Nieuwenhuis lead the team with seven home runs apiece, which ties them for second in the Florida State League –one behind league leader Mike Stanton, one of the Florida Marlins top prospects
• Jenrry Mejia, only 19, has the lowest ERA for a St. Lucie starter (1.82) and is holding opponents to a .212 batting average
• Brad Holt leads the club with 44 strikeouts in 35.1 innings pitched, that ranks him at third in the league
• St. Lucie has a team ERA of 3.05, which is the third lowest in the league

Savannah Sand Gnats (A):
23-20 (0.5 games back)

Wilmer Flores was the lone bright spot for Savannah today, hitting two of the team’s four hits. The Sand Gnats fell to the Lexington Legends (Houston Astros) by a final score of 2-1. Both of Lexington’s runs scored on a double by cleanup hitter Brian Pellegrini in the top of the fifth inning.

• Joshua Satin went hitless again today, going 0 for 4, and is now batting just .329 for the season
• Wilmer Flores had two hits in four at bats and is now hitting .246; Flores turns 18 in August
• Manuel Olivares (2.91 ERA) and Rhiner Cruz (2.45 ERA) combined to throw four shutout innings out of the bullpen
• Savannah has a team ERA of 2.98; Lexington leads the South Atlantic League with a 2.88 team ERA

Minor League Update — 5/24/09

Buffalo Bisons (AAA):

The Bisons continued their resurgence with a 5-3 victory over the Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Indians). Buffalo’s hot bat for the night was 25-year-old catcher Rene Rivera, who doubled and scored twice. Jonathan Malo, a late scratch from the starting lineup, pinch hit for shortstop Mark Kiger in the fifth inning and remained in the game at short. There was speculation that Malo’s removal from the lineup was in preparation to fill in for the injured Jose Reyes with the major league club.

• Fernando Martinez had one hit in four at bats and is now batting .294 for the season; if Ryan Church is headed to the disabled list, then the Mets might promote Martinez, although Cory Sullivan is another possibility
• Javier Valentin singled and drew a walk in four plate appearances, his one hit drove in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth inning
• Argenis Reyes reached base twice as the leadoff batter, he is now batting .280 for the season and is another possibility for the major league roster

Binghamton Mets (AA):

The B-Mets were dominated tonight by the New Britain Rock Cats (Minesotta Twins) by the final score of 10-1 . The game was scoreless until a six-run top of the fifth inning by the Rock Cats. Binghamton starter Dylan Owen remained in the game through the sixth inning. The bad start was his third extremely poor outing of the year, boosting his ERA to 6.55 for the season.

• Josh Thole had two hits and scored Binghamton’s only run; Thole is now batting .357 and leads the Eastern League in batting average and is fifth in on-base percentage (.419)
• Lucas Duda doubled once in four appearances and is now batting .294; however, the 6 ‘4″ first baseman only has a .382 slugging percentage
• Shawn Bowman drove in Binghamton’s only run with a groundout to third in the seventh inning; Bowman is amongst the league leaders with 23 runs batted in

St. Lucie Mets (A+):

Yonder Alonso homered off of Brad Holt in the first inning to tie this afternoon’s game at 1-1, but that was the last run that the Sarasota Reds (Cincinatti Reds) scored off of the St. Lucie ace. The offense came to life in support of Holt, scoring six runs off of 11 hits, two walks, an error, and a hit by pitch.

• Greg Veloz broke out for three hits in five at bats; the speedy 20-year-old second baseman is beginnig to heat up (10 hits in his last seven games)
• Francisco Pena, who is only 19 despite being in the system for three years, had two hits in four at bats and scored a run; Pena is now bating .333 in day games
• Brad Holt continued his impressive professional debut, striking out 10 batters over six innings of four-hit ball; Holt has only allowed two earned runs over his last three starts (16.2 innings)
• Nicholas Carr completed the game for a three-inning save, allowing only one hit

Savannah Sand Gnats (A):

Brian Pellegrini hit his seventh home run of the season for the Lexington Legends (Houston Astros), a two-run shot that ended up being the game winning hit. Juan Lagares drove in both of Savannah’s runs with infield singles, the Sand Gnats lost the game 5-2.

• Joshua Satin went hitless in three at bats and is now hitless in his last three games; however, he is still batting .338 for the season
• Eric Campbell doubled and scored a run on an infield hit by Lagares
• Wilmer Flores also doubled in front of an infield single by Lagares
• Eric Beaulac allowed four runs, three earned, in six innings; he now has a 3.48 ERA for 2009

Messrs. October

Watching the Mets take on, and thrillingly defeat, the talented, rock-solid Boston Red Sox — the only MLB franchise to win the World Series twice in the curent decade of the 00s — I wondered which franchise has won the most post-season games over the current decade of the 00s (with one more post-season still to go in this current decade).

What I found was that 23 of the 30 franchises have won at least one post-season game  during the 00s.  Here is a list of those 23 franchises, in order of the number of post-season wins they’ve accumulated so far this decade:

1. Yankees 41
2. Red Sox 34
3. Cardinals 33
4. Angels 16
5-6. Mets and D-Backs 14
7. Astros 13
8-9. Giants and White Sox 12
10-13. Marlins, Braves, Phils and A’s 11
14. Mariners 9
15-17. Tigers, Indians and Rays 8
18. Rockies 7
19-20. Cubs and Twins 6
21. Dodgers 5
22-23. Brewers and Padres 1

Teams with no post-season wins thus far in the 00s are the Orioles, Blue Jays, Royals and Rangers in the AL and the Pirates, Reds and Expos/Nats in the AL.

By division, the post-season wins in the 00s break down this way:
AL East 83 wins
NL Central 53 wins
NL East 47 wins
NL West 39 wins
AL West 36 wins
AL Central 34 wins

Minor League Update — 5/23/09

Buffalo Bisons (AAA):

The Bisons defeated the Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Indians) 4-3 tonight, despite giving up a game-tying home run to Jordan Brown, who now sports a .981 OPS, in the top of the 8th inning. Javier Valentin, playing first base, broke the tie in the bottom half of the inning, homering with two outs and nobody on.

• Fernando Martinez had one hit in four at bats, a double, and drove in a run; Martinez is now batting .295/.343/.551/.894 for the season
• Willy Mo Pena was hitless in four trips to the plate and is now batting just .200
• Javier Valentin had two hits, including the home run, and has a .704 slugging percentage in 9 games with the Bisons
• Nelson Figueroa allowed two runs on seven hits in six innings while striking out seven and walking only two; Figueroa’s ERA stands at 2.65 for the season
• Elmer Dessens pitched 1.2 hitless innings tonight and now has a 0.79 ERA through 22.2 innings

Binghamton Mets (AA):

The B-Mets scored five runs on nine hits in the eigth and ninth innings of today’s game, but fell to the New Britain Rock Cats (Minesotta Twins) by a final score of 7-5. Every batter in the lineup collected at least one hit, six had multi-hi games, and the offense combined for 17 base knocks. Whitney Robbins and Danny Valencia each had three hits in the middle of the Rock Cats lineup, Robbins was a triple shy of the cycle.

• Josh Thole had two hits and drove in a run in five at bats; Thole is now batting .353 through 34 games
• Lucas Duda singled three times, drove in a run, scored a run, and drew a walk in five plate appearances
• Ruben Tejada also hit three singles and scored a run; he boosted his season average from .232 to .248 with tonight’s game
• Shawn Bowman continued his triumphant return, collecting two hits –one being a double, and is now batting .288 for the season

St. Lucie Mets (A+):

The Sarasota Reds (Cincinatti Reds) scored three times in the bottom of the third on a bases loaded walk and a two-run single, which was just enough to hold on for a 3-2 win over the St. Lucie Mets. The Mets blew plenty of chances, going just 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position.

• Greg Veloz singled once in four at bats and scored a run
• Reese Havens was hitless for the night, but collected an RBI and scored a run; Havens continues to be among the Florida State League leaders with seven home runs, this despite a .227 batting average
• Angel Calero gave up three runs, all earned, on just five hits and two walks through seven innings; he struck out eight and now has a 3.57

Savannah Sand Gnats (A):

The Sand Gnats split a double header with the Bowling Green Hot Rods (Tampa Bay Rays) today. Savannah took game one by the final score of 2-1, scoring both runs on a first inning home run by first baseman Eric Campbell, which was the team’s only hit for the game.  Kyeong Kang and Mike Sheridan each had three hits, two runs batted in and two runs scored for the Hot Rods in game two of the double header. Savannah dropped the night game 9-4.

• Robert Carson allowed seven hits in game one, but allowed only one run in his 5.2 innings of work; he struck out six and now has a 2.23 ERA through 44.1 innings
• Joshua Satin scored two runs and walked three times between the two games; Satin is now batting .350 for the season
• Wilmer Flores continued to struggle, failing to collect a single hit in six at bats between the two games
• Eric Campbell had three hits and five runs batted in –no other Sand Gnat drove in a run on the day
• Jefry Marte went 0 for 4 with a walk on the day