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MLB Rumors: Tim Wallach Arises As Potential Joe Torre Successor in LA

August 20th, 2010

Recently, Major League Baseball has been buzzing about the future of several managers. From Tony LaRussa to Joe Girardi, these men are starting to make more headlines than this year's looming free agent class. 

There could now even be a "Joe Torre Watch" as he is one of the most prized managers in the game and could be relocating this offseason. He has a few destinations to choose from.

The Chicago Cubs may want him as their successor to Lou Piniella, who is retiring after many years in the Big Leagues. The favorites to replace Piniella are currently Ryne Sandberg and Joe Girardi, if he chooses to pass on returning to the Yankees for the Cubs. Girardi and Torre have both won World Series Championships, but to do it with the Cubs would be historic.

The New York Mets have just joined the hunt for Torre, as many close friends and baseball executives could see a return to the Big Apple for the former Yankees and Mets skipper. 

But Los Angeles and retirement are big factors in his decision. Torre could either pass on all offers and ride off into the sunset or comeback and make one more attempt at winning it all in Dodger blue. 

Those who have started to believe that Torre will retire have started to point towards possible successors. 

Near the top of everyone's list is Don Mattingly. Mattingly followed Torre from New York after not getting the managerial job there. It seems as if it is set in stone that once Torre is finished, the former Yankees captain would take over. 

But here comes a surprise from Bob Nightingale of USA Today. He believes that the Mattingly Promise may never actually happen as a new contender for the possible managerial role has popped up with Tim Wallach. 

Wallach has been the Dodgers' Triple-A manager since January 2009. Before that he served as the hitting coach for the Dodgers, until he was replaced by Eddie Murray. He has since won 80 games with the Isotopes and was named Manager of the Year. 

Wallach does seem to be quite suitable for the job. Mattingly and Wallach seem to have similar resumes. 

It all comes down to how big can they come up on the big stage and how successful can they make a team with a peculiar situation in the front office.

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Posted in Baseball, Breaking News, Joe Torre, Los Angeles, MLB, MLB Rumors, NL West, los angeles dodgers

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New York Mets Hope for Better Luck Against MLB-Worst Pittsburgh Pirates

August 19th, 2010

Both the New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates will have something to play for as the teams begin a three-game series tonight in Pittsburgh.

The Mets, of course, just want to win two of three in order to win an NL road series. They haven't done that this season, nor have they won consecutive NL road games.

The Pirates just want to win, period. Pittsburgh enters tonight's game with a record of 40-81, the worst mark in the majors. Their next loss will clinch them their 18th consecutive losing season dating back to 1993.

That means the Pirates have lost more games than they have won 18 straight seasons. That's the most consecutive losing seasons in North American sports history. It's really puzzling for a team to not be able to turn things around for that long. The most wins the Pirates have had in this stretch is 79 back in 1997.

It's pretty embarrassing for the Mets to have to win their first NL road series against the Pirates, but they're in a lose-lose situation. If they do win the series, people will tease them. If they lose the series, people will bash them to no end.

The Mets know this may be their only chance to win an NL road series, the way their offense has been playing since the All-Star break. The Mets have now gone 10 straight games since scoring five runs or more.

The last time they did it was in a loss to the Phillies on August 8. In fact in that series in Philadelphia, the Mets lost two games, both while scoring five runs.

The Mets have gone 17 straight games since scoring five runs or more in a win. It's the reason why their manager called their effort last night against Bud Norris "pathetic."

Norris entered the game with a 5.42 ERA, and the Mets collected two hits off him, one being from the pitcher Pat Misch. Things don't look like they're about to change anytime soon.

To kick the series off in Pittsburgh, Mike Pelfrey will be on the mound for the Mets tonight. His last start came on Sunday night at Citi Field in the rain against the Phillies. He allowed three runs in seven innings, but his problem was control and the Phillies running game.

In two of the three innings the Phillies scored, it was followed by stolen bases. He also hit two batters in the game.

After a long rough stretch by Pelfrey, three of his last five starts have been decent. His sinker has had more bite, and his velocity has increased. He and the Mets can only hope for a strong finish to the season.

Pitching for the Pirates will be Jeff Karstens. The former Yankee has had a rough Major League career, with an ERA near five.

He made six straight relief appearances in May, but was reinserted back in the rotation on June 1. He has lost his last seven decisions, to fall from 2-2 to 2-9 on the season.

He had a bad start his last time out on Sunday in Houston. In 5.2 innings pitched, he allowed five runs on seven hits in a Pirates 8-2 loss.

After not starting last night, Carlos Beltran will be back in tonight's lineup. Catcher Rod Barajas came off the DL and started last night as well, but will probably sit in place of Josh Thole tonight.

The Mets need to win tonight to avoid having to win the last two games. The easiest way for them to win a series will be to win the first and third games, although a sweep wouldn't be bad either.

After tonight, the Mets will have Niese and Santana on the mound, so they do have a shot if they can just do a little hitting.

Mike Pelfrey vs. Pittsburgh (career)
1-1, 6.75 ERA, 10.2 IP, 16 hits, 4 BB, 4 SO

Jeff Karstens vs. New York (career)
0-1, 5.27 ERA, 13.2 IP, 17 hits, 3 BB, 6 SO

2009 season series (New York vs. Pittsburgh)
Mets won series 4-3.

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Posted in MLB, NL East, Preview/Prediction, new york mets

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New York Mets: A King-Sized Youth Movement in Queens

August 19th, 2010

The New York Mets haven't had recent success with young players—until 2010. 

This year promising youngsters are popping up everywhere in the organization.

As much as a roller coaster year it has been, one thing is for sure.  The Mets have some talented prospects on the up rise.  Ike Davis is the cream of the crop along with Jon Niese, but there are many others. 

Such as Ruben Tejada, Josh Thole, Fernando Martinez, Bobby Parnell, and the incredibly gifted Jenrry Mejia.  All of those players can contribute greatly to this organization for a long time to come. 

Even players who have been around for a while but are still really young like David Wright, Jose Reyes and Mike Pelfrey will be contributing for a long time to come. Those three players haven't even hit their prime yet. 

The 2010 New York Mets are looking more and more like a disappointment, but at least this year we will get to see many talented youngsters take the field on game day. 

With that said, the Mets' season still has a tiny bit of hope in it.  If they can pull of a great winning streak then they can find themselves back in the thick of things going into September. 

I'm not here to write about that though. 

I'm here to tell you that the New York Mets have something going.  If the Mets make all the right moves they will find themselves greatly equipped for the near future. 

I was happy that the Mets didn't budge during this years trade deadline.  The Mariners were asking for Jon Niese and the Mets made it clear that their was no way they were trading him. 

This team is finally beginning to protect their great prospects.  This Mets' team has the most homegrown players on it since the late 90's. 

The prospects aren't blowing us away with their stat lines and I'm not surprised. They're rookies and rookies almost always have roller coaster seasons but  it's their upside that counts. 

Davis has shown tremendous upside and even though he's currently mired in a deep slump he is still flashing the leather like a Gold Glover—Tejada is also doing that.  Tejada hasn't been great with the bat, but he has been fantastic in the field. 

This team has a tight defense and I like it.  Defense is a crucial part to winning ball games. 

The Mets finally have the young pieces they wanted and now we have to see if they handle them right.  If the Mets' handle this wrong then this will go down as another disappointing chapter in the Mets' recent history.

But if they handle it right then we got a dynasty waiting to happen.  Maybe soon the Kings of New York will reside in New York.

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Posted in MLB, Opinion, new york mets

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Mets activate C Barajas from 15-day DL (AP)

August 19th, 2010
The New York Mets have activated catcher Rod Barajas from the 15-day disabled list and optioned outfielder Fernando Martinez to Triple-A Buffalo. The 34-year-old Barajas had been on the DL since July 27 with a strained left oblique. He was in the lineup against the Houston Astros on Thursday night. Barajas is hitting .228 with 12 homers and 34 RBIs in 73 games this season.

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MLB Rumors: Joe Torre To The Mets? Close Sources Expect So

August 19th, 2010

A new question arises in New York. "How hot is the seat, Mr. Manuel?"

The season is starting to take a turn and head toward that final stretch, but some teams are already out of contention and could be looking into the future of their ball club.

The Mets could be one of these teams as things looked bright a bit early in the Summer, but have since taken a turn for the worse. The pitching has become weak and the bats are frozen. Players like Johan Santana and Carlos Beltran do not have the same look of dominance every time that they take the field.

When the blame game begins, the finger can be pointed at Jerry Manuel. Manuel has been given a bad reception at Citi Field several times lately. His head is definitely on the chopping block if the Mets fail to do anything in September.

Omar Minaya should not be too confident as he could be on his way out of town too. But before he goes, he might be hired to make an important move concerning Jerry Manuel. 

The hiring of Joe Torre for the New York Mets could be the swan song for Omar Minaya.

Jayson Stark of ESPN has been tracking the possible future destinations for Joe Torre and a friend believes he will either retire or stay in California. But a few Major League Baseball executives have been led to believe that the current Dodgers skipper might make a return to Flushing, New York.

Joe Torre was a lot younger when he was last in a Mets uniform. He was the skipper for five years and was never able to compile a winning season. Things were definitely a lot better in the Bronx for him.

Joe Torre has been welcomed warmly the last few times he was in New York against the Mets. That could also just be a ton of Yankee fans going to the game to see their former skipper make a special appearance in the Big Apple.

Torre will announce his plans for next year after the season ends for the Dodgers. If it ends with a World Series win, he could choose to ride off into the sunset a winner one last time. The other option is pull a Phil Jackson and try and win another one.

He would inherit a team that could use a few young faces. They have Ike Davis, a legitimate contender for the Rookie of the Year Award. In the starting rotation stands a man that the Yankees let get away for Torre in Johan Santana. People like David Wright and Jose Reyes are all too familiar due to the many Subway Series that Torre was a part of.

A New York Mets hiring of Joe Torre would definitely not be the worst thing that could possibly happen to the team. The worst could actually be giving the power over in an Isiah Thomas manner where Omar Minaya would be manager and a big shot in the front office. They should try and avoid that disaster.

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Posted in Baseball, Breaking News, Jerry Manuel, Joe Torre, MLB, MLB Rumors, NL East, New York, Omar Minaya, new york mets

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