Tuesday, June 12, 2007 |
Hail Duque, Well Met: Dodgers 5, Mets 3
One reason that's true is that with an average age of 30.8, the Mets have the fourth-oldest pitching staff in the league, behind the Padres (surprisingly, though the presence of Greg Maddux and Trevor Hoffman may have a lot to do with that), Phillies, and yes, the Dodgers. The Mets also have the third-oldest average position player age (also 30.8 years), falling behind obvious candidates San Francisco (33.1) and Houston (31.9). Carlos Delgado will celebrate his 35th birthday later this month, and Paul LoDuca blew out the candles on his cake for that anniversary in April. Shawn Green is 34, Jose Valentin is 37, and while Carlos Beltran is a relatively spry 30, the problems in the field at least equal the problems in the rotation.
Both Orlando Hernandez and Tom Glavine are 41-year-olds, the oldest pair on the team, and without looking, maybe in the majors. With Hernandez and the disabled Pedro Martinez on the books through 2008, the Mets will have some issues for at least the next couple of years (though Hernandez's contract is only $6M over the next two). So far, Glavine has been a serviceable innings-eater, while "El Duque" has been lights out, pitching well over his head with a 1.94 ERA prior to tonight's game.
All this tells me that Hernandez was due for a letdown sooner or later, and who better to give it to him than the Dodgers, who were willing to toss things up to get the new callups some playing time? The kids — James Loney and Tony Abreu in particular — went a collective 1-for-8, with Loney driving in a run on an RBI single. Fortunately, they didn't need to do great things, because virtually the rest of the lineup, save for Furcal and Kent, got at least one hit, knocking Hernandez out of the game. John Maine has also been lights out, and he, too looks like he's due for a return to earth, as is Jorge Sosa. We'll see, but all three seem to be pitching over their heads so far this season.
Newer› ‹Older
 |
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.