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  Well, well, well… Lowe vs. Dizzy.  This should be interesting to say the least.  What we coulda had to what we got stuck with.  Lowe is no superstar, but you know what you’re getting from him… consistancy.  Oh well.  No point in crying over spilt milk. Tonight, the Mets (55-63) open up a 3 game set at home against the Atlanta Braves (62-56).  Here’s the skinny on (RHP) Derek Lowe (12-7, 4.08 ERA 1.41WHIP)…

Career Record - (138-114, 3.78, 1.28 WHIP)

Full Name:  Derek Christopher Lowe
Born:  June 1,1973  in  Dearborn, Michigan
Height:  6-6  Weight:  230  Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right
High School:  Edsel Ford (Dearborn, Michigan)
College:  None
Drafted:  Selected by Seattle Mariners in 8th Round (215th overall) of 1991 amateur entry draft (June-Reg)  

 Per MLB.com,

Lowe will attempt to win a sixth consecutive decision and prolong the success he’s found while limiting the Mets to five runs and 10 hits in 12 1/3 innings this season. The veteran sinkerballer is 5-0 with a 2.91 ERA in his last seven starts. While he wasn’t dominant during Wednesday night’s win against the Nationals, he was able to limit them to two runs in seven innings with the assistance of three double-play groundouts. During his only previous start at Citi Field, on May 11, Lowe allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings and earned the win.

Lowe’s Previous 2 Outtings courtesy of Foxsports,

Fri. Aug 7, 2009 - Derek Lowe pitched seven tough innings on Wednesday night, allowing just two runs while putting 11 people on base, to earn his 12th win in the Braves 6-2 against the Nats.

After looking dead in the water in late June, where his ERA rose to 4.44, Lowe has strung together a string of good starts to improve his record to 12-7 and bring his ERA back down to 4.08.(STATS, 9:53pm)

Sat. Aug 1, 2009 - Lowe gave up three runs on five hits over six innings in Saturday’s win over the Dodgers.

The win was Lowe’s 11th of the season, and he’s now 4-0 over his last five starts. Since struggling to a 6.54 ERA in June, Lowe has rebounded back to the norm with a quality start in six of his last seven turns in the rotation. The lack of strikeouts continue to be a disappointment, but the Braves are contending for the wild card so Lowe should have a healthy number of wins the rest of the way if he continues limit his homers and walks.(RotoWire, 4:12:55 pm)

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/player?categoryId=84956

Scouting Report per Scout.com,

Lowe is known for his sinker, which he throws most of the time. When it’s on, it is a thing of beauty. He can vary the speed of it through the 80s, and hitters usually beat it into the ground or miss it entirely. Lowe also throws effective sliders and curves to complement his primary offering. Whatever he throws, he almost always keeps the ball down. Lowe produces roughly three times as many groundballs as flyballs, making his success as dependent on his infield defense as any pitcher in the game. Last season, one defensive miscue behind him often snowballed into a big inning, leading to questions about his mental makeup.

With Lowe inducing so many groundballs, he’s had more than 60 total chances in each of the last two seasons. Although Lowe is generally a reliable fielder, he committed three errors in 2004. Lowe is slow to the plate, and his pickoff move is average at best. As a result, stolen bases against him have become a major problem. He allowed a major league-high 34 steals last season, while only two runners were caught.

***Tidbit

- Lowe signed a 4yr $60M deal with the Braves on Jan. 13th, 2009.  The Mets, who were in serious talks with Lowe, failed to pony up.

http://blog.silive.com/mets/2009/01/derek_lowe_tells_mets_talks_be.html

  The Core is officially all on the same page!  On a brighter note, the Mets (55-62) aka Savannah Sand Gnats will look to win a 4 game set against the Wild Card chasing S.F. Giants (63-54) tonight.  Our boys will be up against (RHP) Joe Martinez (2-1 6.00 ERA, 1.83 WHIP).  Here’s the skinny on Martinez…

Full Name:  Joseph A. Martinez
Born:  February 26,1983  in  South Orange, New Jersey
Height:  6-3  Weight:  185  Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right
High School:  Seton Hall Prep (West Orange, New Jersey)  “Pirates”
College:  Boston College
Drafted:  Selected by San Francisco Giants in 12th Round (372nd overall) of 2005 amateur entry draft (June-Reg)

Per MLB.com,

  Joe Martinez allowed a baserunner to reach secondbase in three of his five innings on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He evaded trouble in each frame until the fifth, when the Dodgers, aided by a fielding error, erupted for four runs (three earned). As a result, Martinez picked up his first defeat in his fourthcareer Major League appearance. With no real timetable set for the return of Randy Johnson (torn rotator cuff), Martinez will likely be given the opportunity to prove himself down the stretch, pitching out of the No. 5 slot in the rotation. The rookie right-hander has never faced the New York Mets.

Martinez’s previous outing courtesy of Foxsports -

Thu. Aug 6, 2009 - Martinez came off the disabled list to win his first major league start as the San Francisco Giants rallied for a 10-6 win over the Houston Astros on Wednesday.

***Tidbit - On April 9th, while pitching in the 9th inning, he suffered a direct line-drive hit off the bat of Mike Cameron to his forehead and sustained a laceration and a nose bleed. He was able to walk off the field under his own power, but was immediately removed for instant observation. He was taken to nearby St. Francis Memorial Hospital where it was determined he had a concussion and three fractured bones, but the CT scan didn’t turn up anything that looked serious. He remained in the hospital for overnight observation, and remained there for the next few days.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Martinez_(baseball)

Scouting Report Per thebaseballcube.com -

Control: Walks compared to batters faced.

k-Rating: Strikeouts compared to batters faced.

Efficiency:Similar to WHIP, a higher rating for pitchers allowing less baserunners per inning pitched.

The ratings are based on formulas that sum a player’s entire career based on available statistics in our database, including minor league and college data. These scouting scores are to be used as indicatorsof a player’s strength. A career minor leaguer might have a speed rating of 100 though this does not insinuate that he is a better runner than a major leaguer with a speed rating of 90. Though it does indicate that a player was an excellent base-stealer in the minors, we do not know how he would have fared in the majors.

Ah bloody hell (Said in a cockney accent)..  The Mets (52-60) play the middle game of the series against the D-Bags (51-62) as I like to call them.  In their way, will be (RHP) Max Scherzer.  Here’s the skinny on Scherzer (6-6 4.01 ERA, 1.39 WHIP).

Full Name:  Maxwell M. Scherzer
Born:  July 27,1984  in  St. Louis, Missouri
Height:  6-3  Weight:  190  Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right
High School:  Parkway Central (Chesterfield, Missouri)  “Colts”
College:  University of Missouri
Drafted:  Selected by Arizona Diamondbacks in 1st Round (11th overall) of 2006 amateur entry draft (June-Reg)

Lifetime Record  (6-10 3.70 ERA, 1.34 WHIP)

 Per MLB.com,

Scherzer has struggled in his last two outings, but offensive support has helped him avoid losses and instead come away with no decisions in those games. His last time out against the Pirates he held them to two runs through the first five innings before the Pirates scored three off him as part of a four-run sixth that chased him from the game. Over his last two outings he has allowed nine runs in 9 1/3 innings. It’s quite a contrast to his start prior to that stretch which also came against the Pirates on July 26. In that game he held the Bucs scoreless for seven innings while striking out eight.

Scherzer’s last 2 outings according to Foxsports -

Sat. Aug 1, 2009 - Scherzer allowed the Mets to score four runs on six hits in four innings Saturday en route to a no-decision.

He was pulled after four innings after just 87 pitches. He had gone 100+ in six of his previous eight starts, so pitch count was not a contributing factor in his exit. The Associated Press reports he hit 97 mph with his fastball, so lack of velocity was not a cause for struggle either.(RotoWire, 8:14:34 pm)

Jul 26, 2009 - Scherzer dominated the Pirates Sunday, striking out eight in seven scoreless innings.

Scherzer (6-6) allowed five hits without walking a batter on 109 pitches, lowering his ERA to 3.61. Scherzer picked up his first win since June 23 and looked much better than his last outing, when he allowed four runs on seven hits over four innings. Of course, that outing was at Coors Field and probably should have been discounted a little.(RotoWire, 5:56:43 pm)

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/playerNews?statsId=8193&fantasyNews=true

Scouting Report per Sprtsnet.ca -

Assets - Has a very projectable frame for a starting pitcher. Can be overpowering and downright nasty at times. Also has the stuff for short relief.

Flaws - Gets into trouble when he loses focus and the command of his fastball. Must remain dominant over several innings in order to thrive as a starter.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/players/Max_Scherzer/

Per thebaseballcube -

Control: Walks compared to batters faced.

k-Rating: Strikeouts compared to batters faced.

Efficiency: Similar to WHIP, a higher rating for pitchers allowing less baserunners per inning pitched.

The ratings are based on formulas that sum a player’s entire career based on available statistics in our database, including minor league and college data. These scouting scores are to be used as indicators of a player’s strength. A career minor leaguer might have a speed rating of 100 though this does not insinuate that he is a better runner than a major leaguer with a speed rating of 90. Though it does indicate that a player was an excellent base-stealer in the minors, we do not know how he would have fared in the majors.

***Tidbit - Scherzer was born with heterochromia; his right eye is blue and his left one is brown. (Wouldnt that be considered a distraction to the hitter?  No?  Well Im desperate for a win people.)

I internally weep as I type this.  The Mets(50-55) take on the Cardinals (58-50) for a 2 game set tonight at home.  In their way will be (RHP) Joel Pineiro.  Yea…him.  Here’s the skinny on Pineiro (9-9 2.84 ERA, 1.07 WHIP) who toys with the Mets like a cat toys with a crippled mouse.

Full Name:  Joel Alberto Pineiro
Born:  September 25,1978  in  Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico
Height:  6-1  Weight:  180  Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right
High School:  Colonial (Orlando, Florida)  “Grenadiers”
College:  Edison College
Drafted:  Selected by Seattle Mariners in 12th Round (373rd overall) of 1997 amateur entry draft (June-Reg)

Lifetime Record - (81-76 4.38 ERA, 1.35 WHIP)

 Per MLB.com,

Pineiro returns to Queens, the site of a couple of his finest games. The right-hander has twice shut the Mets out in New York, though he’s done it in two different ballparks. He keeps rolling along, having as much success as his defense will allow. Pineiro has now allowed no runs or one run in four straight starts, and he hasn’t permitted more than three earned runs since May 29. He’s probably having the best unheralded season in baseball.

Pineiro’s Last 2 Outings per Foxsports -

(Fri. Jul 24, 2009) - Pineiro tossed six scoreless innings Friday night at Philadelphia, limiting the potent Phillies offense to just four hits.

Pineiro has given up three earned runs or fewer in nine consecutive starts, lowering his ERA to 2.95 and his WHIP to a nifty 1.08.(RotoWire, 8:35:36 pm)

(Fri. Jul 10, 2009) - Pineiro scattered three hits in his third complete game this year and the St. Louis Cardinals rallied to a 5-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday.

Pineiro is starting to trust his sinking fastball again, allowing him to bounce back a year after injuries left him shaken with an ugly ERA. Pineiro went 7-7 with a 5.15 ERA last season.(STATS, 2:10pm)

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/playerNews?statsId=6549&fantasyNews=true

***The Mets faced Pineiro twice this year and he has went the distance in both of them.

June 23, 2009 - Pineiro pitched a complete game shutout and allowed only 2 hits.  Cardinals beat the Mets 3-0.

April 22, 2009 - Pineiro pitched 9 innings and held the Metsies (What a ridiculous nickname) to 2 earned runs on 6 hits.  Cardinals won 5-2.

Scouting Report Per StatsInc.com,

Pineiro was faced with a vexing dilemma at the start of the 2004 season. He was getting hit hard despite having, what he and the Mariners felt, was very good stuff. Pineiro likes to use his fastball, which runs in the low 90s. He’s had success with his two-seamer, though he got away from it at times last season. Pineiro also has a plus slider and curveball and a good changeup. He’s at his best when he can keep his slider down in the zone. Scouts like his aggressiveness.

Pineiro is regarded as an above-average defensive player. He’s made just two errors over the past two seasons. Pineiro has had trouble in the past with holding baserunners on and slowing the running game. Part of that can be attributed to a high leg kick. He showed an improved pickoff move from the 2003 season, but 11 of 14 basestealers were successful against him last season.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/playerScouting?categoryId=85314

The Mets have shocked the world by actually winning a series.  They took 2/3 from a good Astros team.  It’s time to take another series.  The Mets (46-51) return home tonight to start a 4 game set against the Colorado Rockies (54-44).  In their way will be (RHP) Ubaldo Jimenez.  Here’s the skinny(hardy har) on Jimenez (7-9 3.85 ERA, 1.30 WHIP)…

  Full Name:  Ubaldo Jimenez (Garcia)
Born:  January 22,1984  in  Nagua, Dominican Republic
Height:  6-2  Weight:  160  Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right
High School:   -
College:  None
Drafted:  Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Colorado Rockies in 2001 

Lifetime Record (23-25 3.99ERA, 1.36 WHIP)

 Per MLB.com,

Jimenez showed moxie on Wednesday in a no-decision against the D-backs. He went six innings and was hurt by one pitch — a three-run homer by Miguel Montero — even though he had no fastball command. Taking advantage of the D-backs’ familiarity with him, and trying desperately to stay afloat, Jimenez pocketed his blazing fastball and used his breaking ball for the final three innings of the six he was on the mound.

Jimenez’s last 2 starts courtesy of Foxsports -

Sat. Jul 18, 2009 - Jimenez bounced back from his only shaky inning to finish with 10 strikeouts, leading Colorado to a 5-3 win over San Diego on Friday night.

Jimenez was perfect in the sixth and seventh, and allowed only three hits in seven innings to win for the first time in a month. Jimenez won for the first time in five starts. The right-hander reached double digits in strikeouts for the fifth time in his career and fell one short of his career best, which came against the Padres at Petco Park on May 10, 2008. He allowed all three Padres runs and walked four.(STATS, 4:10pm)

Sat. Jul 11, 2009 - Jimenez was the hard-luck loser again on Friday night, giving up two runs over six innings, only to see the Rockies score just one.

Jimenez struck out eight while allowing six hits and a walk. His ERA now sits at 3.81 with eight of his 18 starts in Coors Field so far, yet his record is just 6-9. His owner probably knows what he has in him, but go ahead and kick the tires to find out just in case there’s a small buy-low opportunity.(RotoWire, 3:12:26 am)

***The last time the Mets faced Jimenez was on June 21st, 2008.  Jimenez held the Mets in check while pitching 8 innings and giving up only1 earned run on 2 hits.  Rockies won 7-1.

Scouting Report per Wikipedia -

With respect to overall power, few pitchers possess the arm strength that makes Jiménez so formidable.

His four-seam fastball is frequently clocked as high as 100 mph, though his average four-seam fastball will typically register between 95-99 mph. Jiménez attains such velocity so frequently, in fact, that during the 2008 season, he had the fastest average fastball among all major league starting pitchers at 94.9 mph. Additionally, no one threw more pitches over 95 mph (1,342) than did Jiménez during the 2008 season.

Jiménez’s two-seam fastball exhibits significant “tailing” action (moving inside on a right-handed batter, and away from a left-handed batter), as well as strong “sinking” action, but not by design. This pitch is thrown with velocity ranging from 93-95 mph. In 2008, Jiménez posted a very robust ground-ball percentage of 54.4%, a testament to this pitch’s effectiveness and making him an ideal pitcher for Coors Field, a ballpark known for home runs.

Jiménez is known to throw a split-finger fastball, having very sharp and very abrupt downward movement in the 90-93 mph range.

The change-up thrown by Jiménez also exhibits strong “sinking” action, so much so that television commentators unfamiliar with Jiménez often have trouble distinguishing his change-up from a sinking fastball or a split-finger fastball. Typically thrown between 85-90 mph, the pitch will tail-away from left-handed batters.

Jiménez’s slider is usually thrown between 84-86 mph while reaching as high as 89-91 mph on occasion. This pitch fools batters with an unusually sharp, late break and is used second most in frequency behind his four-seam fastball. Batters often confuse this pitch with a fastball (the major league average for a fastball is approximately 91 mph) and due to the late-breaking movement of the pitch, are often unable to hit it.

The final pitch in Jiménez’s arsenal is a looping curveball. Used infrequently, it is thrown anywhere between 75-85 mph and exhibits a traditional “12-6″ break.

With such impressive pitching talent, Jiménez was compared to a young Pedro Martinez by his manager, Jim Tracy.  However, control issues still separate him from the elite pitchers in the league.

Through the heart breaks of 2007 and 2008 to not even competing this yr, its been oh so tough.  Still, I will always be a Mets fan.  Being a Mets fan SAYS something about you, expecially if you live in the New York region.  Among other things it means you refused to jump on the Yankee bandwagon.  How easy would it be, to be a Yankees fan?  You dont have to worry about being down, cuz you know the owner will throw half a billion dollars in the offseason in order to win you a championship.  No, the guy who chooses to be a Mets fan has the qualities I respect most in an individual - Loyalty, Pride and Heart.

Im 27 yrs old and was born, raised and currently reside in Queens (about 5 minutes from Citi).  My first Mets experience was being 4 yrs old and walking through Flushing Meadows Park after a game with my father to get to my home in Corona.  It was a Summer night and a few months later, our boys won it all.  I couldnt really understand what happened, only that “the bad guys won” ; ).  As I got older I was able to follow baseball thoroughly.  I remember being a fan of Gregg Jeffries and Kevin McReynolds.  And I also remember the Dallas Green days. (shutters).  There was hope again w. Bobby V then it fell apart again with Art Howe.  Through it all, we still stuck with our team and we still donned our Mets shirt when others would snicker and laugh behind our backs.  Thats ok, because at least you’ll never mistake the term ”fair weather” with Mets fan.

Tell us your story.  Why are you a Mets fan?