The Atlanta Braves are on a tear. Literally, I think there's a hole in the universe, that every time the Braves win a game ... the hole tears more. Who knows, maybe I'm going nuts, or maybe the Braves are a very good team.
Chipper Jones for example, is still hitting over .400 (knock on wood) and it's almost June. Anyway, the Metropolitans are in meltdown mode right now, and when any team is in meltdown mode what happens? There's talk of firing your manager. Now, Willie "Please Like Me" Randolph has been running his mouth like an idiot for what seems like months (only once, I think) saying stuff on the radio that all the bad talk is racially motivated. . . Sigh. And then the whole thing with Billy "Talk to Me" Wagner, about the team not talking to the press after a loss.
Now David Wright is getting in the mix and I quote: "Losing like this, I hope, would ruin their nights." Apparently Wright's tone suggested that he didn't think that it would. The Mets have been playing abysmal baseball - they aren't clicking - and their losses show for that inadequate performances.
They signed Johan Santana to a $137.5 million dollar deal, and he's 5-3 with a 3.36 ERA. Like I've said time and time again, one player can not change a ball club. Last years downward spiral for the New York Metropolitans has carried over into 2008.
The Mets for the first time since April 13 are below .500, their payroll is $138 million dollars this year, compared to lets say the Florida Marlins who are 27-19 and their payroll is $21 million dollars (once again, that's less than what Alex Rodriguez makes a year). The Metropolitans are really not playing good baseball, the only person on their team who is batting over .300 is Ryan Church (who is playing stellar baseball) everyone else is not doing well. Delgado's average is almost below the Mendoza Line (he's batting .218 see: Mendoza Line), Beltran is batting somewhere around .250, Wright is around .280. Jose Reyes, as I've said on numerous occasions is beyond overrated. He's finally starting to pick it up batting .276 with 14 bags stolen, 4 HRs and 19 rbis. Finally, he's starting to pick it up (I drafted the guy, he's supposed to do good, I assumed anyway).
The Braves have 5 guys who are in the vicinity of batting .300, and some of them already have batted .300 and their averages fluctuate with every game. Chipper Jones is batting .412, McCann is batting .329, Escobar is batting .315, Kelly Johnson is batting .299, Kotsay is batting .296 (much improvement to Andruw Jones' average ...which is actually below the Mendoza Line). The Braves problem is their pitching staff, for the last ten years it's been their pitching staff, Tim Hudson settled down last night and pitched phenomenally for 8 innings. It's just funny to me that you go out and spend this boatload of cash on a guy who is supposed to be your saving grace and clearly he's not lighting the world on fire.
Another interesting tidbit...the Braves have scored 232 runs, they have a team ERA of 3.42 (second only to Oakland). The Mets have scored 213 runs, and have a team ERA of 4.09.
That's it, I'm ranting.
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