Game #57 (30-27) - Japan is NOT good to the Mets

It's hard to find much to complain about after a home sweep of a major division rival, especially with a comeback from a 5-0 lead, but don't worry, that's what I'm here for.  The principal issue is that right now, the Japanese connection has not been kind to the Mets.  This is not something altogether new.  The Mets have had more Japanese players than any other team in the majors (nine), and none of them have been successful.    You can read more about this is in David Waldstein's December 2009 piece providing an in depth look at the Mets history with Japanese imports.  I'm not going to give a summary of the article, but let's just say it makes it clear that the Mets have made some major mistakes bringing in Japanese players.

That brings us to the 2010 Mets from Japan, Ryoto Igarashi and Hisanori Takahashi.  At this point, Igarashi is filling an undeserved roster spot and hurting the Mets' ability to win.  He has allowed at least one baserunner in 8 of his last 9 appearances, and most have been worse, the low point being last week in San Diego where he allowed 6 ER and got just 1 out.  He had some success in his early outings, but his control has failed him, and watching him is rather painful.  His ERA for the year now stands at 10.97, his WHIP at 2.16, and his BAA sits at .318.  Most impressive are his 4 K's against 9 walks - not exactly what you look for in a reliever, especially one Jerry and Omar envisioned as a 8th inning set up man.  This leaves the Mets with Elmer Dessens as the current set up man, which anyone with 2 eyes knows is a temporary fix and disaster waiting to happen.  The best thing for the team right now would be to send Igarashi to extended spring training, or to the minors and call up a younger arm and see what they can do.  Perhaps it's time to give Bobby Parnell another shot in the pen?

Takahashi's been much better, there is no question, but his last two starts have raised some major red flags. We are all aware of the success Takahashi had in his first two starts, going 6 shutout innings in each, and leading the Mets to wins against the Yankees and the Phillies.  However, his last two starts have been as terrible as the first two were great, and I don't think it's a fluke.  Takahashi by no means has overwhelming stuff, and it's looked to me like the opposition has discovered some kind of pattern to his pitches, as they've gotten completely locked in, and certainly gotten more selective.  The 3 HR he's given up in his last 9.1 IP after only giving up 1 in his first 36 is definitely a red flag, especially as all 3 have come in two of the more notoriously spacious parks, Citi and Petco.   It's certainly not time to give up on Takahashi, as his wide array of pitches gives him the potential for success, but it's definitely time for Dan Warthen to review the films and see where Takahashi is either tipping pitches, or where the opposition is seeing a pattern.  In order for this Mets team to be successful, they'll need something from Takahashi, be it in the rotation or out of the pen, so getting on top of his recent struggles with the longball should be priority one for Warthen.

A few random notes from yesterday...

• I'm not usually someone that buys into the "spiritual aspect" of the game (heart, hustle, grit, chemistry, et al.), but what Jeff Francoeur does for this team truly transcends the stat sheet.  When he hit that game tying 3 run homer yesterday, you knew there was no way this team would let him down.  Losing was not an option.  Yesterday marked 10 straight with a hit for Frenchy, during which time he's 17 for 36, raising his season average from .216 to .268.  
• David Wright also continues to swing a hot bat, going 3-5 yesterday.  He's now 13 for his last 25, and most importantly, yesterday marked the 3rd straight game in which he did not strike out, the first time he's gone three straight without a whiff since he went four straight from Aug 2-5 of last year.  Amazing how much more successful this offense is when Wright is making contact.  The media and SNY continue to make a case for Reyes being the key to this offense, but often at the expense of overlooking Wright.  When Wright is on his game and putting the ball in play instead of striking out 2 or 3 times, this team is tough to beat.
• Angel Pagan has really grown from being a fourth OF to being an integral piece of this Mets team.  The Mets are going to have an extremely difficult decision to make when (if) Beltran returns in the 2nd half, because the way all 3 OF's are playing right now makes it a near impossible choice to sit one of them.  If only Jason Bay could learn to play 2B, right?  Man, that would be hilarious to watch.
• Tough series for Jose Reyes, going 1 for 10 over the 3 games.  At this point, his frustration is clear, and I wonder with Tejada on the roster if it might be time for him to get a day off to clear his head and watch the game from the dugout.  His OPS sits at a pathetically low .628, and he's just a trainwreck at this dish sometimes.  
• Dan Uggla continues to hit bombs on the Mets.  That's 5 of his 13 HR this year coming against them.  I can't remember ever seeing a percentage that high coming against one team.  Wow.
• Pretty telling that Fredi Gonzalez was willing to concede a run last night in the 8th to minimize the damage, thinking it wouldn't be that hard to score off K-Rod in the 9th.   Frankie got the job done, but made it exciting as always.  That's now 7 of his last 9 appearances where he's allowed at least one runner to reach base.  Shutdown closer, right?  It's never easy with K-Rod, another reason why being a Met fan sucks.