Jerry Manuel

It was easy to think back to New York’s epic collapse in 2007, when the Mets lost a seven-game lead with seventeen left to play, after New York lost to the Phillies on Friday night and Sunday afternoon. The results allowed Philadelphia to move within a game of the Mets, before the series conclusion on Sunday night.

But from start to finish, the Mets showed in their 6-3 victory over Philadelphia on Sunday night that however the season turns out, their 2008 club is a different model from last year’s.

Most obvious among these differences is the presence of Johan Santana, who entered the night with an ERA at Shea Stadium of just 1.  read more »

With injuries to veterans like Moises Alou, Ryan Church and Luis Castillo, the Mets have taken to using a number of young players in an attempt to patch right field, left field and second base. The result has been increased playing time for Argenis Reyes, Nick Evans and Daniel Murphy, who have combined for 208 at-bats this season.

Since Murphy’s call-up, with all three playing major roles, the Mets are 12-6. Both Murphy and Reyes had hits Wednesday night in a 6-3 win over Atlanta. (Murphy’s was a two-run single.)

Mets fans have been justifiably excited to see the team turn over a large portion of playing time to youth—under former manager Willie Randolph, it seemed that the primary role of New York’s young players was to wait around on the bench or serve as trade bait.  read more »

The only answer the Mets have about what they can expect from Pedro Martinez following his outing in Wednesday night’s 4-2 loss to the San Diego Padres is that they can’t know what to expect. As he has throughout his short season, Martinez provided both reasons for optimism and gloom during his 6 1/3-inning appearance. It was his second start back from a layoff caused by a groin injury and extended by his father’s death.

“Well, I can’t be satisfied with the loss,” Martinez (who does not hide his disappointment over poor outings) told a group of reporters in front of his locker following Wednesday’s game.  read more »

The Mets did a lot of heavy lifting on their recent road trip, amassing a 5-3 record against the National League East-leading Phillies and the wild-card-leading Cardinals.

The success of the road trip, punctuated by three straight wins in Philadelphia, catapulted New York into the thick of the National League playoff race. The Mets further solidified these gains with a pair of shutout victories Tuesday and Wednesday against the Giants, and they now stand just 1.5 games out of first place in their division, and just 3.5 games behind St. Louis for the wild card.

But how successful the Mets are down the stretch will be determined in large part by the team’s success on and off the field between now and the end of July.  read more »

It’s only been eight games. But Jerry Manuel has made it clear that he has a very different plan to manage the Mets than his predecessor, Willie Randolph. These changes range from the tactical to the philosophical, with some tone changes thrown in for good measure.

The most famous of these changes so far has been Manuel’s freewheeling press conferences with reporters, including jokingly threatening to “cut” Jose Reyes (and not as in releasing him) over an on-field tantrum, and referring to the vocally negative feedback from some Mets fans as potentially helpful “fertilizer” at Shea Stadium.

Manuel’s tactical adjustments—the things that actually relate to baseball—have gotten much less notice.  read more »

If Willie Randolph’s situation with the Mets was most like that of Davey Johnson, who was also fired less than halfway into a season less than two years removed from an appearance in the NLCS, then Jerry Manuel, who was named interim manager of the Mets early Tuesday morning, is Bud Harrelson, Johnson’s replacement.

Harrelson took over a 20-22 Mets team during the 1990 season, and led them to a 71-49 record—good enough for 91 victories, but falling short of the postseason. And this standard—significantly improved play, even if it falls short of a playoff berth—is likely Manuel’s bar to clear so he can remove the interim tag from his job title.  read more »