It's A Hard Luck Life (For R.A.)

Quick! Which starting pitcher on the Mets has the lowest ERA? If you said R.A. Dickey, you'd be correct. Now if I asked you which Mets hurler of the starting five has the fewest wins, you probably wouldn't think to say Dickey's name again. But it's true, with a 5-11 record, R.A. Dickey has the fewest wins of the five pitchers in the starting rotation, one less than Mike Pelfrey's six.



R.A. Dickey is this year's hard-luck pitcher on the Mets, the man who pitches well more often than not, yet never seems to get credit for the victory. The Mets are 11-14 in Dickey's 25 starts, including Monday night's extra-inning victory over the Padres. That means the bullpen is more apt to pick up the victory in a Dickey start than Dickey himself. It's enough to make you scratch your head in disbelief.

It's okay, R.A. You may not be getting the wins on your record, but you're a winner to Mets fans.

Dickey is not the only pitcher in the majors to be having trouble earning victories despite pitching relatively well. Fellow National Leaguer Hiroki Kuroda has an 8-14 record, leading the league with his 14 losses. However, he is currently eighth in the NL with a 2.88 ERA. Kuroda has given up three earned runs or less in 19 of his 24 starts, but the Dodgers have managed to lose ten of those 19 quality starts. Incredibly, Los Angeles has scored two runs or less in exactly half of Kuroda's 24 starts, giving the 26-year-old righty little room for error.



In the American League, Doug Fister has pitched relatively well this year, splitting his time between Seattle and Detroit. After 24 starts, Fister's ERA is 3.59 and has never been higher than 3.86 at any point this year. However, Fister's won-loss record (4-13) does not seem right compared to his ERA. Like Kuroda, Fister has been highly effective in most of his starts, allowing two earned runs or less 12 times. Incredibly, his teams have lost seven of those 12 starts. Trading the Pacific Northwest for the Motown Mashers has done little to change Fister's luck, as he gave up two earned runs in his second start for Detroit on August 9, only to get a no-decision in a 3-2 loss to the Indians.



It is not uncommon for a good pitcher to suffer hard times in the won-loss column despite pitching well enough to win most of his games. It's especially not uncommon for Mets pitchers to live the hard-luck life.



In 1978, Craig Swan led the National League with a 2.43 ERA. However, Swan only managed to win nine games in 28 starts (losing six and receiving a no-decision in a whopping 13 starts). In 17 of his 28 starts, Swan left the game with the Mets in the lead (12 times) or tied (5 times). Yet, the bullpen couldn't help Swan out. Neither could his offense, as the Mets scored three runs or less in 16 of his 28 starts.



If Swan's 1978 season was enough to make you shake your head, wait till you hear about Jon Matlack's 1974 season. In that year, Matlack pitched 14 complete games (5th in the NL), threw 265.1 innings (7th), had a 2.41 ERA (3rd), recorded a 1.12 WHIP (3rd), struck out 195 batters (4th) and led the league with seven shutouts. He also made the All-Star team for the first time in his career. Sounds like a Cy Young Award candidate, doesn't it? So how many votes did Matlack receive for the National League Cy Young Award in 1974?



Zero.



Perhaps it was one little stat that caused the voters to look away from Matlack at year's end. You know which one I'm talking about. In 1974, Jon Matlack's won-loss record was 13-15.



Since Matlack threw seven complete game shutouts in '74, that means more than half of his wins came in games in which he allowed no runs in nine innings of work. He basically had to be as close to perfect as possible in order to pick up a win. Of course, with the Mets scoring three runs or less in 19 of his 34 starts, it's no wonder why Matlack finished the season with a losing record.



So that brings us to R.A. Dickey. Why is Dickey allergic to victories despite leading the team in ERA for starting pitchers? It's actually a combination of three things. Dickey is being let down by his offense, the bullpen has been a little shaky, and he's been bitten by the bad luck bug.



In 26 games (25 starts), Dickey has left the game with the lead eight times (including Monday night versus the Padres). The bullpen has blown three of those leads. Dickey has also left four games with the score tied. He received no-decisions in all four starts, as the offense failed to take the lead in the next half-inning every time, thereby denying Dickey the possibility of earning the win. The Mets have also scored three runs or less in more than half of Dickey's appearances (14 times in 26 appearances), making it increasingly difficult for R.A. to chalk up the victory.



Luck also has something to do with it. In 2010, opposing hitters' BABIP (Batting Average on Balls In Play) against Dickey was .280, well below the average number of .300. This year, Dickey's BABIP has risen to .293, which is more in line with the league average. Batters are finding more holes and placing their hits in better spots. It's all about luck with this statistic, and Dickey seems to be having nothing but the bad variety this year.



Sometimes all it takes is a clutch hit here or a solid bullpen performance there for a pitcher to rack up the victories. For R.A. Dickey in 2011, he's receiving none of that help. Baseball is a team sport. It's a shame that the team doesn't usually show up whenever R.A. Dickey is on the mound.

Dickeypedia Word of The Week: Fodder

R.A. Dickey is a man who is not limited to one talent. He is a father, husband, author, pitcher, Christian, adventurer, Star Wars nerd, reader and cyclist. How do I know this? Because the man said so himself on his Twitter page. (You can add tweeter extraordinaire to his long list of credentials.)



Earlier today, I decided to send R.A. a pleasant morning greeting in 140 characters or less, while at the same time sharing a past Dickeypedia piece with the man who so lovingly named one of his bats "Orcrist the Goblin Cleaver".



Not only was he quick to respond to my tweet, but he gave me permission to continue writing Dickeypedia pieces, saying:









@Studi_Metsimus of course. I'll try to give you more fodder.













(You can read the entire conversation between me and R.A. Dickey by clicking here. Sorry, there was no discussion about Orcrist the Goblin Cleaver, or whether the bat used in the photo above was indeed Orcrist.)



For those who do not have a dictionary handy, I will provide you with a definition to the word that made up the last six characters of R.A.'s less than 140 character Twitter response (seven if you include the period).



fodder:

• 1. Feed for livestock, especially coarsely chopped hay or straw.
• 2. Raw material, as for artistic creation.
• 3. A consumable, often inferior item or resource that is in demand and usually abundant supply.

Of course, now that I have provided the link to R.A. Dickey's Twitter account, he will most likely be followed by all 4½ of our readers, a number that might grow to 5½ if the rumors are true that former Met malcontent Jeff Kent has occasionally read our work. (He claims he reads it for the pretty pictures.)



The second baseman with the mustache that should have landed him a role in "Boogie Nights" found out that Dickey was a fan of Star Wars and sent us an e-mail trying to convince us to tweet his love of the force to R.A. He seemed very pushy, especially after the tenth message. Finally, we gave in, basically as a way to prevent Kent from overloading our inbox and because we felt sorry that he had to go through life with that 'stache.



Anyway, in his effort to prove to R.A. that he was a big fan of his knuckler and the Star Wars films (I won't mention that he claimed his favorite character was Jar Jar Binks to spare him the embarrassment), he wanted me to pass along his favorite Star Wars quote to the Mets' hurler. Take it away, Jeff!











"Hey, R.A.! Remember that famous line in 'The Empire Strikes Back' when Darth Vader said "Luke, I am your fodder"? Remember that? That was awesome. Okay, bye!"













Sigh. Not only does Jeff Kent not know any of the proper definitions of the word "fodder" (or the reason why Mets fans disliked him so much), he even misquoted the line from the climactic scene in Episode V.



Any real Star Wars fan would know that Darth Vader said "no, I am your father" to Luke Skywalker after Luke was led to believe by Obi Wan Kenobi that Vader was his father's murderer.



Now of course, Kent might actually have said "father" instead of "fodder". It was actually tough to tell because he refused to take that bubble gum out of his mouth. However, there was no mistaking the fact that he clearly did not know his Star Wars trivia. For all we know, Kent didn't know the difference between the Imperial March and the Ides of March.

Et tu, Darth Vader?

It's a good thing we have R.A. Dickey around, who is not only capable of weeding out fake fans such as Jeff Kent (who's probably just a disgruntled Trekkie), but is also supportive of the Dickeypedia Word of the Week.



It's guys like R.A. who make it easy for bloggers such as myself to provide fodder for our 4½ readers!



You can follow Studious Metsimus on Twitter here: @Studi_Metsimus

You can follow R.A. Dickey on Twitter here: @RADickey43

Duda Mets Give Lucas An Everyday Job In 2012?

Prior to 2010, Lucas Duda was a fringe prospect. From 2007-2009, Duda played in a total of 310 minor league games and combined to hit .277 with 24 HR and 151 RBI in 1,112 at-bats. Despite the relatively low amount of home runs and the so-so batting average, Duda showed a good eye at the plate, drawing 161 walks over the three seasons to give him a .374 on-base percentage.



That all changed in 2010, when Duda exploded upon the scene. He combined to hit .304 for AA-Binghamton and AAA-Buffalo, with 23 HR and 87 RBI. He improved his on-base percentage to .398, while slugging at a .569 clip.



Upon his promotion to the major leagues, Duda's production suffered, as he had difficulty adjusting to major league pitching, hitting .202/.261/.417 in 92 plate appearances. He did, however, continue to hit with power (when he did hit), picking up six doubles, four home runs and 13 RBI.



Duda began the 2011 season at the major league level but continued to disappoint at the plate, hitting a measly .100 and slugging a paltry .150 over his first month with the Mets. He was then sent back down to Buffalo and rediscovered his stroke, mashing minor league pitching while displaying a keen eye (.302/.414/.597 in 157 plate appearances).



But once July rolled around and the trade deadline approached, it became obvious that Carlos Beltran was going to be traded, opening up a spot for Lucas Duda to play every day, an opportunity that Duda has taken full advantage of.

Lucas Duda should be at the center of more celebrations for the Mets in 2012 and beyond.

Since the All-Star Break, Duda has played in 30 games (24 starts). In 95 plate appearances, Duda's batting average (.333), on-base percentage (.426) and slugging percentage (.577) have all improved exponentially. He has also made excellent contact while continuing to be selective at the plate (12 strikeouts, 12 walks).



Most importantly, Duda has taken Carlos Beltran's place in the batting order and has produced Beltran-like numbers. At the same time, Beltran has struggled in San Francisco, producing a .244/.261/.356 line in 11 games for the Giants. He has failed to hit a home run and has only driven in a pair of runs, after leading the Mets with 15 HR and 66 RBI. The injury bug that he escaped in New York in 2011 caught up with him in San Francisco, as a hand injury has kept Beltran out of the lineup for the past week.



The right field position has been like a game of musical chairs for the Mets since Darryl Strawberry left the team following the 1990 season. In the two decades since Darryl's departure, no Met has played more than 290 games in right field (Jeromy Burnitz has the honor of most games played in right since 1990). In fact, although third base used to be considered the revolving door of positions for the Mets, with 145 different players manning the hot corner, it's right field that has seen the most players. Including the 2011 season, a total of 205 men have played the position for the Mets, with seven of them doing it this year alone (Beltran, Duda, Jason Pridie, Scott Hairston, Mike Baxter, Willie Harris, Fernando Martinez and Nick Evans).



Lucas Duda is only 25 years old. He is just beginning to spread his wings in the major leagues. He hits with power, doesn't strike out much and knows how to take a walk. In other words, he is exactly the type of player Sandy Alderson likes (and that's not even including his low salary).



The Mets haven't had stability in right field in over two decades. Why not give Lucas Duda a shot to make the position his own? Ike Davis will be back at first base in 2012 (he is coming back, right?), leaving right field as the only position available for Duda to play. Duda has filled the hole in the batting order left by the departure of Beltran exceptionally well. Now it's time for him to fill the hole in right field as well.



"Now starting in right field for the New York Mets - Lucas Duda." Get used to it, Mets fans. You should be hearing plenty of that at Citi Field in 2012 and beyond.

A Lesson In Mediocrity: The New York Mets Over The Years

It's a slow news day on the Mets front, so I decided to see if I could find something of interest to write about. I didn't want it to be boring, but I couldn't think of anything exciting to write about either. Basically, I was left with writing something mediocre. And that's when it hit me like an off-kilter slider by Jesse Orosco (47-47 as a Met) or a wayward fastball by Oliver Perez (29-29 as a Met).



This year's Mets team, especially since the All-Star Break, has been hovering at or around the break-even point. A .500 team is usually the definition of mediocrity. So are the 2011 Mets the most mediocre team in Mets history?

Don't worry, Mr. Met. Every team wins some and loses some. Of course, the Mets are experts at both.

The Mets were so bad in their first few seasons that they didn't reach the .500 mark for the first time until their fifth season. Compare that to the Arizona Diamondbacks, who won the World Series in only their fourth season of existence. And it's not like the Mets reached the .500 mark late in the season. They reached .500 exactly twice in 1966, when they were 1-1 and 2-2. (Their first above-.500 mark came after three games, when they were 2-1.)



The following year, the Mets once again reached the .500 mark exactly twice, registering a 1-1 record after the first two games of 1967 and a 4-4 mark after eight games.



The Mets showed "progress" in 1968, the first year of Gil Hodges' much-too-short tenure as Mets manager, reaching the .500 mark three times. Unfortunately, all three times occurred within the first six games of the season, when the Mets were 1-1, 2-2 and 3-3.



That all changed in 1969.



In that miraculous season, the Mets continued their early season .500 trend, going 1-1 and 2-2. They also went above .500 for only the second time in team history, when they were 2-1 after three games. But this time, they decided that mediocrity in April wasn't good enough. On May 21, the Mets reached the .500 mark for the first time after the sixth game of the season, when they improved to 18-18. They reached .500 again ten games later (23-23), then went above .500 to stay on June 3, remaining above the break-even point all the way to the World Series championship.



Unfortunately, the Mets returned to a life of mediocrity in the 1970s, never more so than the early part of the 1970 season, when the Mets reached the .500 mark 13 times in the first 28 games. In fact, the Mets were a .500 team after every even-numbered game of the first 28 contests except after Game 20. (They were 11-9 after 20 games, but were 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, all the way up to 13-13 and 14-14.) Overall, the Mets reached the .500 mark on 20 separate occasions in 1970.



That trend continued throughout the disco decade, as the Mets reached .500 seven times in 1971, twice in 1972, six times in their pennant-winning 1973 season, twice in 1974, seven times in 1975 and 15 times in 1976. Then came the Dark Ages (no, not the continued growth of disco).



From 1977-1983, the Mets reached the .500 mark a total of 28 times, with a high of eight during the strike-shortened 1981 season. (Note: The Mets were .500 on three separate occasions during the first half of the '81 season. When they returned from the strike, it was decided by Major League Baseball that each team would play a split season, meaning that every team would begin at 0-0 once play resumed. During the second half of the '81 season, the Mets reached the .500 mark five more times, giving them a total of eight for the entire season.) Other than 1981, no Mets team over a full season reached .500 more than five times during those post-Midnight Massacre campaigns.



Not including the wacky 1981 split season, the only time the Mets climbed their way up to .500 after the All-Star Break was in 1980, when the magic came back at 42-42 and 43-43. However, the team lost their next game on both occasions when they made it to .500.



From 1984-1990, the Mets finished with winning records every year, not stopping for long at the .500 mark in any of those campaigns. Over those seven seasons, the Mets were a .500 team on 29 occasions, and were never at or below .500 after June 13 in any of those seasons. (They were 30-30 on June 13, 1989 and 28-28 after the first game of a doubleheader on June 13, 1990.) Also, the Mets were above .500 throughout the entire 1985 season, which marked the first time since 1965 that they never had a .500 record after any game and the first time ever that they had a winning record after every game.



The next six seasons (1991-1996) were lean years for the Mets, as they finished below .500 every year. In 1991, the Mets resembled the 1985 team, staying above .500 for most of the season. That changed on August 15, when the team dropped to .500 (57-57) for the first time all year. That would be the only time the Mets were at .500 all season, as they lost their next game to drop to 57-58 and never climbed back to the break-even mark.



That trend continued in 1992 (six times at .500, reaching the mark for the final time at 48-48), 1993 (five times at .500, but not after they were 8-8), 1994 (11 times at .500, all in the first 52 games), 1995 (only reached .500 once, at 2-2) and 1996 (reached .500 twice, but only at 1-1 and 2-2).



In 1997, the Mets experienced another renaissance. After hitting the .500 mark for the second time on May 16, the Mets didn't drop below .500 again until 1999. They were at .500 on three occasions during the 1998 season but always won the following game. The 1999 Mets were exactly a .500 team on four occasions, while the 2000 Mets were at .500 on six occasions on the way to their fourth National League pennant. The 2001 squad spent most of the season below .500 before finishing barely above the mark, stopping at .500 three times along the way.



The 2002 Mets tied the 1970 team by being at .500 on 20 separate occasions. Unfortunately, the 20th time they hit .500 was during their season-changing 12-game losing streak in August. The following year, the Mets reached .500 four times in their first eight games, but dropped below .500 after their ninth game and did not return to the break-even point again in 2003. For the first half of the 2004 season, the Mets flirted with .500 many times, hitting the mark 16 times, before an 11-game losing streak late in the season ended all chances of reaching it for a 17th time.



In 2005, the Mets brought in manager Willie Randolph to guide the New Mets of Carlos Beltran and Pedro Martinez. That team reached new non-heights and non-depths in mediocrity, breaking the 35-year-old franchise record for most times at .500, achieving that so-so feat before the All-Star Break. When the Mets won their final game before the Midsummer Classic to improve to 44-44, it marked the 21st time they found themselves at exactly .500. At year's end, the Mets found themselves one exit north of mediocrity, four games over .500 at 83-79, but not before hitting the mark 27 times during the regular season.



The 2006 Mets were 1-1 after two games. After improving to 2-1 the next day, the Mets didn't see the .500 mark again until the second game of the 2008 season, when once again, the Mets stood at 1-1. The 2007 team become the second squad in franchise history to have a winning record after every game, tying the mark set by the 1985 Mets. The 2008 team spent so much time around .500 (14 times) that ownership felt Jerry Manuel would do a better job than Willie Randolph. Of course, Manuel didn't do as well in 2009 and 2010. The 2009 team spent most of the season below .500 (hitting the .500 mark seven times), while the 2010 model was the second-most mediocre Mets team of all-time, reaching .500 on 23 separate occasions.



That brings us to the 2011 Mets.



The Mets lost the final game of their four-game series to the Padres today, dropping them to 58-59. Entering the game, the Mets' record stood at 58-58. It was the 17th time this year the Mets found themselves at .500. Only four other Mets teams have been at the .500 mark more times during the regular season than the 2011 team (1970, 2002, 2005 and 2010).



This year's Mets stand a good chance to break the 2005 team's record for mediocrity in a single season (27 times at .500). Despite the Mets' recent ability to excel in mediocrity, no Mets team has ever finished at exactly .500 (81-81). The 1975 and 2001 Mets came closest to accomplishing the feat, with both teams finishing their respective seasons with identical 82-80 records. Only the 1975 team went into the final game with a chance to finish at exactly .500. (They entered the season finale with an 81-80 record, but won their final game to avoid the .500 mark.)



Some teams underachieved on their way to mediocrity (see the 2001 Mets), while others rode their mediocrity all the way to the World Series ("Ya Gotta Believe" that I'm talking about the 1973 Mets). The 2011 Mets are somewhere between those teams (which I guess makes them the most mediocre of the mediocre teams), with role players playing above their heads filling in for the injury-plagued starters, while other players have performed below expectations (Jason Bay, Angel Pagan and Mike Pelfrey, to name a few).



For 50 seasons, the Mets have experienced extended periods of success, while also going through various periods of disappointment. The 2011 Mets don't really fall into either category. With 11 more games at the .500 mark, they will officially become the most mediocre Mets team of all-time. But if you've seen this team day in and day out this season, you probably knew that already.

Fish Food

The date was September 18, 2006. The place was Shea Stadium. Josh Willingham hit a Billy Wagner offering to left field, where Cliff Floyd squeezed it for the final out of the game. The Mets had just shut out the Florida Marlins to win their first division title since 1988 and they were dancing on the field while the hapless Marlins watched.

Since that memorable night, the Mets haven't had much to celebrate when playing the Marlins. In fact, it's been the exact opposite.

Do you think the Marlins say "nom, nom, nom" when they see the Mets on the schedule?

In 2007 and 2008, the Mets faced the Marlins during the final weekend of the regular season, each time with a postseason berth at stake. New York had great pitching performances by John Maine in 2007 and Johan Santana in 2008, but they lost the other four games in each season-ending series, falling a game short of the playoffs both times.

Their late-season failures against the Marlins carried over into the following seasons, as the Mets went 7-11 versus the Fish in 2009 and 6-12 against them in 2010. Now, after dropping the first two games of their latest series with Florida in excruciating fashion, the Mets are 3-7 in 2011 against their division rivals.

Excruciating is the perfect word to describe the Mets' performances against the Marlins over the past five seasons. It's one thing to be blown out by a team. It's another thing to drop so many games to the same team in close fashion.

Yeah, this celebration took place against the Mets.

Since dropping the final game ever played at Shea Stadium to the Marlins, the Mets have played 47 games against the Fish. Their record in those games is 16-31. Of the 47 games, 28 of them have been decided by two runs or less. The Mets have claimed victory in only nine of those 28 contests.

Let's put it this way. Since the Shea Goodbye game, the Marlins' overall record is 223-212 (.513 winning percentage). They're 31-16 against the Mets (.660 win pct.) and 192-196 against everyone else (.495 win pct.).

The Mets are the main reason why the Marlins have been "winners" over their last 400-plus games. The Marlins were also instrumental in preventing the Mets from being winners in 2007 and 2008.

Face it. Until the Mets can figure out how to beat the Marlins, they will continue to be fish food for them. It's a reality that becomes harder to swallow with each tough loss.

The Whole Team Is To Blame, Not Just Daniel Murphy

Earlier today, Joey Beartran posted a piece on Daniel Murphy and his recent lapses in judgment. In the piece, Joey seemed to blame Murphy for the recent losses by the Mets. As much as I support my colleague and the topics he chooses to discuss, I must say that he's just a little nuts for tagging Murphy with the blame.

How can he say that Daniel Murphy's two moments of "brain freeze" were responsible for the losses? Sure, they came at inopportune moments, but let's look at a few other things that occurred in the last two games.

On Sunday, both Willie Harris and Jose Reyes were thrown out attempting to steal. Harris also hit a foul pop-up on a bunt attempt that was reeled in by Nationals' third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. In the sixth inning, the Mets had two runners in scoring position. With starting pitcher Jordan Zimmeran approaching 100 pitches and not needing to throw a strike (first base was open), both Angel Pagan and Jason Bay struck out.

Notice that Daniel Murphy's name was not mentioned in the above paragraph. Now let's move on to Monday night's game.

Jose Reyes was thrown out at home by a country mile when he attempted to score on a single to right by Justin Turner. The Mets put runners on base in each of the first five innings against Marlins' starter Javier Vazquez and scored only one run (an opposite field home run by Jason Bay).

Again, do you see Murphy's name mentioned above? Exactly. You didn't.

Do you want to see the most glaring stat from the Mets' recent three-game losing streak, or should I say, the most MISSING stat? Let's review the batting averages and on-base percentages for a bunch of Mets players to see if you can catch what I'm getting at. (Players are listed alphabetically):

• Jason Bay: .333/.333
• Lucas Duda: .100/.100
• Willie Harris: .167/.167
• Angel Pagan: .083/.083
• Jose Reyes: .231/.231
• Josh Thole: .286/.286
• Justin Turner: .111/.111

So do you see anything interesting up there? That's right. Each player's on-base percentage is the same as his batting average. I'll translate that into English for you.

NONE OF THOSE PLAYERS HAS DRAWN A WALK!!


Over the past three games, the Mets have drawn only three walks, with David Wright taking his base twice and Jonathon Niese showing his teammates how it's done. In case you haven't noticed, the Mets have been leading the National League in walks all year, averaging nearly four free passes per game. They're still leading the league with 384 walks, but Colorado (381) and St. Louis (379) are within striking distance.

The Mets don't hit many home runs (even though they've scored all of their runs in the last two games via the home run), so the walk is very important to their offense. When the Mets have had big innings this year, they've been more likely to do it with a walk or two than with the three-run homer.

So Joey, you can blame Daniel Murphy all you want. But looking at him as the scapegoat for the Mets' recent losing streak is just masking the real problem, which is the rest of the team. The things they were doing right before Saturday have not been seen over the past three games. When they remember how they got to where they are, perhaps the streak will end. Until then, blaming Daniel Murphy will not prove anything. It'll take the whole team to get out of this poorly timed slump.

Joey's Soapbox: On Daniel Murphy And Brain Freeze

Brain freeze. It's what happens when a person ingests cold foods or drinks too quickly, causing a shooting pain in the head (or the brain, if you will). Occasionally, the sharp pain can cause a momentary lapse of judgment, as the brain recovers from the unexpected sensory overload.

As you can see in the photo to the left, I always prepare for the possibility of getting brain freeze by wearing the hood of my Mets hoodie. That way I can have my ice cream and eat it, too, without worrying that my brain will freeze up at the most inopportune moment.

Preparation is key to preventing lapses in judgment. Without it, a person can place himself and those around him in precarious situations. On that note, I have a question to ask you, my fellow Mets fans. Do you think Daniel Murphy has been eating too much ice cream without wearing his hoodie?

My name is Joey Beartran and I'm about to get on my soapbox.


Daniel Murphy has been a hitting machine this year. He's among the league leaders in batting average, hits and doubles. Unfortunately, at times that machine has left the dugout without being properly oiled. Consider the following instances, which occurred in each of the last two games.

On Sunday, the Mets were involved in a scoreless game when they loaded the bases against Nationals' pitcher Jordan Zimmermannnnnn. (I always forget how many "N"s there are in his name.) David Wright lifted a short fly ball to overpaid rightfielder Jayson Werth, who naturally threw home to prevent Jonathon Niese from tagging up at third base.

Daniel Murphy was the runner on first at the time. Instead of looking at the runners in front of him or picking up his coach (since that's what they're there for), Murphy ran towards second base with his head down all the way. Naturally, Werth's throw was intercepted by the cutoff man, who ran Murphy back towards first before throwing the ball to second baseman Danny Espinosa, who tagged Murphy out before he could retreat safely. The brain freeze ended the scoring threat and the inning in a game the Mets would eventually lose by one run.

The very next day, Murphy committed an more egregious error, given the circumstances and inning of the game. After the Mets rallied to tie the Marlins on a two-out, two-run homer by Lucas (Howdy) Duda in the bottom of the ninth, Florida put two men on base against Jason Isringhausen in the top of the tenth.

Dewayne Wise then collected the Marlins' third consecutive hit, stroking a single to right field. The lead runner was held at third base, but Wise decided he was going to run towards second, similar to the play Murphy botched the day before. By all rights, Wise should have been a dead duck between first and second. There was only one problem. Lucas Duda's throw was cut off by Daniel Murphy.




Daniel Murphy's Law:

"Anything that can go wrong, will be done by Daniel Murphy."





Murphy took the cutoff throw from Duda, then ran with the ball in his hand towards Wise. For a split second, he took his eyes off Wise to check if the runner on third was breaking for home. In that split second, Wise dashed back to first, beating the tag by second baseman Justin Turner, as Murphy tossed a soft backhanded throw in a failed attempt to get Wise.

The next batter, Mike Stanton, crushed a grand slam, sending the fans to the exits and the Mets to their third consecutive defeat. Had Murphy been able to retire Wise, as 99% of cutoff men in that situation would, there would have been two outs, first base would have been open, and perhaps the Mets would have intentionally walked Stanton. Instead, Murphy's brain freeze cost the Mets another tight ballgame.

It's great that Daniel Murphy is hitting the tar off the ball. His bat has kept the Mets in games that he hasn't managed to blow with his baserunning and defense. However, a major league baseball player should excel not only in the physical part of the game, but in the mental aspect as well.

Daniel Murphy, as physically talented as he is, needs to use his brain in situations that don't require his bat. Brain freeze might be acceptable when a person is eating ice cream, but is unacceptable what that person is standing between the foul lines. A hot bat will never make up for a cold brain.