Josh Thole Gives Signs At The Plate And At Home

For one day, let's forget about the Mets' inability to hit with runners in scoring position. Let's not dwell on their failure to capitalize on their emotional extra-inning victory against the Phillies on Sunday night. Let's not even discuss Josh Thole's slow start both at the plate and behind it.

However, we can and will discuss Josh Thole in regards to a set of signs he's giving in his household, signs that are helping a beloved family member cope with an otherwise difficult disability.

Josh Thole, his wife Kathryn and their dog, Picca, showing signs of a loving family. (Photo by NY Mets/Daily News)

According to an article by Nicholas Hirshon in today's Daily News, the Thole family adopted their dog, Picca, two years ago in Syracuse. But shortly thereafter, Kathryn Thole noticed that their Maltese-poodle mix wasn't acknowledging her whenever she'd call for her.

After taking their beloved dog to the veterinarian, it was discovered that Picca was deaf. However, instead of giving her up, the Tholes realized that Picca needed the love and support they were willing to give her. Therefore, Josh decided to pick up some sign language books and taught Picca how to respond to sign commands.

With a few simple hand gestures, Picca has now learned how to sit and stay, making it far easier for the Tholes to communicate with their dog and live a happy and normal life together. Well, normal in mostly everything. As Josh Thole says, Picca has been helpful in a few impromptu running exercises...

"If I was to go up to get the mail or something, my dog would follow me and take off. I couldn't call her. I'd have to chase her."

Studious Metsimus salutes Josh and Kathryn Thole for going the extra mile for their dog, Picca. She may not be able to hear her owners express their love for her, but she doesn't have to. After all, it's all in the signs.

New Homestand, New Hope

After defeating the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday night in an emotional extra-inning affair, the Mets return to Citi Field to begin a week-long homestand against the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although the Mets are still in last place with a 12-16 record, they're not as far out of contention as their record and division standing would suggest. In fact, parity in baseball has made fans in every major league city hold on to hopes of meaningful baseball games in the summer.

Because baseball doesn't have a salary cap, it's difficult to achieve parity. Usually the teams with the highest payrolls have the best chance to extend their seasons past 162 games. More often than not, these teams usually finish well above .500 and have a relatively simple time making their way to the postseason. However, in the early going this season, an overwhelming number of teams are right around the .500 mark.

As of today, only five teams in baseball are more than three games above .500. Those teams are the Indians (19-8), Marlins (18-9), Phillies (18-9), Rockies (17-9) and Yankees (17-9). With identical 16-13 records, the Angels, Rangers and Cardinals can all lay claim to having the sixth-best record in baseball.

Want more proof that there's parity in baseball? Of the 30 teams in the major leagues, a whopping 20 franchises (or two-thirds of all clubs) are between three games over .500 and four games under .500. At 12-16, the Mets are one of those 20 teams that are separated by a mere 3½ games.

Let's now focus strictly on the National League. As of now, only four NL teams have winning records (Marlins, Phillies, Rockies, Cardinals). The Mets have played three of these four teams (they don't play St. Louis until after the All-Star Break) and are a combined 4-9 against them. Against all other opponents, the Mets have a winning record (8-7). After 28 games, the Mets have played nearly half of their schedule against teams that have winning percentages above .650. What about those three .650+ teams? How have the Marlins, Phillies and Rockies racked up so many wins early on? A quick look at their early season schedules reveal quite a tale.

The Marlins have played 27 games, but only six of them have come against teams with winning records. The Phillies have also played 27 games, with only two of those games being played against above-.500 teams (they split those two games against the Marlins). Meanwhile, the Rockies have played three of their 26 games against a winning team, losing two of three to the Marlins.

That means the Mets have played more games against the "elite" teams in the National League (13) than the Marlins, Phillies and Rockies have played combined (11). Of course the Marlins, Phillies and Rockies have good records. They've feasted on the dregs of the National League!

In addition, neither one of those three teams has played more games on the road than at home. The Mets, on the other hand, have played 15 of their 28 games away from Citi Field.

Now the Mets come back home, where they won their last four ballgames before going 3-3 on their recent Washington/Philadelphia trip. They will be facing the Giants and the Dodgers, teams with a combined 28-30 record. Meanwhile, the Marlins will playing six of their next nine games against teams with winning records (Cardinals, Phillies), while the Phillies will be facing their first real test of the season, with series against the Marlins and three of the other five division leaders (Cardinals, Rangers, Rockies) over the next three weeks.

The Mets are in last place now, but they have the opportunity to make a statement this week at home against the Giants and Dodgers. Parity is the name of the game in the major leagues this season, and the teams that have risen above it have done so by taking advantage of their weak early season schedules. But all that is about to change in the next few weeks. Will the Mets be able to rise if the other teams fall? If they do, this week's homestand could give new hope for the team and its fans.

The $66 Million Catalyst

The Mets began the 2011 season by drawing comparisons to the original 1962 team. Their abysmal 5-13 record (which included a franchise-worst 1-8 start at home) had put them in last place in the NL East and had made even the most optimistic fans wonder if the Mets would be playing meaningful games in May, let alone September. Then last Tuesday, Jason Bay returned to the lineup for the first time since last July. Since then, the Mets have yet to lose a ballgame. Is it a coincidence or something else?

Last year, when Ike Davis was called up to the major leagues on April 19, the Mets were struggling. They had lost eight of their first 12 games and appeared to be falling out of contention before the season got underway in earnest. With Ike providing the Mets another solid bat in the lineup, the team took off, embarking on an eight-game winning streak in late April. Over his first two-plus months in the major leagues, the Mets went 39-24, propelling themselves into the wild card lead.

Of course, once the second half began, the Mets went on their season-changing road trip, where they lost nine of 11 games and the services of their left fielder after Jason Bay ran head first into the fence at Dodger Stadium.

When Jason Bay played his last game for the Mets last year, the Mets had a winning record (50-49). The Mets played the final 63 games of 2010 and the first 18 games of 2011 without Bay, which is the equivalent of half a season of missed games. In that time frame, the Mets' record was 34-47.

Of course, when Bay was healthy, he was performing far below what was expected from him. However, his absence from the lineup made it easier for opposing pitchers to pitch around other batters in the lineup, particularly David Wright. Prior to Bay's injury, Wright was hitting .298 with a .372 on-base percentage. Once Bay's name was removed from the lineup, Wright's batting average fell to .253 and he reached base at a .321 clip.

The same formula continued over the first 18 games of the 2011 season. With Bay on the disabled list, Wright began the season by hitting .229. His on-base percentage and slugging percentage were .304 and .386, respectively. Wright also struck out at an alarming rate, with 22 whiffs in 70 at-bats.

Then Jason Bay returned to the lineup on Tuesday. David Wright had another bat to protect him in the batting order and he hasn't stopped hitting ever since.

David Wright gives Jason Bay a hand, but in reality, it's been Bay's return that has given Wright a hand.

In the four games since Bay's return, Wright has hit .429 (6-for-14) and has reached base in 10 of his 18 plate appearances. He has also banged out more productive hits, driving in six runs over the four games. In addition, Wright has picked up four extra-base hits with Bay in the lineup, three of which cleared the outfield wall. His slugging percentage over the four games is an eye-popping .889, giving him a 1.445 OPS. That's a far cry from the .690 OPS Wright was producing out of the three-hole over the first three weeks of the season.

The most important stat that has come out of Bay's return is not Wright's re-emergence as a potent bat, but the number in the win column. The Mets have won all four games since Jason Bay came off the disabled list. Similar to Ike Davis' addition the lineup in 2010, Bay's return has brought a winning atmosphere to the team. His presence in the batting order has given opposing pitchers something else to contemplate (Bay's batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage since his return is an impressive .333/.412/.667.) and has awakened a number of sleeping bats in the lineup, most notably David Wright's.

The Mets may have paid Jason Bay $66 million over four years to provide a powerful bat to a lineup that lacked firepower in 2009, but what they may have gotten as a bonus was a catalyst. Even if Bay doesn't come close to reproducing his 2009 numbers in Boston (36 HR, 119 RBI), his return to the Mets gives his teammates a better chance to put up the numbers expected from them. Jose Reyes might be considered by some to be the spark plug of the team, but Jason Bay, whether he knows it or not, is the one who's lit the fire, and the Mets are a better team because of it.

Joey's Small Bites: Do You Believe In Miracles?

Last night, I took a one-day sabbatical from watching the Mets. In lieu of watching the team with the worst record in baseball, I did some light reading, ate some Chinese food and went to bed without knowing the outcome of the game. This morning, I woke up refreshed and ready for my day's activities, which began with a quick check of the morning paper.

As I was perusing through last night's boxscores, something caught my eye. At first, I thought it was a typo, but upon closer inspection, I realized that it was not. Faster than I could say "holy chicken nachos, Batman!", it hit me. The Mets had actually won last night's game.

Click on the photo to enlarge the boxscore so you can see that my eyes didn't deceive me.

It's not just that the Mets won. It's how they won. The 9-1 victory over the Houston Astros represented the Mets' largest margin of victory of the season. It also gave the Mets their second one-game winning streak of the week (the team rolled off another such streak when they defeated Atlanta last Sunday).

Many things happened in last night's game that hadn't been seen in quite some time. If you didn't see the game, here are some small bites of what you missed.

Jason Bay returned to play in his first major league game since introducing his noggin to the Dodger Stadium left field fence last July. In four at-bats, Bay hit a ground-rule double and scampered around the bases when Hunter Pence made a Metsian error in right field.

David Wright proved that every once in a while (and by a while, I mean every hundred or so at-bats), he actually can provide a clutch hit. With the Mets holding on to a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning, Wright's home run (which broke an 0-for-20 slump) ignited the offense. In the fifth inning, Wright's two-out double plated two more runs and knocked J.A. Happ out of the game.

David Wright is stunned that he could produce two extra-base hits in the same game at Citi Field.

Ike Davis proved once again that Citi Field isn't as cavernous as some third basemen think. Davis' 456-foot eighth inning blast was hit so far to center field that the home run apple had to duck for cover. It eventually dusted off its cobwebs and made its third appearance of the game (Mike Nickeas had started the home run parade in the third inning with his first major league homer) as Davis rounded the bases.

Chris Capuano pitched seven strong innings, allowing one run on six hits. He walked two batters and struck out four to notch his second victory of the season, which leads all Mets pitchers. Not bad for a pitcher who was supposed to be the No. 5 starter on the team.

Terry Collins was ejected from the game before the tens of dozens of Mets fans in attendance had purchased their first Shake Shack burger of the night. The fiery manager was thrown out of the game after home plate umpire Doug Eddings had ruled that Mike Nickeas had not caught a foul tip cleanly. The Mets responded to their skipper's ejection by tying their season-high with nine runs.

Terry Collins doesn't look like he's arguing here. Perhaps he got thrown out for wearing black instead of the traditional blue and orange. (Photo by Andrew Theodorakis/Daily News)

Tonight, the Mets will attempt to do something they haven't done since last October 1 and 2. If they can pull off a victory in tonight's series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks, it will mark the first time since those dates that the team has won back-to-back games at Citi Field.

For a team that used to believe in home field advantage, consecutive wins at home have been hard to come by. I'll be watching tonight, hoping to see the Mets stretch that winning streak to two. Miracles do happen, right?

Just In Time For Turner

Second baseman Brad Emaus has been designated for assignment by the Mets, less than a month after winning the job by default and because Argenis Reyes was no longer available. In his stead, the Mets have recalled Justin Turner from AAA-Buffalo.

Turner was hitting .300 (12-for-40) at Buffalo, with five of his hits going for extra bases (three doubles, two triples). In his minor league career, Turner has hit .309, never finishing a full season below .298. However, his prowess for hitting minor league pitching has yet to translate into major league success, as the 26-year-old second baseman has hit a mere .114 (3-for-35) in three separate short stints in the majors. (Turner was 1-for-8 in four games as a Met last year.)

It's obvious that the Mets need some offense from the second base position. The combined "talents" of Brad Emaus, Daniel Murphy and Chin-Lung Hu have managed to produce as many strikeouts as hits (11 hits in 60 at-bats with 11 Ks).

In addition, the second baseman of the future (Reese Havens) can't stay healthy in the present. Havens has still not played in a game this year, as he is recovering from off-season rib surgery. No timetable has been set for his return, but when he does come of the disabled list, he will most likely play for AA-Binghamton, which is the highest level he has reached in the minor leagues.

As shown below (thanks to the Mets' official Twitter page) Justin Turner will be in the starting lineup for the Mets tonight, batting eighth against Astros' pitcher Wandy Rodriguez.

For now, the right-handed hitting Turner will be in a platoon with the lefty-swinging Daniel Murphy. So far this season, Murphy has been the most productive hitter at second base, if you want to call a .226 batting average and a .294 on-base percentage productive. Murphy has also not shown an understanding of the "fundies" that Keith Hernandez lives by, as he was thrown out trying to steal third base with no outs (well, one out after his failed attempt at a theft) in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader against the Braves.

So now the Mets are giving Justin Turner a shot as Jose Reyes' double play partner. The Mets showed very little patience with Brad Emaus at second base. How much patience are they willing to show for the new kid on the bag? And if he fails to impress Terry Collins, will Daniel Murphy be given the everyday job at the position?

Ike Davis was called up last April 19 and gave the Mets a much-needed spark after a 4-8 start to the season. Can Justin Turner do the same this April 19? One thing's for sure. If he doesn't, someone else will be given the opportunity. It's the way these Mets roll.

If At Second You Don't Succeed...

Second base was a question mark for the Mets going into the 2011 season. After deciding to cut ties with the incumbent Luis Castillo during spring training, the team decided to go with Rule 5 pick Brad Emaus as their starting second baseman, with Daniel Murphy and Chin-Lung Hu serving as his backups.

So how has the second base experiment gone so far? Let's look at the game-by-game performances for Emaus, Murphy and Hu over the first 16 games of the season. (Note: Stats are for players while they were playing second base. Pinch-hitting appearances are not included in individual game stats.)

• April 1 @Fla: Brad Emaus (0-for-2, BB)
• April 2 @Fla: Brad Emaus (1-for-4, K), Chin-Lung Hu (0-for-1, K)
• April 3 @Fla: Daniel Murphy (1-for-3, R, RBI, BB), Chi-Lung Hu (0-for-2, R)
• April 5 @Phi: Brad Emaus (1-for-4, RBI), Chin-Lung Hu (1-for-1)
• April 6 @Phi: Brad Emaus (2-for-3, BB)
• April 7 @Phi: Brad Emaus (0-for-4, K)
• April 8 vs. Was: Brad Emaus (0-for-3, BB, K)
• April 9 vs. Was: Chin-Lung Hu (0-for-2, 2K), Brad Emaus (0-for-o, R)
• April 10 vs. Was: Brad Emaus (0-for-3, 2K), Daniel Murphy (o-for-1)
• April 11 vs. Col: Daniel Murphy (1-for-5, R, K)
• April 13 vs. Col: Daniel Murphy (1-for-4, R, RBI, BB)
• April 14 vs. Col: Daniel Murphy (1-for-4, BB)
• April 14 vs. Col: Brad Emaus (1-for-4, R)
• April 16 @Atl: Brad Emaus (0-for-4, K)
• April 16 @Atl: Daniel Murphy (1-for-3)
• April 17 @Atl: Brad Emaus (0-for-3, BB, K)

Over the first 16 games, the three men who have played second base for the Mets are hitting a combined .183 (11-for-60) with five runs scored, three runs batted in, seven walks and eleven strikeouts. It almost makes you wonder if Sandy Alderson still has Luis Castillo's number on speed dial.

After today's 3-2 victory against the Braves, the Mets have now played approximately 10% of their schedule. If they plan on having winning streaks that are longer than one game, they're going to need their second basemen to stop playing at 10% of their capabilities and contribute positively to the team's success.

Even former Mets' second baseman Kaz Matsui, who knows a thing or two about being booed in New York, could do better than the team's current second sackers.

Somewhere out there, Matsui is looking at this team and laughing. If the trio of Emaus, Murphy and Hu can't break free of their early season doldrums, Kaz won't be the only one laughing. The rest of the National League will be joining him.

A Look Back At Other Poor Starts In Mets History

The Mets have started the 2011 season on a low note, to say the least. After suffering their seventh consecutive defeat last night (their 10th loss in 11 games), the Mets dropped to 4-11 on the year. The last place Metropolitans now stand six games behind the first place Phillies and three games behind fourth place Washington.

For only the fifth time in franchise history, the Mets have failed to win at least five of their first 15 games. It is the first time the Mets have accomplished this feat in 30 years (see list below).

• 1962: 3-12
• 1964: 3-12
• 1974: 4-11
• 1981: 4-11

The 1962 Mets were the first team to start off poorly. That pattern continued throughout the season, as the team finished with a major league record 120 losses. They finished 60 games behind the first place San Francisco Giants in the National League. (The league was not split up into divisions until 1969.)

In 1964, the Mets replicated their start from their inaugural season, losing 12 of their first 15 games. This time, the Mets were able to turn it around and finish with the best record in franchise history up to that point. Of course, when a 53-109 record represents your best season, that's not saying much.

The 1974 Mets were coming off their second National League pennant. After overachieving for the final five weeks of the 1973 regular season and the postseason, the Mets took underachieving to a new level in 1974. Despite boasting a pitching staff of Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Jon Matlack, the offense hit the snooze button all year, finishing last or next-to-last in the league in batting average, runs scored, doubles, triples and stolen bases. They parlayed that poor start into a 71-91 season, their first losing season since 1968.

The 1981 season was cut short by the players' strike, but the season didn't stop soon enough for the Mets. A year after the Mets proclaimed that the magic was back, the same old Mets popped out of the magician's hat in 1981. The Mets finished 41-62 in the strike-shortened 1981 season, their fifth consecutive season with a losing record.

No Met team since 1981 had started out with a record of 4-11 or worse until this year's edition. All four of the previous teams to start off so poorly finished at least 20 games under .500 and in last place or next-to-last place.

The 2011 Mets are now the fifth team in franchise history to win no more than four of their first 15 games. If they don't turn it around quickly, it looks as if the team that was supposed to pay homage to the 1986 Mets will end up honoring their 1962, 1964, 1974 and 1981 counterparts instead.