The New York Times' Jay Schreiber on Jerry Manuel's bullpen maneuverings …
Like Randolph, who yanked the 2006 starters before they had a chance to get themselves out of trouble, Manuel is yanking relievers as soon as one batter, or maybe two, reach base. Next! Manuel all but cries as he goes to the mound to try someone else from the bullpen. He is seeking to overwhelm quality with quantity, which seems pretty hard to do, but then again what other choice does he have?
There is no closer of any merit for the Mets; not even a reliable setup man. Of the three bullpen holdovers from that 2006 playoff group, Wagner is out for the season after elbow surgery, Heilman has crumbled (he is 3-8, with a 5.38 earned run average) and Feliciano has gone backward (from a 7-2 record and 2.09 E.R.A. in 2006 to a 2-4, 4.03 mark in 2008). Indeed, with the possible exception of Smith, the side-arming right-hander who has again shown some promise in just his second major league season, there is not one member of the bullpen who would be missed if he wasn't with the team next season.
Heilman's not irredeemable. After a rough patch in early August, he's had a tough time throwing strikes. But he's been charged with runs in only three of his last 15 appearances. Heilman has a 3.55 career ERA as a reliever, and unless he's hurt there's no reason to think he won't pitch in the future like a guy with a 3.55 ERA.
Feliciano's ERA is somewhat deceptive. His 2006 numbers were the result of an uncharacteristically low walk rate. Otherwise he's been remarkably consistent over these last three seasons; like Heilman, he's perfectly useful.
Same for Joe Smith, except he's not much use against left-handed hitters (which is why Manuel often employs him as a ROOGY).
The Mets also have right-handers
Brian Stokes,
Duaner Sanchez, and
Luis Ayala, none of whom stink. As always,
Scott Schoeneweis remains a solid
LOOGY. So that's seven guys.
Some teams have two or three of
those guys, the ones who make fans of opposing teams turn off the radio after the seventh or eighth inning. The Mets don't have even one. What they do have is seven competent major league relief pitchers, and most nights that's going to be enough. Yes, they're going to blow some late leads. Probably one or two down the stretch, and then a few more in October (if they're still playing). But the Mets are second in the National League in runs and sixth in runs allowed. Those numbers matter, and they don't just disappear when the leaves start changing colors.
Rob Neyer
