Not only that, but the team was remade. Benitez 2.0 is gone, as is the incomparable Victori Gonzalez, who pitched well today, but was DFAed nonetheless. New Mets include Alay Soler, Heath Bell and... El Duque. Alaskan native Dave Williams joins the minor league corps, and failed retreads Limatime and Victori have the chance to rejoin AAA Norfolk.
Part of me feels bad about using that foolish nickname, but fully aware that it will echo from the rafters at Shea in one context or another for the rest of this season. The balky-backed "36 year-old" along with Soler now make up the back of the rotation, which also happens to have a new ethnic flavor. This flavor is that of cigars. Although these two will probably be an upgrade over Gonzo and Lima Bean, the bullpen is in further shambles with Heilman and Sanchez looking less lights-out by the day and Pedro Feliciano putting the Mets behind in two of three this series. It's also worth mentioning that strikeout wizard Julio is gone and Steve Trachsel has been an utter joke as a starter.
So why have the Mets been remade? Call it an effort to stave off stagnation. After a disappointing 3-6 road trip, Minaya viewed his team and took a chance at rebuilding the roster. This series saw deviation from the standard lineup, with XMan sitting out with a bad back and kazmat seeing less playing time.
Bad signs in this series:
-Aaron Heilman: 2 IP, 2 ER, 2 BB
-Pedro Feliciano: (1-1. 1 BS) 2.1 IP, 3 ER
-Carlos Delgado: 1 for 11.
-David Wright: 5 SO
-Carlos Beltran 7 SO
Good signs:
-Reyes hitting (count 'em) 2 HR, 1 3B and driving in 5 runs
-Cliff Floyd: 5 for 11, 1 HR, 2 2B
-David Wright: 5 for 15, 2 HR
-Carlos Beltran: 5 for 16, 2 HR
-Billy Wagner: 2 IP, 2 K, 1 SV, 0 ER
All in all, it's pretty much a wash. Time for the Florida Marlins. And everyone knows that means Pedro, Glavine and El Duque.
See you tomorrow with a series preview.
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