Victor Zambrano had Tommy John surgery yesterday. It was the second time in his career that he has had the operation. It was unexpected but the surgeon discovered the injury was worse then expected.   more »

Hey look, I feel sorry for the guy. I never want to see anyone get hurt, especially a player on the team I spend far too much time rooting for when I should be doing things around my house.    more »

I am as frustrated as any Mets fan with Victor Zambrano. But I think it is completely unfair to chastise Kaz Matsui over yesterday’s loss to the Padres as was suggested on WFAN after the game. Yes he swung at a fastball that was high and most likely would have been ball four. The tying run would have scored then Paul Lo Duca would have hit a grand slam and the Mets would go on to win the Worlds Series…I guess.

 

It is unfair to lay blame on Matsui in that situation. The Mets had a very successful sixth inning. They scored four runs to make it a one run game. Ten batters came up to bat that inning. Anytime a team bats around and they score three or more runs, they’ve had a good inning. Don’t forget, the Mets had three more turns at the plate to get something done, but it never happened. How about earlier in the game with runners on second and third with one out? If you recall, David Wright struck out. Why isn’t he the villain?

 

The Mets lost this game because once again, Victor Zambrano has no clue what he’s doing on the mound. I have said it before in this blog, and I’ll keep saying it, the guy seems to have ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). He does not seem to be able to focus on the mound. Yes he has good stuff but a: he can’t pitch and b: he can’t pitch for the Mets. The reason he had a winning record in Tampa Bay was because he was playing in Tampa Bay. There is a lot less pressure playing for a small market team especially one in Florida where the majority of residence are retired. This guy will never be able to cut it in New York. I admire Willie for sticking up for his players. I wouldn’t want it any other way. He is a player’s manager who commands a lot of respect from his team. But behind close doors, they have got to realize that with Kris Benson gone and Zambrano faltering start after start, they need to come up with a plan. I don’t know what that plan is but one could involve putting Aaron Heilman back in the rotation if Julio continues to show improvement as he has over the weekend. Will see but I do know this, we are looking at another series with the Braves next weekend where the Mets drop two out of three. The rotation for that series will be Pedro, Zambrano, and Glavine. As great as Pedro and Glavine have been, one of them is bound to falter, especially in that house of horrors. They can’t win every time out. And you can be sure with that kind of pressure playing in Atlanta, Zambrano will cough it up once again.

 

It’s time to put the Scott Kasmir trade in the rear view mirror. Let’s all get over it. That was one of the worst trades in Mets history but it’s over now and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Apparently Rick Peterson could not fix Victor in ten minutes. I don’t think he could fix him in ten years. Let’s hope there is a plan or Pelfrey comes quicker then expected or this could be another disappointing season. 

Even if Victor Zambrano gave up only two runs the Mets probably still would have lost tonight. Kyle Davies pitched brilliantly for the Braves throwing his first complete game. He only gave up three hits including Chris Woodward’s first homerun of the season. But you have to wonder how much did Zambrano take the Mets out of this game. Quite frankly Victor was awful—once again. With Chipper Jones out of the line up, you have to pitch around Andrew Jones, the only true threat in the Atlanta line up. But that would require a pitcher who knows how to pitch and that is not Victor Zambrano. Look, I know we are a long way from breaking out the razor blades but this guy is just intolerable. He has great stuff but he simply doesn’t know how to use it. This is where trading Kris Benson is really going to haunt the Mets. We certainly could have lived without Jorge Julio all though ironically he was one of the only bright spots of the game for the Mets. But with Benson gone the option of sending Zambrano to the pen is really not feasible. Who would replace him in the rotation? Pelfrey is not ready and as much as the temptation might exist to put Heilman back in the rotation, that would leave a huge hole in the bullpen. There are two trades that could thwart the Mets drive for the playoffs this year. One occurred two years ago when Scott Kasmir was sent away for Zambrano and the other is the Julio trade. Benson was a serviceable starter, not great but certainly more reliable than Zambrano. You just never know what you are going to get when Zambrano starts.

 

I had the greatest seats at Shea Stadium I have ever had last year. It was one of those once in a lifetime opportunities when a friend called the last minute. He was given two box seat tickets eight rows behind the Mets on-deck circle. The only drawback was Zambrano started the game. It was August 2^nd against the Brewers. In the course of the first two innings, Zambrano gave up four home runs, one in the first and three in the second. Each one was a moon shot. Sitting so close I could see the look on his face. I’m telling you the guy looked clueless out there. He was removed after one and a third inning to a chorus of boos as you could imagine. The good news for me was that it turned out to be a great game with the Mets coming back to win 9 to 8 in 10 innings on a Mike Piazza pinch hit walk off walk with the bases loaded. 

 

I hope Glavine is on his game tomorrow. As well as the Mets have started it would be a shame if they lose the first series of this season against the Braves. But it’s still very early and contrary to Mike and the Mad Dog, it certainly isn’t the end of the world. It will be interesting to see how the Mets bounce back after their offense was so shut down in this game. A baseball season is full of ups and downs. For a good team, the down periods are shorter than the up ones. Let’s hope the Mets continue to be a good team.