by Jonathan Webb

Created on: August 03, 2008

What an easy question to answer! Pitching, pitching, and more pitching! The end of the 2007 season and so far during this season we have seen the bullpen be totally unreliable and worthless. Game after game has been lost due to 7th, 8th, and 9th inning disasters and it is beyond the point of no return. Someone in this organization needs to wake up and see what is going on and fix it! The runs are there, some of the starters are there and others are starting to become stars, but we cannot hold leads at all.

If this team and its management does not address the middle relief and closer issues there is no chance for the Mets to go far into the playoffs, if they make the playoffs at all! There is no excuse for a team to blow a three, sometimes four or five run lead in the last few innings of a baseball game. I understand this will happen from time to time during the long baseball season, but the Mets have a serious problem with their middle relief. How frustrating it must be for the starters to leave a game with a three run lead to end up with a no decision. It is a wonder any starter wants to come and pitch for this team. Several of our starters could have five to six more wins this year if we had a bullpen to rely upon.

Offense is not a problem and we have the talent to be in the hunt for years to come on that front. Mike Pelfrey has shown he will be a stud very soon and Santana is Santana, lights out every time he steps on the mound. However, both of these guys records are not that great due to the leads the bullpen has blown throughout the season. We must give our offense the opportunity to win baseball games and not hand the ball to a bullpen that may or may not be able to deliver the goods in the later innings.

After we address the bullpen issues we can turn to other things, but that is the urgent need facing this team. I blame some of it on them being overworked by a manager who seems hesitant to allow a starter with a great game going continue. Santana just pitched the Mets first complete game since 2006! Are you serious? He was pulled earlier in the year after the 8th inning without reaching a 100 pitch count. And, you guessed it, the bullpen blew the lead and he got a no decision. What is wrong with that picture? Let's get ready for 2009 by spending time, money, and trades on the middle relief and bullpen and this team will be ready to rock and roll. Until then we will be watching other teams play in October.

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