Tag Archive for Ramon Martinez

Luis, Luis

As dubbed by commenter Gordon in the below post the Mets could run out the “Luis Luis” keystone combination with the recall of infielder Luis Hernandez from the minor leagues. Hernandez, whom I’m already confusing with that Ramon Martinez guy we played at second base near the end of the ’08 season, will wear No. 3 and presumably stick around only until Jose Reyes feels better. Jesus Feliciano was again returned to Buffalo to make room.

The Mets before the game introduced Matt Harvey, their top selection from the draft this June, and presented him with a No. 35 jersey. I’m heading off on vacation and might be tardy with updates over the next week: Expect the usual suspects to be recalled (Feliciano, Nick Evans, maybe even Sean Green) and hopefully a few new faces (Lucas Duda, who couldn’t possibly be a worse candidate to get outfield starts than Jeff Francoeur) but those may not come immediately as Buffalo fights for a playoff spot.

As always you can stay in touch here. Mets by the way keep extending that contiguous-points-at-.500 streak: At 64-64 they are now at 12 straight. They are very average.

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And Away We Go

When a friend asked today how I thought the Mets might do over the next 20 games — a so-called brutal stretch in the schedule during which we see the Rays, Cardinals, MFYankees, Brewers, Phillies and Dodgers, with a make-up game from the Pirates thrown in there — I flippantly suggested 19-1. The Pirates are still on the schedule, after all.

Forgetting Mike PiazzaYes, that’s probably going to go down as a wildly optimistic stab at the road ahead but I think I have a pretty good shot at nailing an underlying trend here: That is, we’re due. I’m thinking here that the horrifying events of the last week or so steel these guys, and they start to put together the kind of run I’d like to think they have in them.Church and Murphy and even Schnieder are starting to hit. We’re beginning at last to have what passes for a “regular” lineup while Reyesand Delgado sit.

Last year, at around this time, Jerry’s Kids started making their own move and, if you’ll again pardon the enthusiasm, I’d like to believe the dumb decisions and passive approaches of April and May manifest thesmelves as experience and self-awareness that will guide them through June, July and August.

I could be wrong through. But is 12-8 too much to ask? All teams will have a stretch of 12 out of 20 at some point, and I’m thinking this could be ours.

Thanks for the folks below confirming that Nick Evans indeed was in uniform No. 6 tonight and shown chatting with Ramon Martinez, who’s on the disabled list but may return in time to find his fourth uni number waiting for him (I’d already forgotten he spent an evening in No. 26 earlier this year, in addition to 6 this year, and 22 last year).

Thanks also to the friends new and old who showed up Thursday at Two Boots Tavern’s “Metstock” event. A good crowd heard a reading of a brillant chapter of Stanley Cohen’s A Magic Summer; several adventures in Faith and Fear; and a dorky guy talk about the unassailable Jeff McKnight. It was all fun till the 9th.

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Nicky Six

6Just a brief message to note Nick Evans is back with the Mets after Fernando Martinez was sent to AAA after a short, semi-successful tryout. You’ll remember Evans wore No. 6 in his runs with the Mets last season but after nearly making the club out of spring training (only Gary Sheffield’s late arrival cost him) Evans suffered a brutal start at AAA Buffalo and was sent to see psychologists and Binghamton instead and in the in-between Ramon Martinez got a brief infield gig wearing No. 6.

We’ll let you know what he shows up in — I would guess 6 just for its ubiquitousness but then things could get interesting (for me at least) if and when Marttinez reappears, since he’s already been in tweo numbers.

(Thanks to Gene for the awesome headline)

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For You and Me, for Liberty

26So the Mets today went ahead and called up Fernando Martinez from Buffalo and started the 20-year-old in right field against the Nationals. He was issued No. 26 — a number Met fans of my generation will probably always associate with Dave Kingman. Some commenters have already speculated that won’t be a long-term placement, given Ramon Martinez had a one-game appearance in 26 only a week ago, and I suppose I wouldn’t be surprised at some point for a change. I get a single-digit or teens feel from him. But we’ll see.

He was recalled to take the place of Ryan Church, now an unhappy resident of the disabled list. He’s joined there by Jose Reyes whose absense — along with Ramon Martinez‘s shaky credentials as a capable backup — prommpted the Mets to make a deal with the Indians for their AAA shortstop, Wilson Valdez, once they agreed on the number of balls that make up a bag. Valdez was issued No. 4.

The Mets went and won handily, getting an RBI groundout from Fartinez, a three-run homer fromGary Sheffield, doubles from Ramon Martinez and Omir Santos, and a complete-game from Livan Hernandez. None of these men were in even the wildest imaginations of Met fans as recently as March.

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Around the Horn

Keith Olbermann appears to have received our information on near-Met Wilbur Huckle. In his latest post, Keith quotes the article we posted and reveals that the roster obtained by his photographer friend includes Huckle’s name written in pencil and identified as wearing No. 24 — a jersey that would have been available in September of 1963. He also follows up with details of the New Breed’s push for Huckle’s presidential candidacy in 1964. A shout-out for MBTN and Jason? Nope.

Reader Edward in the meantime reminds us that Darryl Strawberry and a pitcher — he cannot recall who — were similarly invited to spend time with the 1982 Mets at season’s end.

* * * * * *

Keith’s blog has been added to the “Good at Baseball” links to the left. To the Mets links, I’ve added those of beat writers Adam Rubin of the Daily News and David Lennon of Newsday — two guys who work incredibly hard so that other bloggers have links to aggregate every day. The print press is getting killed and the Internet is a great thing but to me there’s nothing like getting my hands all inky with the Snooze every morning. At 50 cents a day it’s an ideal commute killer and a bargain too. Read the papers.

* * * * * *

Helmet... from hellThe Mets appear to have shut down their online survey on their uniforms — hopefully not before you, like me, submitted a few dozen responses. Don’t think I’ve come across anyone who’s a big fan of the black anymore but I sense the hatred among the prototypes in the survey was strongest for the vest which, I’m just gonna say, I don’t think is so bad provided you’re resigned to the inevitability of an alternate, which I am.

But you know what I really hate and they didn’t even ask about? Those two-tone helmets. My, they’re awful.

Anyway, I’d give a week’s pay to be the guy to summarize the survey findings for Jeff.

 

* * * * * *

We weren’t even finished with the press events around the Mets by the Numbers book last spring when my co-writer Matt Silverman was at work on two new projects. One was Cubs by the Numbers (I know, right?) done with the same editor at Skyhorse and with Kasey Ignarskiwho’d been tracking Cubs numbers for at least as long as I’d been doing Mets numbers here (also Al Yellon, at the Bleed Cubbie Blue blog). If you happen to have a friend who’s a Cubs fan, consider buying them this as a gift.

The other project was a daring diary style book with none other than Keith Hernandez which Matthew was doing via phone interviews and transcribed notes all summer long, never knowing how the narrative would turn out. It became Shea Goodbye, recently published by Triumph.

 * * * * * *

I’ve added Ramon Martinez to the list of Mets who’ve worn three numbers as published on theJeff McKnight page. Now can we get rid of the guy already?

 

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Almost as Strange as Batting Him 6th, but Not Quite

I didn’t notice this until his last turn at bat, but Ramon Martinez yesterday was wearing No. 6, and not the No. 26 he wore in his hasty ’09 debut on Monday.

6I remember thinking that the 26 jersey looked baggy on him, so that may be one reason, but interesting all the same since it’s yet another issuance of No. 6 — the most frequently dealt in Mets history now with 38 different players. I’m convinced No. 6 is one of those jerseys they carry around on the road for just this situation.

I immediately went to write this up on the site when I saw it — noting then that a few visitors had already pointed it out — when Martinez hit into a double play that ruined my mood and made me want to murder Jerry Manuel for having not pulled one of those sudden late-inning pinch-hit calls he’s becoming famous for screwing up.

Really, Jerry. And batting him sixth?

Anyhow, that now makes three numbers already for Martinez (2226 and 6). I can’t remember off-hand which was the last Met to switch numbers in his second game (and the database is a few jigowatts short of querying for that fact) but it’s happened before several times. Tom Hall in1975 in debuted in 42 and had 19 the next night.

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I’ll Be Sittin’ When the Evenin’ Comes

Watching the Met debut of Tim Redding, who tonight will become the 860th Met of all-time.

Redding will be suited up in No. 44 — which belonged to four different guys last year, none of whom I could have told you had I not just looked it up myself, I don’t think. If you’re interested in making a guess in the comments section, go ahead, I won’t say who they are.

Redding’s accompanying lineup is a little goofy — a continuation of the stuff we saw last night where Fernando Tatis played short and Jerry Manuel, once again, made a baffling pinch-hitting call that blew up his face with the game on the line. Yet, Angel Pagan starts tonight in left while Daniel Murphy and Ryan “Doghouse” Church once again sit.

The shortstop is Ramon Martinez, called up because of a thumb injury to Alex Cora who is going onto the DL today too and Jose Reyes is still unavailable (Mackey Shillstone?). You might remember Martinez as the only Met who could buy a hit in the last week of the season last yea. He was wearing No. 22 then but with that jersey since reassigned to JJ Putz, we’ll have to wait and see what he turns up in. (Updated: He’s wearing No. 26)

Seems like only a moment ago I was praising the flexibility of this roster but this is about as stretched out as I’d like to go right now. Carlos Delgado, you may have heard, is on his way to the operating room and I can’t imagine he reappears until August or so.

Redding’s recall, by the way, meant another demotion for Nelson Figueroa — who came and went without an appearance — and a continuing tour for Ken Takahashi.

Right you are, Ken.

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Nine Men In (updated)

Thanks to Gene for the title and inspiration: The Mets on Monday are expected to activate nine and/or returning new players as rosters expand. Below are my predictions for their unis. Be like Gene, hurry and make yours before gametime Monday!

Player ActualPredictedNumber Notes
Jon Niese, LHP 62 47 49
I love this call Shades of Humber
Bobby Parnell, RHP 39 His number throughout the minors. Guessed right!
Ricardo Rincon, LHP 73 That’s his number… and still is
Al Reyes, RHP 44 29 36 Got some personality
Carlos Muniz, RHP 32 His number previously
Gustavo Molina, C 30 12 29
Glavine and now Willie. We really are moving on Oh well
Ramon Martinez, INF 16 22
I barely knew we had this guy
Argenis Reyes, INF 4 Right where we left off
Marlon Anderson, UT 18 9 My mistake!

 

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