Mets baseball blog

Nothing 'Great' for Jose

The Great American Ballpark has a reputation as a hitter's paradise. Just don't try telling that to Jose Reyes. The Met shortstop has never had success in this ballpark, and the last two days have been no different. He's 0-for-9 in this series against the Reds and has not even reached base yet.

Reyes' career average here is now .150 in 13 games. He has one home run, three RBIs, and has five strikeouts to just one walk. "I don't hit good here," Reyes said. "I don't know why." Reyes led off three innings last night and hit fly ball outs each time. He also grounded out to end the eighth. Continue

Skidding Mets a real fight club

Jose Reyes and Keith Hernandez had to be separated on the Mets ' charter plane Sunday night after a tense confrontation over Hernandez's critical comments about the All-Star shortstop.

A team source described the situation aboard the plane as "very heated." One player told The Post that he thought Reyes and the popular former Met - now an analyst for the club's SNY TV network - were close to exchanging punches until others stepped in. Reyes said yesterday he was angry at Hernandez after numerous friends and relatives told him Hernandez accused the Mets of "babying" Reyes during the broadcast of Sunday's 3-1 win over the Yankees New York Yankees at Shea Stadium. Continue

Reyes tosses glove after wild throw

Millions of Little Leaguers knew just how Jose Reyes felt yesterday. Reyes knew just how they felt, too. But some would suggest he should be held to a higher standard.After being charged with an error on a wide throw that first baseman Carlos Delgado could have gloved but didn't, Reyes fired his glove to the ground - his sunglasses fell off, too - and then walked off the field instead of hustling to the dugout once the inning was over.

He drew heavy criticism from Mets broadcasters on both the TV and radio sides. Some observers thought he might have been showing up Delgado, who came off the bag but had the high but catchable throw ricochet off his glove and into the Mets' dugout, allowing Melky Cabrera to reach second. Or was Reyes reacting to being charged with an error when he thought Delgado deserved it? Continue

No doubt, Red-hot Reyes still has 'it'

OH. That's right. He also can look like this. We forget sometimes, because there are times when Jose Reyes can be the most frustrating player in baseball. He can make impossible errors at shortstop. He can fill his scorecard with one P-4 after another. Sometimes when he runs the bases like Amy Winehouse on a bender he actually makes Mets fans want to light themselves on fire.

And man, oh man, was there ever last September.So these past few weeks, while the Mets were turning themselves into daily fodder for local baseball psychologists, SNY's answer to "In Treatment," the subject who's spent the most time on the couch was Reyes, who got picked off a couple of times in Denver, whose faulty mitt let the floodgates free against the Marlins on the Day of Willie's Reprieve, who even manages to anger fans when he hits "too many" home runs (which means some locals would have been really, really ticked at Babe Ruth back in the day). Continue

Reyes powers up

Jose Reyes isn't pronouncing himself cured, but two games at Yankee Stadium did plenty to restore his confidence. The Mets shortstop delivered one final dagger last night, slamming a three-run homer against Ross Ohlendorf in the eighth inning that completed his team's 11-2 demolition of the Yankees. Reyes finished the two-game series 4-for-10 with two homers, maybe the best sign of the weekend for the previously struggling Mets' offense. Continue

Reyes can't shake slump

A miserable September looks like it carried over to April for Jose Reyes . The All-Star shortstop, whose .205 average the final month of 2007 contributed to the Mets New York Mets ' epic collapse, is fighting another slump after the first month of this season. Only this time, Reyes' glove is a source of worry, too.

Reyes committed a costly mental blunder in Wednesday's 13-1 loss to the Pirates when he wasn't in position at second on a rundown. That didn't go down as an official error, but he certainly isn't running short of those this year. Continue

Reyes OK after second-base collision

Jose Reyes never saw Eric Bruntlett's knee, but the Mets' All-Star shortstop certainly saw stars afterward. Reyes had walked in the third inning against the Phillies last night and was in the process of stealing his second base of the season when he slid head-first into Bruntlett's knee.

The oh-so-classy Philadelphia crowd cheered as Reyes writhed on the ground, his eyes crossed as he clutched his head in pain. The fans then booed as Reyes took a few minutes to walk off the collision and convince Willie Randolph to let him stay in the game. Continue

'Sore' Reyes sits for Mets, but not for too long

Jose Reyes walked into the Mets' clubhouse yesterday morning carrying his own MRI in an oversized yellow envelope. That's never a good sign. Once the image was read, the Mets announced that their star shortstop had a mild strain of the left hamstring. Reyes didn't really need an MRI to tell him that.

Reyes knows hamstring injuries. So does his manager, Willie Randolph, for that matter. Both have had debilitating hamstring injuries in their careers. This doesn't look like one of them. Continue

Reyes slide could leave skid behind

Jose Reyes knows every thing can change in a flash. He insisted last night before the game that his confidence was not shaken despite his terrible start after a terrible finish in 2007.

He then went out and proved it, driving a 12th-inning, two-out double to center off Tom Gordon and coming around to score on Angel Pagan's single up the middle to give the Mets a thrilling, 4-3 victory over the Phillies at Shea Stadium. Reyes slid into home as Jason Werth fired the ball home to catcher Chris Coste. Reyes snuck in his left hand to touch the plate. Continue

Mets want 'small ball' from Jose Reyes

Jose Reyes swore he was just trying to hit a line drive up the middle, or even to the opposite field, as instructed. Yet with a flick of his wrists he hit a screaming shot that crashed high off the 20-foot fence in center field, 408 feet from the plate.

The ball was hit so hard, in fact, off Joe Smith in an intrasquad game yesterday, that catcher Robinson Cancel, who was on first base, was nearly thrown out at the plate, while Reyes cruised into third with a triple.Afterward, Reyes was practically apologizing for the shot, knowing the Mets are trying to resurrect his game after last season's killer slump by urging him to think small and slow his body down, at least in the batter's box. Continue

Mets' Omar Minaya says he won't give up Jose Reyes in deal for No. 1 starter

Omar Minaya acknowledged he would love to add a top-notch starter via trade. But, the Mets GM insisted Thursday, he's not desperate to acquire one. Minaya also suggested the Mets aren't in dire straits since they have 15-game winners John Maine and Oliver Perez, who aren't getting enough respect.

"I think it's fair to say that there have been some guys that have been mentioned out there for trades that are upgrades - front-of-the-rotation guys - and we're going to look into those guys," Minaya said. "We're going to do the best we can to see if there's a fit. But, when it's all said and done, you can't force it. If it's going to be a trade, you have to have two willing partners. ... I'd like to go into something being optimistic, but not feeling I have to do something. When you get yourself in trouble is when you feel you have to do something." Continue

Slumping Reyes inspired by triple

One hit does not signal the conclusion of a slump, but the Mets certainly welcomed the sight of Jose Reyes streaking around the bases leading off the sixth inning last night.

Reyes' triple to left-center against Astros reliever Dave Borkowski was a sign of life from the shortstop following a road trip he'd like to pretend never happened. "I haven't hit a ball the opposite way like that for a long time," Reyes said, referring to his triple, after the Mets' 11-3 victory. "That's a good sign that I'm coming around." Continue

Reyes sets record as Mets' new man of steal

Move over, Roger Cedeno. Jose Reyes is now the Mets' single-season steal leader. Reyes swiped three bases yesterday, giving him 67. Cedeno had 66 in 1999. "Hopefully one day he'll get up there where Rickey (Henderson) is," Willie Randolph said. "One hundred stolen bases is an unbelievable challenge." Henderson broke 100 three times, with a career-high 130 for the '82 A's.

Said Reyes: "Nothing is impossible, but it's not going to be easy. I guess try to get on base a lot, and if I get on base a lot I'm going to get a lot of stolen bases." A five-steal game gave the Mets 159 this season, matching the franchise record set in '87. Continue

It’s hit or miss lately for Reyes

Jose Reyes lately hasn’t had a gray area. He’s either creating a commotion, in the middle of most Mets rallies, or nowhere to be found in the line score. Yesterday was one of those days you couldn’t miss Reyes. He doubled in his first two at-bats, scoring each time, as part of the Mets’ 5-0 victory over the Nationals that concluded in the fifth inning because of rain. Reyes finished 2-for-3, giving him five multiple-hit games since the previous Sunday at Los Angeles. In Reyes’ other three games over that stretch he went a combined 0-for-13, with the Mets losing twice. Continue

Stars align to praise Reyes

Jose Reyes attended last year's All-Star festivities in Pittsburgh with seven stitches in his sliced left pinkie. So the Mets shortstop had to watch from the dugout as Edgar Renteria started at his position.

Now, Reyes is ready to join David Wright and Carlos Beltran in the NL's starting lineup for tonight's showcase. He's also primed to take another step in introducing himself to the nation as one of baseball's most exciting players. Reyes will lead off for the NL, hitting ahead of none other than Barry Bonds, whom Tony La Russa has placed in the two-hole. Continue

For Reyes, a Star is born again

Jose Reyes received seven stitches in the pinkie on his glove hand a week before last year's All-Star Game, after he slid headfirst into first base and got spiked by Mike Jacobs. The injury cost Reyes a chance to start alongside David Wright in their first-ever All-Star Game.

This time, Reyes and Wright finally should be starting together in San Francisco on July 10, along with Carlos Beltran. The full All-Star team will be announced at 4 p.m. today. Mets officials hope to get as many as five representatives on the NL squad, with John Maine and Billy Wagner the other logical contenders. "I was kind of mad," Reyes said about being an observer last year in Pittsburgh as Edgar Renteria started at shortstop in his place. "But I wanted to be there, because it was my first All-Star Game. Now I know I'm going to be in the starting lineup, so it's something special." Continue

Reyes miffed by call

Jose Reyes was livid after a wrong call on a stolen base attempt yesterday, exacting his anger on the cooler in the Mets dugout and declining to take grounders at shortstop before the next half-inning. Reyes tried to steal in the top of the seventh inning in the Mets' 6-5 victory over the Phillies in the first game of the day-night doubleheader, but although he clearly was safe at second, he was called out. "I think I get there easy. It wasn't even close," Reyes said. "But he say out, I have to respect that call." Continue

Turn 2, or Reyes is gonna walk

It's a statistic equal parts stunning and believable. Your eyebrows leap upon first hearing it, but then you break it down, and yeah, based on your personal recollection and projection, it checks out. Jose Reyes leads the Mets with nine intentional walks. Entering last night's late action, that tied him for fifth best in the National League, putting him alongside names that are anything but leadoff hitters.

Consider it further confirmation of Reyes' status as an elite player. More relevant to the Mets' season, regard it as more evidence that the Mets' lineup isn't as deep as advertised - yet another concern despite the Mets' exciting 2-1, 11-inning victory over the Cardinals last night at Shea Stadium, capped by Shawn Green's mammoth walk-off homer. Continue

Jo-se! Jose, Jose, Jose

It was about 45 minutes after the Mets had completed their 10-2 laugher over the A's when Jose Reyes finally sauntered over to his locker for a little postgame repartee. Which only proves that showering and dressing after a game are about the only things Reyes doesn't do quickly. But just as it has been countless times for the Mets since he arrived in Queens, Reyes' speed was again at the epicenter of another Mets victory. And this time Reyes surprised even himself.

Many of the 50,143 were still settling into their seats in the first inning yesterday when Reyes electrified Shea. His bloop double down the right field line quickly turned into the Mets' first run, thanks to a throwing error by A's right fielder Jack Cust that allowed Reyes to come around to score the game's first run. "It was kind of a crazy play," said Reyes, who went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. "You're not prepared to run like that in the first inning." Continue

Rickey runs to Reyes

Now granted, Rickey Henderson is a little partial to leadoff men, having been one for most of a playing career that spanned from 1979 to 2003. But Henderson, a special instructor for the Mets who was at Shea yesterday to, well, special instruct, thinks he knows how the Mets can finally break out of their current funk. And, no surprise here, he thinks the leadoff man must lead the revival.

"The team is in a little rut, like three or four guys are in a rut at the same time and it makes it more difficult," Henderson said. Now, (Reyes) has to find a way out of the rut by creating something. Make the team get behind him, make the team excited and try to get out of this slump." Henderson and Reyes huddled for almost 15 minutes before last night's series finale with the Twins, and Henderson, baseball's all-time leading base stealer with 1,406 swipes, said they traded ideas about how to jump-start the Mets. Continue

Reyes can't do it alone on team that seems to be starstruck

Even when the Yankees pitched bad and looked bad, and there were days and nights in May when they looked as bad as any Yankee team of recent memory, their stars mostly played like stars. Even when Alex Rodriguez cooled off for a while he was still there for his team, between photo ops, anyway. Jorge Posada, from the start of the season until now, has been one of the very best hitters in baseball. So has Derek Jeter, who got four more hits yesterday. They have all been total stars. Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado have been the opposite of that for the Mets.

Jose Reyes tried to be a star for his team, all the way to the top of the ninth, when he went up there righthanded against Mo Rivera and got the bases-loaded single that brought the Mets to within 11-8. But that was all the Mets had. Because next up was Beltran, who would have been no better yesterday than the pitcher's spot in a National League game. Continue

Vs. vet, Reyes runs into trouble, out of inning

The game within the game at Shea last night began when Jose Reyes singled with one out in the seventh inning, the score tied 2-2. Everyone in the ballpark knew the Mets' shortstop would try to win the game with his legs, thus the audible buzz in the crowd. For added drama, the Mets had just pinch-hit for Tom Glavine. So they either needed to score now or their future Hall of Famer would have to wait another five days for a chance to move a step closer to the 300-win milestone that must be starting to weigh on him a bit heavily at the moment.

Reyes on base, of course, makes for great theater, especially in the late innings of a close game. He was already the game's most destructive force in such situations even before he tormented Armando Benitez last week, forcing the ex-Met into two balks in the 12th inning that ultimately cost the Giants the game. Continue

Rarefied error for Reyes, Mets

Jose Reyes has been so good in the field, has spoiled the Mets and their fans so thoroughly, seeing him make an error almost comes as a shock to the system. That's exactly what yesterday's run-scoring gaffe came as, snapping a 12-game Met errorless streak that was both the best in the major leagues and franchise history.
But Reyes' eighth-inning error was par for the course in a drab 4-1 loss to Arizona. He fielded Mark Reynolds' ground ball but one-hopped his throw to first base to allow Diamondbacks center fielder Eric Byrnes to score the final run. Continue

Reyes can't Clip Bomber rookie

The Mets had Tyler Clippard on the ropes. But Jose Reyes couldn't deliver a devastating punch against the debuting Yankees rookie. Reyes lofted a bases-loaded fly to left on a fastball from Clippard for the final out of the second inning with the Mets already up thanks to David Wright's solo homer. Clippard, his confidence buoyed, didn't allow another Met to reach scoring position before leaving after the sixth inning.

"He made a great pitch," said Reyes, who also struck out looking with two runners in scoring position for the final out of the seventh while facing Scott Proctor. "It was a little low and I wasn't able to put my best swing on the ball. I have to give some credit to him, because he threw a great game." Continue

Jose says he will play today

Jose Reyes says there's "no doubt" he will play today, but just the fact he left last night's 8-1 victory over the Cubs with tightness in his left hamstring should be alarming. Reyes and Willie Randolph called it a cramp. Reyes said it occurred on a swing in the eighth inning.

Reyes singled to left and was removed for a pinch-runner. No tests are scheduled. "I've had so many injuries to my hamstring in the past, I had to be careful," Reyes said of his departure. Ruben Gotay remained in the game as the Mets' shortstop. While Reyes seemed certain of his availability for today's game, Randolph said he's taking a wait-and-see approach. Continue

Reyes, Maine toast of April

Jose Reyes' motivation was pretty simple for April: Do better than last year. So after batting .250 in April 2006, he worked hard in the winter and spring training to be ready for Opening Day. Reyes was named NL Player of the Month yesterday, and John Maine was tabbed NL Pitcher of the Month. The Mets shortstop batted .356 and scored 26 runs with 17 stolen bases. Maine (4-0) posted a 1.35 ERA that led the majors.

"You have to work to try to get better and better," Reyes said. "Hopefully I can hit the same way this month." Over 33 1/3 innings, Maine allowed five earned runs and not more than two in any of his starts. Opponents have batted .159 against him, third best in the league. Continue

We are witness to rise of Reyes

Rick Down begins ticking off numbers and does not stop for a while. A hundred runs, the Mets hitting coach says, 100 steals, 100 runs batted in, 100 walks and 200 hits. Some day, and soon, Down proclaims, Jose Reyes is going to become the first major leaguer to do all of that in one season. Nationals manager Manny Acta, the Mets' third base coach in 2005-06, does not see anybody in this era reaching the century mark in steals, but he soon expects Reyes to achieve all of the other statistical plateaus and "30 homers, too." "He's scary," Acta said. "He hits like a middle-of-the-order guy and runs like a sprinter."

It might be heady to think Reyes is actually going to one day walk 100 times in a season or swat 30 homers. But it is not fantasy. Just remember who Reyes was not that long ago: A second baseman so that Kaz Matsui could play short. Injury prone. And the kind of undisciplined hacker seemingly destined never to have an on-base percentage high enough to fully honor his legs and justify hitting leadoff. Continue

No act: Reyes balanced

They sound like baseball oxymorons, phrases that appear contradictory but make perfect sense upon closer examination. Be quick but don't hurry. Be intense but not tense. Or Willie Randolph's favorite when it comes to Jose Reyes' hitting style: Be aggressive but be patient. "There's always a fine line with that," Randolph said before last night's 5-3 win over the Phillies, acknowledging that Reyes has shown more patience early in the season but that he doesn't want it to come at the expense of the switch-hitting shortstop's natural tendency to swing away. "I really don't want him to be patient early in the count; I want him to be patient in the at-bat."

Translation: Don't let anybody sneak a first-pitch fastball past you just to give off the appearance of being a patient hitter. "I don't want him taking fastballs down the middle just to take a pitch," Randolph said. "You're playing right into their hands. They're always trying to get ahead of him with a fastball for a strike so they can go to the off-speed stuff, which is not his strong suit." Continue

Another Reyes of sunshine

You have to watch him. It's that simple. Numbers aren't enough. Statistics aren't enough. This column, eloquent as it may be, can't do justice to what it's like to watch Jose Reyes play baseball when he is at the peak of his powers. Only the eyes can do that. You have to watch him. "He does things that make you look at the other guys on the bench and say, can you believe that?" Willie Randolph marveled last night. "He has so much energy, so much heart. He's so exciting he always makes you go, wow!" Continue

Reyes' power is not a joke

After he homered and returned to the dugout yesterday, Jose Reyes said nobody joked with him about his power. "No, because they know it's not part of my game," the Mets shortstop said. "But when I hit one, I have to take it. Nobody said anything."

Reyes blasted his fourth homer of the spring in the Mets' 5-4 loss to the Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium, a solo shot in the seventh inning. His power performance is pretty impressive - entering yesterday's action no player in the majors had hit more than four homers this spring (seven had hit four). Continue

Reyes may steal mark

Rickey Henderson arrived yesterday for a 10-day stint as a guest instructor and predicted Jose Reyes would have a shot at breaking his career-record 1,406 steals. "When you enjoy the game, you never know," Henderson said. Reminded that he swiped 130 bases in 1982, more than double Reyes' career-high 64 last year, Henderson replied: "Twice as much as he gets now, but he's just starting." The 23-year-old Reyes has 156 career steals and would need to average nearly 70 steals a season through age 40 to catch the future Hall of Famer. Continue

Reyes' glove skills shining like gold

Mets manager Willie Randolph is not someone who is easily impressed, and multiply that times 10 when the subject involves Grapefruit League games. Randolph is a "been there, done that" kind of guy, and that is why his comments yesterday about Jose Reyes' defensive skills were so remarkable.

Most of the attention recently has been on Reyes' bulked-up frame, and his two early home runs, one from each side of the plate, provide evidence that the new muscle is not merely for show. But Reyes displayed a part of his game that is often overlooked when he made a diving stop of Jason Michaels' grounder to open the fourth inning yesterday in the Mets' 2-1 exhibition loss to the Indians. Continue

Making of an MVP

MVP voters dig the longball. But, says Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, don't count out Jose Reyes stealing the award in the not-too-distant future, despite a power infatuation that sometimes shortchanges leadoff men. "Absolutely," says La Russa, who managed the A's when Rickey Henderson was the AL MVP in 1990. "I came into the league about the time that Rickey did. I say to this day, the most dangerous player in the game was Rickey. The guy who could do the most to tie or beat you was Rickey. I think Reyes has very similar characteristics.

"Reyes reminds me a lot of Rickey. He's a consistently tough out, and he really gets great acceleration and he wants to steal. He runs when clubs are trying to stop you. There are not many guys in baseball anymore who can steal when the defense is trying to stop them." Continue

Reyes not short on pop

Jose Reyes does not possess the intimidation factor of Carlos Delgado nor does he have the power numbers of Carlos Beltran. But the Mets' shortstop is grabbing plenty of attention with the added muscle he's flexing down here at spring training. And once the season begins, the heads turning will belong to opposing pitchers who don't respect his strength.

It hardly was unusual to see two of Willie Randolph's "big boys" go deep when Delgado and Beltran homered during Monday's intrasquad game at Tradition Field. That's what they get paid for. But Reyes, who developed into one of the game's most dangerous leadoff men last season, also took Jorge Vasquez over the rightfield wall, and don't be surprised if that starts happening more and more this year. Continue

No winter ball for Reyes

Omar Minaya said yesterday there would be no winter ball for Jose Reyes, a smart move by the Mets as they protect their golden shortstop, who is the key to their lineup. "Reyes is an important part of our team," Minaya told Ch. 37 in the Dominican Republic yesterday, according to the AP. "That's why the Mets organization decided that he will not play. We want to keep him healthy for the next season."

On the free-agent front, left-handed pitcher Mark Mulder has scheduled a Tuesday meeting with the Rangers in Arlington and will also talk to the Indians that day, his agent Gregg Clifton said yesterday. The Mets have shown interest in Mulder, who is rehabbing from arthroscopic shoulder surgery. The Cardinals also would like to have Mulder return to St. Louis. Continue