Closing Time: It's 'probably over' for Reyes; Prince attacks
If you're a fantasy owner who invested in Mets shortstop Jose Reyes, then today was not a good day. It's been a season full of not-good days. Whenever a seemingly positive note appears on Reyes' player page, it's soon followed by something ominous and vague.
But Tuesday's reports were relatively clear. This from Newsday's David Lennon:
It looks like Jose Reyes' season is probably over.
Here's Jack Curry at the New York Times:
The Mets do not play their final game of the season until Oct. 4, but it is possible Reyes has already played his.
And this from Tom Britton at MLB.com:
With fewer than 60 games remaining on the Mets' schedule, the possibility exists that Reyes could miss the remainder of the season.
What we know for sure, according to multiple reports, is that Reyes has returned to New York to have his right leg examined by team doctors. Unless the fantasy community can quickly produce a willing hamstring donor -- or alternately, an unwilling donor and a disgraced ex-surgeon -- then the curtain is about to close on Reyes' year.
Hope officially died for the Mets' season during tonight's extra-innings loss to St. Louis. At this point, with New York's record at 50-56, it hardly seems reasonable for Reyes to return. His owners have all found imperfect replacements by now -- Ben Zobrist(notes) for some, miscellaneous Cabreras for others -- but there weren't any 110-run/60-steal seasons in the free agent pool. Sorry, Reyes drafters. I'm there with you, having stared at this nonsense since June:
The Mets surely need to reassess the practices of their medical staff, no?
They have baseball's second-highest team payroll, and between Reyes, Carlos Beltran(notes), Carlos Delgado(notes), Billy Wagner(notes), John Maine(notes) and JJ Putz(notes), something like $55 million of it is currently on the DL. And Luis Castillo(notes) sprained his ankle in a dugout fall on Tuesday, so there goes another $6 million.
Nope, not their year. Let's shift to those who aren't yet broken...
• Orioles prospect-of-interest Brian Matusz(notes) had a successful major league debut against Detroit, allowing six hits and one run over five innings. Highlights of his five Ks here. The 22-year-old left-hander was the fourth pick in the '08 draft, and he was 7-0 with a 1.55 ERA at Double-A Bowie prior to the call-up. These were his manager's comments, via the team's Web site:
"He is the real thing. This is one that everybody should take a great deal of pride in for a long time," said Baltimore manager Dave Trembley of Matusz. ... "What we saw in Spring Training was not a mirage," said Trembley. "This is the real Matusz. He is able to rebound, he is able to adjust."
Long-term, the future is bright. Short-term, there's trouble. Baltimore's September schedule is loaded with high-scoring opponents, so no O's starter is safe, including Matusz. Learn to spell the name; file it away for 2010.
• Arizona's Yusmeiro Petit(notes) took a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the...um...are we calling them the "new look" Pirates? Is that required?
Well, Petit carried a no-no into the final frames against them. By the time I tuned in (seventh inning), he did not appear to have serious no-hit stuff. There were a couple liners, a couple walks, then finally a clean single by Ronny Cedeno(notes). If Petit had finished off the no-hitter, tonight's Closing Time was going to be a chore. He's put together a 14-inning scoreless streak, yet I'm nowhere near ready to add him in any format. He's not a hard thrower (86.8 mph average fastball) and the movement isn't dazzling. This blurb from the AP game recap tells you something important about the quality of the opponent:
The Pirates have lost three straight and eight of 10. They have been shut out in their last three meetings with Arizona over the past 11 days. They have been shut out 13 times in all, most in the majors.
But still, if you'd like to make a case for Petit, let's hear it in comments.
• Ryan Roberts(notes) may have been the more interesting Diamondback on Tuesday, at least from a fantasy perspective. He went 4-for-5 with two homers while batting second for Arizona. The 28-year-old doesn't project as a power threat -- he was a low double-digit home run hitter in the minors -- but he's put up quality numbers this year (.285, 4 HR, 5 SB in 65 games) and he's settling in at second base.
• When a young pitcher shuts out a team over 6.2 innings and strikes out seven, it's customary for the opposing manager to say nice things. These were Ron Washington's postgame comments regarding Oakland lefty Gio Gonzalez(notes):
“I saw a curveball, that’s about it,” Rangers’ manager Ron Washington said. “You can’t take anything away from the kid; he went seven innings, but it wasn’t any shutout stuff.”
No, you certainly can't take anything away from the kid. Ron wouldn't dream of it. Gonzalez has 21 Ks over his last 18.2 innings, and he's allowed just four runs during that (admittedly small) stretch. And we hear he has a curveball.
• It doesn't sound like Bobby Jenks(notes) (kidney stones) will be available for a few days. Expect a situational/committee-ish approach, with Matt Thornton(notes) as Plan A.
•Prince Fielder(notes) didn't appreciate the fact that he was drilled by Guillermo Mota(notes) in the ninth inning of a game the Brewers trailed 17-4. (Video). And apparently Fielder did not feel that an ejection was sufficient punishment, so he attempted to further reprimand Mota after the game.
This from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Anthony Witrado:
Fielder stayed on the field for a few seconds waiting to see if Mota would come out before darting down the dugout steps, though the Brewers clubhouse, across a lobby area and through some doors to get into the Dodgers clubhouse. A group of about a dozen Brewers, according to Dodger Stadium security, followed Fielder, trying to stop him. Fielder made it as far as the Dodger clubhouse doors where security refused to let him in.
Every ballpark security guy has a story to tell. But that guy wins. Andre Ethier's(notes) response to the incident was fantastic:
"Some people have different manners at their homes," Dodgers rightfielder Andre Ethier said. "Some people don’t have to knock. Some people just let themselves in. Who knows? Maybe that’s the type of environment (they) seem to have over there."
Too small for bullets, too important to ignore: Jhonny Peralta(notes) had another multi-hit game -- that's seven in his last 10 -- but he was the only member of the Tribe to cross the plate in a 10-1 loss to Scott Baker(notes) and the Twins. ... Boston rookie Daniel Bard(notes) finally allowed a run. He hadn't given up anything earned since June 25. ... Tom Gorzelanny(notes) impressed in his Cubs debut, tossing 7.1 strong innings in Cincinnati and allowing just three hits and one run. He struck out six. Gorzelanny should continue to start in Ted Lilly's(notes) absence, and he could face the Pirates in Wrigley next week. ... Jonathan Sanchez(notes) was useful again, holding the Astros scoreless over seven innings and recording eight punch-outs. He now has 39 Ks in his last five starts. ... When Bobby Cox says things like "Prado’s an amazing hitter," then you should feel pretty secure about Martin Prado's(notes) role. ... Justin Masterson(notes) could enter Cleveland's starting rotation as soon as next week. "I've been blessed with a rubber arm," he said. .. With the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth inning of a one-run game, Ichiro(notes) made this sliding catch to preserve a win. Check out the ground he had to cover.
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Photo via AP Images
