Scratching out two singles makes him just a bit less Wilson Delgado and a bit more Carlos Delgado for the day (though that fifth-inning cutoff clank which allowed Cano an extra base and eventually an extra run was worthy of Marvelous Marv Delgadoberry). Alas, if one can take a slight breather from mulling What's Wrong With Carlos Delgado?, one must now join in progress the vigil as regards What's Wrong With Carlos Beltran?
On an endless afternoon when everybody hit somebody sometime, Beltran didn't hit at all, didn't get on base, didn't show any signs that he is Carlos Beltran, millionaire, who owns a mansion and a yacht. 0 for 6. Oh for six. Six times up, no times on. There isn't a way to term it or type it that makes it any less unappetizing.
What's wrong here? The knee? Getting his timing after taking time to heal the knee? Retraining his eye? Not that the game wasn't lost many times in many ways by many Mets between innings one and eight, but how on earth could a man who is so incredibly skilled at taking pitches (ahem) swing at the very first one thrown toward him by Mariano Rivera after the Greatest Blah Blah Blah Ever is obviously waaaaay the fuck off his stride? Rivera threw 32 pitches to 7 batters and allowed 5 hits in the ninth. He throws 1 pitch to Beltran and Beltran swings at it and Rivera slithers away essentially unmolested.
I can't imagine how one differentiates, from the batter's box, in nanoseconds, between a good pitch to swing at and a good pitch to take. But after a closer in a non-save situation — which always screws them up — has struggled to get three simple outs against one very simple team and has afforded said team a gaping if undeserved shot at redemption, I can differentiate between a good opportunity to take and a good opportunity to swing and pop up and call it a night.
Delgado wallowing in a slump I can live with somehow. I've seen it before and we persevered together, he and us. But Beltran, lordy, he's just too important to this team. When he sucks, we suck. I've given the matter a great deal of study and have reached the considered conclusion that he just can't be doing that.
I thought he said the quad was bothering him again.
But if it's all the same to you, I'd like to pretend this day never happened.
I hate to say it because he's a lock for the Hall, a hard worker and a solid teammate and he's given us many a fine start in the past, but friends, Tom Glavine now ranks as the fifth-best starter in the Mets rotation only because they haven't got six.
That 300 win goal might as well be 1,000 the way he's chucking. Stick a fork in him. Lord knows opposing batters do.
Forget about 300. How about #296? Tom Terrible awoken the Yankee Bats that were silenced last night. I'm wondering after giving up 16 runs in his last two starts over a total of 8.1 innings if perhaps Tom is hurt?
As far as Beltran goes, guess we'll see PLD in the 2 hole in tomorrow nights rubber game.
S'gonna be interesting when Pedro comes back, how they explain demoting Sosa.
Wow, Kong… I never even thought of that. Maybe Glavine will pull/strain/tear something. Of course I'm not wishing it on him (that would make me a monster…) but I can't say I'd mind.
Still wonder what fixation Willie has with Schoenweiss and Mota by using them in key situations to keep games within reach. At this point, I'd rather see him use Heilman in middle relief.
Delgado looks like one lost and confused individual, both in the batters box and in the field. His lack of concentraton caused that botch up of Green's cut off throw and the other night when he didn't even attempt to dive for a ball down the line. And he hasn't been running to well, either.
As far as Carlos Beltran? Yes, he is a millionare who owns a mansion and a yauht. But he also owns a string of poloponies.
I've liked Glavine since I watched him sign for 20 minutes before a game the night he was pitching, and you gotta respect a HOF guy like this. I keep telling myself, he's gonna turn this around, he's one of the best pitchers of our generation.
Ditto for Delgado. What the hell is up with him?
You're right, and I think that's what makes it disturbing. Beltran likes to take the first pitch. It seems almost ritualistic sometimes. Sometimes those pitches seem irresistible in hindsight. But he only swings at them when he's pressing (i.e. many unpleasant stretches of 2005) which is something nobody would like him to revisit…