The New York Mets: Beaten, battered and bruised

Written by: Andrew Vazzano on 29th June 2009

The New York Mets: Beaten, battered and bruised | read this item

The Mets are beaten, battered and bruised.

And there is no help for the weary. The players that would be brought up to fill in for times of need have already been called up to the big club.

Currently, four pitchers on the team were not around on Opening Day. Add to that the four position players that have been forced into duty, and eight of the Mets on the roster started their season with Triple-A Buffalo.

Jerry Manuel, the beleaguered manager, seems to be collapsing under the weight of trying to make this ragtag roster win games.

"We have to find a way to generate some offense," Manuel told the Associated Press. "I have to find it with what I have here."

Players like Alex Cora, signed in the off-season to be a bench player, have been forced into everyday duty, and their numbers have suffered for it. After a stint on the disabled list with a torn tendon in his thumb, Cora is batting only .205 in 22 games.

The young players that have been called up have fared no better. Fernando Martinez, the number one prospect in the Mets system, is batting just .169 in 24 games. Martinez was sent down on June 19, but was brought back only three days later when Carlos Beltran went down with an injury.

Surprisingly, the Mets are only 2.5 games out of first place. The Phillies, missing an opportunity to put wins between themselves and the NL East, have won only four of their last 15 games.

This leaves the Mets with only one option: Trades.

After his team’s loss on Sunday night, Manuel was very candid about his want for a trade.

“I think if we get below that (.500) mark and we continue to struggle offensively as we are, I think that’s a no-brainer,” Manuel said.

At 37-37, the Mets are at .500 exactly, with a tough stretch of schedule coming up against, including the Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers, the Mets may very well be under .500 very soon and a trade may be coming.

But that’s a story for another day.

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