El Duque or fluke?
Just like his age, which could be anywhere from 36 to 43, the long-term value of Orlando Hernandez to the Mets is open to debate. On the surface, beating the Pirates, as El Duque did Wednesday night, should not be considered any great accomplishment. Pittsburgh is, after all, a pitiful team with 29 wins. But Hernandez was masterful at changing speeds, and that has always been his most devastating skill. He also held the Yankees to two runs over seven innings last Friday in the Bronx, and wound up the hard-luck loser.
But there are other times when Hernandez has looked every bit his age, which still is old, no matter which number you go with. He bombed out in Toronto after a crazy 1 2/3 innings in which he hit three batters and had to be removed when manager Willie Randolph, trying to avoid a brawl, was charged with a second visit on his peacekeeping mission.
So what do you think? Can Hernandez be counted on for the second half and into the playoffs, where he can channel the El Duque of Octobers past? Or was last night merely a benefit of facing a weak team at the right time?
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Comments (10)
Omar Minaya traded for El Duque because of memories of his ghosts of Octobers past...Met fans hope El Duque's tricks provide an early Halloween treat come playoff time !
I honestly don't think the Pirates have been weak offensively lately (they had scored 50 runs in seven games, most recently against two of the top ERA teams in baseball in the tigers and the mets). but considering that el duque baffled them right before he got traded to the mets, I am open to the possibility that he just has their number. maybe we'll find out tonight, if the pirates start putting on fireworks again.
that said, I would argue that el duque right now is giving the mets the most they can expect from a #4 or a #5 starter - mostly steady starts, the occasional spectacular start, and his fair share of clunkers.
El Duque is an adequate 4 pitcher, but he is not reliable enough or dominating enough to be our 3. The Mets have to make some tough choices regarding their future after the Break, as the cost of a quality SP will be extremely high, and will invariably result in a trade of Milledge. He could be beating up on us for many years to come in a trade to Florida, and unlike Kazmir, where he's out of league, a trade to Florida would put him in the NL East. If its a poor trade, we will be reminded of it often.
how about trading for carlos zambrano of the cubs......this guy is the top of the rotation guy who makes 6.5 million dollars and the cubs are looking to get rid of high priced players...........lasting milledge and heilman for zambrano--->mets win! the mets win!
Not a chance the mets give up thir top prospect for another guy with the last name Zambrano.... I like Carlos, but not for Milledge, Heilmann oor Pelfry... If you could get rid of lower level prosepcts, maybe even throe Soler into a deal..
Look, we're 11 1/2 games up. Now is not the time to make a hasty decision and trade away Milledge when the answers to our pitching problems may lie closer to home. Giving Maine and Pelfrey a decent shot may give us enough time to wait for Bannister to come back.
After Kazmir, trading away young stars makes me CRINGE.
I just blogged an update on Bannister's condition...let's hope he's back soon.
I agree with Zoe in not making a hasty decision, however, as the recent Interleague play revealed, there is a talent gap between the Mets and the elite AL clubs, at least in terms of rotation. You need a lights out 1-2 punch, and hopefully Pedro can get healthy and Glavine will continue to play well. However, relying on Bannister, who averaged 6 or 7 walks an outing before getting the hamstring injury, or John Maine, who is no where near anything above a 5 pitcher, or a rookie who has only made 16 professional appearances, is a problem. Traschel is shaky, and so down the stretch, I think the need for a SP will be crystal clear.
I think the key to El Duque is to keep him healthy and rested during the second half so he can do what he does best: pitch in the post season. Anyone remember last year what he did against the Red Sox in the playoffs?
If they can avoid over-using him over the rest of the regular season, then he brings good value to the Mets. However if they run him out there every 5th day all second half long, my guess is he will break down and not be of much use come playoff time.
Traschel may be shakey, but he's gone 6-1 in his last ten starts, making him the best starter (other then Glavin) at the moment. I don't feel bad about 1) Martinez, 2) Glavin, 3)Traschel & then anyone except Soler.
Prior to this year, Trachsel's record with the Mets was 51-51 and his lifetime record was 119-135. He gets a ton of run support (isn't he #2 or #3 in the majors?). The only guy who probably wouldn't have a 6-1 record with that kind of run support is José Lima-bean. If Pedro's hip does not get better the Mets are in trouble, bcause a rotation of Glavine - Trachsel - Hernandez - Maine and either Pelfrey or Soler might mean that the Mets have to club the crap out of the ball like when they were on that 9-1 streak in order to to keep winning.