Pelfrey ends poor year with awful start
Jose Reyes #7 of the New York Mets tries to turn a double play as Jimmy Rollins #11 of the Philadelphia Phillies slides into second base in the fifth inning during a game at Citi Field in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Sept. 25, 2011) Credit: Getty Images
Get well soon, Johan Santana. If the Mets learned anything this season, it’s that Mike Pelfrey is no ace.
As for where he fits in the team’s future, that question remains up in the air, the same place where many of Pelfrey’s pitches wound up Sunday in the Mets’ 9-4 loss to the Phillies at Citi Field.
Pelfrey was awful in his final start as the Phillies hammered him for nine hits and five runs in three innings. As bad as that sounds, it looked even worse. Afterward, Terry Collins went as far as to say that during the game, he talked with pitching coach Dan Warthen about how it was time to “start over” with Pelfrey.
That’s quite a descent — from Opening Day starter to starting over. But this year not only was a step backward, it was a giant leap in reverse as Pelfrey lost his final four decisions and finished 7-13 with a 4.74 ERA. Since beginning the 2010 season at 9-1 with a 2.39 ERA, Pelfrey has gone 13-21 with a 4.70 ERA.
“We’ve got to start over and do some things that get his confidence back up,” Collins said. “Hopefully I think Mike’s professional enough to understand that this is just one of those years you got to write off. It’s work to get back to where you want to be. It isn’t just going to happen.”
The Mets should put out a search warrant for Pelfrey’s missing sinker and splitter, two pitches that had been the key to any of his previous success. On Sunday, he basically threw batting practice.
Hunter Pence took Pelfrey deep onto the Mets’ bullpen roof for a two-run homer in the first inning, and every one of the Phillies’ starters — including pitcher Roy Halladay — had at least one hit off him. Shane Victorino drilled a double so hard that it nearly got stuck in the rightfield fence.
“I wanted to finish strong and that obviously didn’t [happen] — the furthest thing from it,” Pelfrey said. “This first half didn’t go the way I wanted. The second half didn’t go and the year didn’t go the way I wanted it. That’s unfortunate. I can’t change that.”
Halladay (19-6) pitched six scoreless innings to win his eighth straight start against the Mets, and he is 9-2 with a 2.85 ERA in 11 career starts against them. That helped the Phillies snap an eight-game losing streak that began after they clinched the division title Sept. 17.
During the barrage, a solitary voice from the crowd of 32,796 could be heard yelling at Pelfrey, “If you want to go home, Mike, go home!” From a mental standpoint, it appeared that Pelfrey already had checked out for the season.
“I’ve got to get the ball down,” he said. “I think another product of leaving the ball up is I’ve given up more home runs [20] this year than I ever have in my life. The ball’s down, the ball doesn’t go out. That’s a lot of my failures.”
The Mets intend to bring Pelfrey back; the other option is to non-tender him. But with an expected $5 million or so coming to him in arbitration, is Pelfrey worth it?
The biggest argument in his favor is the fact that he’s a durable innings-eater. Pelfrey has made 33 starts in back-to-back seasons, becoming only the fourth Mets pitcher to do so since 1990. Then again, Steve Trachsel is on that list, along with Frank Viola and Tom Glavine.
Pelfrey, who totaled 193 1/3 innings this season, has thrown at least 184 1/3 innings in each of the past four years. But at some point, performance has to be a consideration as well.
“Obviously, there’s a line there,” Collins said.
Collins said he goofed in making Pelfrey the replacement No. 1 for the injured Santana at the start of this season. But Pelfrey’s issues seem to run deeper than that.
“I think it stuck,” Collins said. “I think it’s been with him all year.”
The Mets can safely say it’s a title that Pelfrey won’t have to worry about in 2012 and beyond.
Notes & quotes: Lucas Duda, who still is dealing with concussion-type symptoms, appears done for the season. “I’d be surprised if he plays again this year,” Collins said . . . Jason Bay is expected to see a doctor Monday for his continuing illness, which has been difficult to shake . . . Jose Reyes went 2-for-4 to raise his batting average to .331. Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun went 2-for-3 against Florida and is batting .333.
