August 3, 2009, Mike Pelfrey story for Metro NY Newspaper
Another short day for Pelfrey
Diamondbacks 5, Mets 2
MLB.
Mike Pelfrey is a bit of an imitator. One outing he’ll pitch like an ace, the next like a dud. Unfortunately for the Mets, yesterday’s performance by Pelfrey mirrored Oliver Perez rather than Johan Santana.
“I made some mistakes and they made me pay for them. It’s kind of frustrating,” Pelfrey said after a 5-2 loss to the NL West cellar dwelling Arizona Diamondbacks. “The name of the game is executing pitches. I got away from that.”
The Mets fell to 50-55, 9 ½ games back of Philadelphia in the NL East and 8 ½ back of NL wild card co-leaders Colorado and San Francisco. The Mets will most likely miss postseason play for the third year in a row.
Should the Mets make the playoffs, as Pelfrey all but guaranteed that they would last week, he will have to be better than he was yesterday. To be kind, Pelfrey was not efficient. Rather, Pelfrey (8-7) did a fantastic imitation of Ollie Perez. Pelfrey threw 106 pitches in five innings and twice had bases loaded jams. He was able to work out of the first by striking out Arizona starter Jon Garland (6-10) with two outs in the second, but Chad Tracy’s two RBI double in the fifth all but ended the big righty’s day. Pelfrey finished the inning by inducing Alex Romero into a fielder’s choice (getting Miguel Montero out at home) and a ground ball out from the .223-entering-the-day Augie Ojeda.
“It’s kind of frustrating, you know? The name of the game is going out there and execute pitches,” he reiterated. “I got away from that today. My pitch count was very high. I have to pound that sinker early in the count and get them to roll over. I got what I deserved.
Jerry Manuel hinted that the right-hander doesn’t entirely trust his stuff.
“I think he’s having different challenges. There will probably come a time where he can put hitters away. There will be a point in his career where he will learn to do that and because of his stuff, he’ll learn to be a little more economical with his pitches,” Manuel said.
When told of Manuel’s thoughts, Pelfrey disagreed with his manager’s belief. At times, Pelfrey has displayed dominant stuff, including a slider that runs in on right-handed hitters.
“I trust myself. I trust my stuff. I made some mistakes. On Tracy, I wanted the ball down and away, and I left it up over the plate. I made some mistakes and they made me pay for it,” said Pelfrey. “
Pelfrey’s 2009 campaign has been a study in ambiguity. From game-to-game and, in yesterday’s case, from inning-to-inning, it is uncertain which pitcher will take the mound for the Mets. For much of the season, Pelfrey has alternated between being a legitimate No. 2 pitcher for a contending team and being the reason that Omar Minaya needed to add a top-level starter before the season and at the deadline.
What makes his inconsistency a concern was that he seemed to take a step forward to being a frontline starter last season. Pelfrey finished the 2008 season with a 13-11 record and 3.72 ERA in 200.2 IP.
“I think the season…I’m not satisfied by the way it’s gone. I know that I need to be better. I need to be more consistent. I know that it drives the coach crazy, not knowing what you’re going to get. I plan on finishing strong and being a lot better,” said Pelfrey.
“I feel strong. Last few starts, I felt stronger than I felt all year. I think I’m going to be okay.”
If the Mets harbor postseason aspirations, they need him to be.
posted by Denis P. Gorman at 7:09 PM
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