As many of you noticed during today’s game, Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins was a late scratch from the lineup for reasons unknown to the boys in the booth.  After the game Phillies manager Charlie Manuel stated that he benched Rollins because he was late to the park today.   Eric Bruntlett hit leadoff and played short in his place going 3-for-4 with 2 doubles.  As you may remember, Rollins was benched earlier in the season for lack of hustle.

First off, if this was Reyes, the media would crucify him.  I can hear the callers on WFAN right now.  Secondly, I know that Bruntlett did a great job filling in for him but what is Manuel thinking.  Rollins is having a down year, but he is still the reigning NL MVP and Gold Glove winner.   I understand the importance of setting an example for the team, but this was an important game.  Despite what the calender says, these two teams were tied in the standings with only 6 remaining head to head games.   Rollins is a leader on the field and in the clubhouse for this team and while he should be disciplined he should have been in the lineup today.

Dear Carlos Beltran,

The Mets faithful were giddy when their usually soft spoken center fielder said, “So this year, to Jimmy Rollins, we are the team to beat.”

Since then, the Mets have bumped and struggled into (going into last night) a 16-14 record.  People have said Carlos Delgado should be benched or released. For the NY Post, Joel Sherman wrote, “Delgado is to the Mets what Mike Mussina is to the Yankees: A once standout player whose current organization is hoping he can recapture just a piece of his past to survive the season competently.” Going into last night, Delgado was batting .216 with 4 HRs, 16 RBIs and a .313 OBP.

You Carlos, our soft spoken leader said this was our year.   Going into last night you were batting .221 with 2 HRs, 13 RBIs even though you had drawn 25 walks contributing to your .372 OBP.  That’s a lot of walks to begin the year, but we don’t need you to be hesitant at the plate and taking walks.  With your speed - another place and another time you could be a fantastic lead off hitter where your walks would be extremely valuable.  With Delgado struggling and Moises Alou hurt, it was you who had to produce runs.  And, you didn’t, so we only scored 112 runs in April, 25th in MLB.

So, I challenge you Carlos Beltran, step up your game. 

We probably should’ve expected Delgado to dip off by now. Come June, Delgado will be 36.  Since 2005, his stats have been going down, so we should’ve expected this sort of production from him pending him hitting some sort of renaissance (re-birth). However, you are the younger and better of the two members on this team named Carlos.  We’re not counting on Senor Delgado to produce runs for this team.  You my friend, though are still in your golden age - not that you need reminding but you are only 31 years old. 

You go to the plate and it is as if you are perfectly comfortable leaving that bat on your shoulder.  By no means am I saying you should stop drawing walks, but go up there and look to hit the ball.  Fans wonder why we’re not producing runs this year? You’re our clean up hitter and you’re batting .189 with runners in scoring position. Oh, but don’t worry, you have eight walks with runners in scoring position.  Walks aren’t scoring those runners. 

So, I challenge you Carlos Beltran, step up your game. 

Last year when Jimmy Rollins seemingly pompously predicted that the Philles would win the NL East, he backed it up.  He went out there, won the MVP and led the Phillies to the post season.  Carlos, you don’t call out your division rival and bring this sort of trash out to the plate day in and day out and expect to evade criticism.  Well here it is, I’m calling you out.  We don’t need Delgado to lead, he’s past his prime and was never as good as you.  Where is the stud that batted .435 in the postseason for the Astros, hitting eight home runs in 46 post season ABs in 2004?

As of now, you’re not that stud, but hopefully you can find him and tell him I want my all-star back.

Sincerely,

Andrew Beaton 

No mainstream outlet is reporting it, so take this report with great speculation.

Off the Record reports that Jimmy Rollins does not have an ankle sprain but a break, which would set Rollins back up to six weeks.

Rollins has missed 12 of the first 21 games the Phillies have played this year.

Update: According to Philly.com’s David Murphy, Jimmy Rollins is scheduled to take batting practice today in Clearwater Fla.

According to the AP, Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins is headed to the DL for the first time in his 8 year career.

He had only been available to pinch hit over the last week because of a badly sprained left ankle.  Last season, Rollins played all 162 games.

Personally, I never root for players to get hurt, but if I could wish for one player to get hurt…

Phils SS Jimmy Rollins, who hasn’t started a game since spraining his ankle ten days ago, will not play tonight. Rollins is in California mourning the death of his uncle. Rollins could return tomorrow, but his ankle is still sore and will depend on how he feels.

Advantage Mets.

Jimmy Rollins tells Todd Zolecki at Philly.com that he isn’t sure if he would be able to play in the rubber game of the three game set tonight. He said he more than likely could pinch-hit against a right handed pitcher.

Rollins had the third-longest consecutive-games streak in baseball broken with 230 games. Grady Sizemore (366 games) and Atlanta’s Jeff Francoeur (334) have the first and second longest current streaks.

Zolecki also points out that the Phillies entered last night having won the last five games against the Mets in which New York held a two-run lead. It was the Phillies’ longest streak of that type since winning five in a row against the Houston Astros in 1980-81.

For ESPN.com, Bob Klapisch officially commences the 2008 rivalry between the Mets and Phillies.  Among other things, he discusses the trash-talk, the collapse and the possibility of a brawl between the two clubs.

He writes:

The two rivals face each other six times in April, which will not only stoke the rivalry, but give both sides a sense of the 2008 chemistry, too. Are the Phillies even better now than in ‘07, as Rollins claims? Are the Mets damaged from the most prodigious collapse in regular-season history? 

Let’s win tomorrow. I’ll be there, and I can’t remember being this excited for an April game.   

Jon Heyman on SI.com writes that the Mets quietly explored trading Orlando Hernandez over the offseason and if they had done so they would have made more of an effort to sign Kyle Lohse.

Heyman has a number of interesting Mets related items in the same article, including his case against ‘Fire Joe Morgan‘ who thought David Wright deserved the MVP over Jimmy Rollins because of his VORP.

Heyman also writes that the Mets are losing the war of words against the Phillies.

Its tough to compete with Rollins, who is a master of trash talk. I have a feeling Paul Lo Duca would have been a fine mouthpiece, but I can’t think of any current Met who fills that role nicely just yet.

In an article for SI.com Jon Heyman discusses the trash talk between Carlos Beltran and Jimmy Rollins. 

He writes:

Beltran gave it a shot. But under the circumstances his words came off as a pale impersonation of the master [Jimmy Rollins].

For more insight on rivalries, at Metsblog Matt Cerrone asks readers, “Who do you consider the Mets biggest rival?”

As of 3:45 today, the Phillies lead voting at 46%, while the Braves trail closely at 42% and the Yankees trail in the dust at 7%.

While recent chatter has certainly made things more interesting, I certainly see the Braves as our biggest rival today.  As I wrote in this week’s Beaton’s Banter, I really just see the Phillies as a 3rd wheel that is trying to provoke the Mets into paying attention to them.  The Mets rivalry has always been bitter and intense, while classy.  The Phillies and Mets have finally become decent at the same time for the past few years, so naturally there has been some tension and aggression.  But nothing is like Chipper Jones naming his kid, “Shea”, or when June 29, 2000 became the unofficial Throw Batteries at John Rocker Day.