Kuzul

Carlos Beltran says he is professional enough to listen to New York Mets’ management if they want to explore moving him. That’s all well and good, but he really didn’t have a choice in the matter.

Listen, Beltran’s value right now hovers between low and mediocre. Very few teams are going to want to take on the risk of a disruptive and injury-prone center fielder, let alone someone who is only in it for himself.

With free agency just one year away, there are only two ways his value could be even worse: by injuring himself even further or by playing the diva card and alienating the new management.

Regardless, Beltran needs to move to right field. In terms of the wear and tear on his surgically-repaired knee, a corner outfield spot is generally regarded as less hazardous. In terms of what is best for the team with the current roster, Angel Pagan needs to be the every day center fielder.

If Beltran insists on patrolling the middle of Citi Field, he further risks hurting himself and hurting the team. Both reduce the size of the contract he could get in 2012 and the number of potential suitors.

In a walk year, it’s natural for a player, especially one of the caliber of Beltran, to want to maximize his worth and showcase his talents. He’s not going to do that by hitting the 60-day DL in May and then again in August. He’s also not going to do that by complaining about his role in the same way that Oliver Perez did.

I don’t know how the Mets are going to find a trade partner for Beltran, and if they do it’s not going to be any time soon. Should Beltran hit .280 with 10 homers in the first half of the season next year, then there are options for Sandy Alderson and the front office. Assuming he is still amendable to waiving his no-trade clause, there would likely be a few teams willing to take a shot on him. If not, well, then the Mets eat the final four months of his contract and wish him all the best in his future endeavors in the offseason.

If Beltran wants to be paid, he’s going to have to be a model citizen both on and off the field.

He’s saying the right things now, but it’s going to take more than that to really endear himself to Mets fans who are generally unhappy with his attitude and what he has produced in comparison with his salary.

Now, if only Perez and Castillo would come out an publicly say they would agree to a trade…I’d be more than happy to put $30 toward a cab ride to JFK.

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The New York Mets were handed an extension to negotiate with reliever Hisanori Takahashi, but with the new deadline just two days away now, it seems odd that they haven’t pulled the trigger.

Yes, Takahashi has a new agent and yes, new GM Sandy Alderson needs time to evaluate the alternatives, but it’s surely a no-brainer to retain the southpaw’s services.

Takahashi was one of the most valuable cogs in a vastly underwhelming pitching staff in 2010, and there is little doubt that he earned every cent of his $1 million contract.

He started as a mid-to-late one-inning reliever, quickly took on the role of a long reliever, made a dozen games as a starter, went back to a mid-innings role and then saved six games as a stand-in closer in September. He can come into a game, face two hitters and leave after five pitches, or he can toss six or seven innings and hit 110 pitches.

On a team where the strength of pitching is uncertain, he is the ultimate utility arm.

Nobody on the Mets staff was as versatile as Takahashi and few pitchers in the game this year, let alone left-handed pitchers, were used in as many different situations. No left-handed batter took Takahashi deep in 126 plate appearances last season.

Yes, Takahashi is 35 years old, and while there are undoubtedly some merits to refusing to offer him a multi-year extension, there is absolutely no reason not to keep him on board for 2011.

Ryota Igarashi will earn $1.75 million in 2011 and John Maine earned $3.3 million in 2010 and is eligible for arbitration this offseason. Give Takahashi the extension he deserves.

New York isn’t going to be too competitive in the free agent market until 2012 at the earliest, and while they might make one or two moves, relief pitching is not going to be a priority.

In the same vein, the Mets do not have the cash to drop on left-handed veterans such as Scott Downs, and there is no need to even consider other free agents like Mark Hendrickson or Trever Miller.

Sandy Alderson said coming to an agreement with Takahashi was one of his most pressing early priorities as GM. This is your first order of business, Sandy. Fans seem to like the direction you want to take the club. Don’t disappoint them with your first personnel decision.

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When New York Mets’ former first-round draft choice Brad Holt is good, he’s capable of shutting down offenses at will. When he’s bad, well, he’s “3-14 with an 8.34 ERA” awful.

Holt, the 33rd overall pick of the 2008 draft, was considered by upper management to be one of the best starting pitchers in the entire Mets system heading into 2010. But his terrible campaign with Double-A Binghamton was made even worse when his struggles continued with Class-A St. Lucie.

The 24-year-old, who led the New York-Penn League with a 1.87 ERA and team-high 96 strikeouts in his first year in professional baseball in ’08, had his moments in an up-and-down 2009 season.

His early struggles in the Eastern League were seen as nothing more than simply being challenged at a new level.

These problems, though, continued into the start of 2010. Holt posted a 1-5 record and 10.20 ERA in 10 games. Opponents hit .336 against him, and the Mets had no real choice but to option him down to the Florida State League.

The right-hander continued to hit a mental wall, making the waters even murkier in the Sunshine State. His thoughts were all over the place, and his 2-9 record and 7.48 ERA was less indicative of his talent and potential than a shocking indictment of the importance of focus on the mound.

Holt told MLB.com, “It was a mental year, I got caught in the quicksand and it’s hard to come out of it. It was just all in my head, it was frustrating all year.”

Looking to start fresh and rebuild his confidence, Holt pitched in the instructional leagues before heading down to Arizona to pitch for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Fall League.

Three starts in, and he’s 2-0 with a perfect 0.00 ERA.

He has allowed just one earned run in nine innings, and on Saturday he allowed one hit while striking out five batters and walking none.

He says his fastball command is where he wants it to be, and he told MLB.com that he is finally getting some success adding the cutter to his repertoire with the help of the Mets’ Triple-A pitching coach Ricky Bones.

The biggest key, however, is that his head is in the game.

“The biggest thing coming off of last season was not having any type of command, so all the wildness was making all my thoughts jumbled,” he explained. “I cleared my thoughts and I started to do what felt comfortable out there, and I think that has played a big part in me getting back in the zone and throwing strikes.”

The key was staying in the zone. It was all about the command,” he said. “When you can command more than two pitches, it makes it that much easier. I wanted to get ahead of hitters, throw first-pitch strikes and get ahead in the count. That was a big key to everything going smoothly.”

Mets fans should not expect to see Holt in Flushing any time soon. He’s never pitched above Triple-A and it’s unrealistic to assume that he will get a shot with the big club until late-2012 at the earliest.

That doesn’t make him a bust, but it probably does put him a year behind where people thought he would be.

Still, if he has continued success in the Fall League–where some of the very best hitters in the Minor Leaguers play–then it is safe to say that he will be in a much better place, mentally and physically, by the start of the 2011 season.

With a new, positive mindset and four pitches that he can throw for strikes, Holt might be able to make believers out of doubters once again.

To read more about Holt’s performance in the AFL, read the full MLB story here.

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Statistics can prove anything, but more often than not, they mean nothing. I enjoy bits of trivia, not because I want to win a bet with my friends, but because they can shed light on trends and highlight new things. As a baseball fan and sports junkie, I love hearing something and saying, “Wow, I never knew that.”

Keeping that in mind, here are a collection of stats, facts, and notes about your American League playoff teams, thanks to Elias Sports Bureau, SABR, press officers, and media reps. Enjoy the information overload.

New York Yankees

Sweep Dreams

The Yankees enter postseason play as a Wild Card team for the fourth time (also 1995, 1997 and 2007), but they have never advanced to the ALCS when entering the playoffs in this fashion. However, if they sweep the Twins, it is pretty good news for Joe Girardi’s men because the Yanks have won the World Series each of the three times they have swept in the division series.

The Men With the Golden Gloves

The Yankees led the majors with a .988 fielding pct., their best mark ever for a season. 2B Robinson Cano (.996) and SS Derek Jeter (.989) became the first set of teammates to finish a season as the fielding leaders at SS and 2B (in either league) since Omar Vizquel/Roberto Alomar for Cleveland in 2001, and the first Yankees to accomplish the feat since Phil Rizzuto/Jerry Coleman in 1949.

The Yankees’ primary infielders in 2010 (Teixeira, Cano, Jeter, Rodriguez) combined for a .994 fielding percentage. Their 27 combined errors were the fewest or any Major League team at those positions.

Home Field Advantage

The Yankees became the second team among baseball’s current 30 franchises, to advance to the postseason in each of the first two seasons in their current stadium, joining Atlanta (1997-98 at Turner Field).

Rising to the Occasion

Derek Jeter has reached base safely via hit, walk or hit by pitch in 48 of 53 career Division Series games, and 122 of his all-time record 138 career postseason contests.

Slap Happy

Lance Berkman owns a .321 (34-for-106) career postseason batting average, the fourth-highest mark among all active players, and he has hit safely in 11 of his 12 career postseason games, including 10 straight from Game 3 of the 2001 NLDS through Game 4 of the 2004 NLCS.

Backstop Longevity

According to Elias, Jorge Posada is the first player to catch at least one game with the same team in 16 straight seasons, since Johnny Bench with Cincinnati (17 consecutive seasons, 1967-83).

Minnesota Twins

Starting off on the Right Foot

Manager Ron Gardenhire is the first manager to guide his team into the postseason in six of his first nine seasons as a Major League Manager. Sparky Anderson and Earl Weaver did it in five of their first eight seasons.

New Ballpark, New Fortunes?

The Twins are the 13th team to go to the playoffs in their first year in a new ballpark. They join the 2009 and 1923 Yankees, 2006 Cardinals, 2000 Giants, 1997 Braves, 1995 Rockies, 1989 Blue Jays, 1970 Pirates and Reds, 1912 Red Sox, 1911 Giants, and 1909 Pirates.

Elite Club

Francisco Liriano is making his first career postseason start Wednesday night, and he becomes the fourth different Twins pitcher to make a Game 1 start in the ALDS following Brad Radke, Santana three times, and Brian Duensing. Speaking of Liriano, he did not allow a home run in 96.1 consecutive innings pitched from May 20-Aug.18. It was the second-longest streak in Twins history, behind Bert Blyleven’s 99.0 innings from 1974-1975.

Tampa Bay Rays

A Bizarre Playoff Rule Change?

On Monday the American League approved a change to the Tropicana Field ground rules, effective for the 2010 postseason. Under the new rule, a batted ball that strikes either of the two upper catwalks, lights or suspended objects above fair territory, is a dead ball (and no pitch). Previously, balls that struck the upper catwalks, lights or suspended objects above fairground, were in play.

SI Stardom

David Price is featured on the cover of today’s playoff issue of Sports Illustrated. He is the third Ray (first by himself), to be featured on the magazine’s cover – Carl Crawford was on the cover as a cartoon with the Yankees on May 26, 2008, and Rocco Baldelli shared the cover with Carlos Ruiz of the Phillies on November 3, 2008.

Statistically Speaking

The Rays became the second Major League team since 1900 to score 800 runs (802) while hitting .250 or less (.247). The other team was the 1991 Tigers (.247, 87 runs). In addition, the Rays 1,292 strikeouts were the most ever by an AL or NL team that advanced to the postseason. Want more junk? How about the fact that the Rays were the only Major League team in 2010 to have five pitchers qualify for the ERA title (minimum 162 IP).

Crawford is That Good

No player in the modern era since 1900 has matched his combination of homers (19), triples (13), batting average (.307) and stolen bases (47).

Rookie Dropping the Signs

Rookie John Jaso batted leadoff in 45 games, 41 as catcher. According to Baseball Reference, only two players in history have started as many games catching and batting leadoff in one season since 1901. Jason Kendall and Rollie Hemsley are the others.

Pena’s Mendoza Line Power

Carlos Pena’s .196 average was lowest among all hitters who qualified for the batting title in 2010. It was the lowest by a player since Rob Deer hit .179 in 1991 for Detroit. His 28 homers rank third all time among players who hit under .200 in a season, joining Mark McGwire (.187/29 in 2001) and Mark Reynolds (.198/32 in 2010.)

Texas Rangers

Winner, Winner, Clinching Dinner

Texas clinched the division in its 154th game of 2010, the earliest that the Rangers have ever won a division title or sealed a playoff spot. The Rangers won the division by a club-record nine games, one game better than the previous largest margin from 1999.

A Long, Long Wait

Michael Young is appearing in his first postseason in his 10th year in the major league. He has appeared in 1,508 career regular season games, second most of any active player without a playoff appearance. The leader is Randy Winn (1,717 games) for those who care.

A First Time For Everything

Today’s game was the Rangers first postseason game on turf, in a dome, or in the daytime. It was also their first postseason game anywhere other than old Yankee Stadium or Rangers Ballpark, and it was the first time the opposing managers were anyone other than Johnny Oates and Joe Torre.

Wanted: Experienced Help

There are five Rangers who have appeared previously in postseason play. Darren Oliver is the only one to do it with the Rangers, when he appeared in the 1996 ALDS. He joins Jeff Francoeur (2005, Braves); Vlad Guerrero (2004, ’05, ’07, ’08, and ’09, Angels); Cliff Lee (2009, Phillies); and Bengie Molina (2002, ’04, ’05, Angels).

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The dog days of summer are here, and the Mets refuse to say die.

The team won just its second series since the All-Star break by taking two out of three at home against Colorado this week, and the Mets appear to be getting on a little bit of a roll.

Jose Reyes is running the bases well—even if he has had some difficulties in the field lately—and Mike Pelfrey put a rough stretch behind him by throwing seven shutout innings and showing some early-season form.

It’s not going to be easy, but the Mets are not that far away from being back in contention in the NL East.

They are going to need a hot streak, some stellar performances, and more than a slice of good fortune, but it’s not impossible.

Setting good luck aside, here are five things that need to happen for the Mets to get back in the playoff hunt.

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Dave Jauss is a man of few words, but when he speaks, people listen.

He has a unique perspective on the game, where neither the past nor the future has any impact on his opinions, and where the here and now are the only things in the world.

He’s an astute baseball man with more than two decades of experience and know-how to draw from, and he encapsulates the “taking it one day at a time” cliche better than anyone in pro sports.

Speaking with him on the field after batting practice on Tuesday, the Mets’ bench coach was his usual self, signing autographs for every kid in line and not passing a single person by without smiling and saying hello.

I asked him for his impressions of the 2-4 road trip against Atlanta and Philadelphia, the two teams above the Mets in the standings, and without pausing even for a moment as if to search for a way out of answering, he said:

“It’s Tuesday, and I can’t remember Monday. It was an off day, too, so it’s like a week ago. In this game of baseball, you only remember today, and today we have a great BP, we’re swinging the bat well and we’re ready to go out and get Ubaldo Jimenez.

“The only thing I want to do is go 1-0 each day. I don’t even look at the standings until October 3 or whenever it is. It’s just not important.”

It’s a different take for a bench coach to have, for sure, but his reasoning comes from the fact that you can’t change the past. If you can’t change it, then why dwell on it?

All of a sudden, his logic seems a little clearer, because why stay negative about something that is over and done with when there are more pressing matters at hand that you can do something about?

A few questions later, I asked him about the future; about what will make the difference with the Mets over the next month or so if they hope to get back into the playoff hunt.

The response was equally non-committal.

“It’s the same thing as not remembering the last day or even the last week,” he said. “You can’t think about tomorrow.

“If we play good baseball today, then all of the other little things will take care of themselves. We’ll get on a roll and take care of ourselves.”

I don’t know if I expected a different answer, but as he smiled, I decided to change the topic to something I knew he’d be happy to talk about…prospect Fernando Martinez.

Martinez hit .255 with 12 homers and 33 RBI in 68 games in the International League for Buffalo before being called up to the big club last week, and I knew that Jauss had seen more of Martinez than most of the other coaches on the team.

Speaking about Martinez earlier in the day, Chris Carter

had said: “Fernando is a very mature 21-year-old. He’s very professional, and I see a lot of potential in him for sure,” while Ike Davis called him “a talent with a lot of tools.”

I wanted to know if the coaches saw in him what his teammates did.

Jauss added: “I know him a little bit because he was on the other club against me in January, and all he did was wear me out. He was in Escogido and I was managing in Licey.

“It’s the same young man I saw in the other dugout, and I’m glad he’s now in my dugout. He had a good start on Sunday, he made a nice throw to home, took good swings, and his BP was good today, and we’re excited to have him in the lineup.”

Even then, the focus came back to batting practice and the events of the last 20 minutes. Jauss isn’t a man to concern himself unnecessarily with the big picture, about the past and the future, and maybe living in the moment is the secret to success.

Maybe one pitch at a time, one swing at a time, one throw at a time really is the way to handle this game. Jose Reyes said today that he has a hard time concentrating on every single pitch in an at-bat, and in a season of so many games, what will the final verdict on the Mets’ season come down to?

Most fans will define the year with a number of individual plays, just like the whole of 2007 was remembered for Carlos Beltran keeping his bat on his shoulder and 2009 was the year Luis Castillo dropped A-Rod’s game-ending pop-up.

Individually, fans don’t remember a single the other way in May, a 1-2-3 inning of a pitcher in July, a routine double play up the middle.

They’re not interesting, and they’re only newsworthy when things go wrong. Like if the single had hitter the runner going from first to second, or if the 1-2-3 inning came from a position player, or the double play recorded the final two outs of a game in the 18th inning, or something similarly unexpected.

In a season of 2,420 games, tens of thousands of pitches, baseball is remembered and defined by moments. While those moments alone account for very little, mathematically speaking, it is those same moments that account for everything.

If living in the moment is the key to understanding baseball, maybe Dave Jauss, a former coach, scout, and psychology graduate, is the smartest man in the world.

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“We are better than this.”

That was the message Mets players had on Tuesday at Citi Field, as the team looked to close the gap on NL East rivals Atlanta and Philadelphia.

“I think this is a first-place team if you ask me,” Chris Carter told me. “You know what, we’ve been losing a lot of one-run ballgames, so we just need to find a way to score one or two more runs I think we’ll be good.”

The Mets are 14-22 in one-run ballgames this season, the worst in the division. By contrast, the Phillies are 18-11 in similar circumstances. Had the Mets scored just two more runs in even a quarter of those losses, they would stand just 3.5 games back right now, a much more promising figure to overturn.

In a similar vein, the Mets are 7-16 since the All-Star break, and nine of the defeats have been by either one or two runs. Heartbreaking back-to-back shutouts in San Francisco when they held the Giants to a combined three runs but lost both games and extra-inning walk-off losses in consecutive series to the Dodgers and D-Backs really set the scene for the second half of the year.

The series in LA was particularly tough for Mets fans. They outscored Joe Torre’s Dodgers 8-7 over the four games but ended up 1-3.

After sitting in first place for five games at the end of April, the team dropped to third in the division in just over a week, fourth by May 15, and dead last the following day. Yes, the season was only 38 games old, but already fans had started to panic after getting swept on the road by the Marlins.

A 5-1 homestand in early June moved them back into second behind Atlanta, and they held the spot for more than five weeks before the surging Phillies overtook them. Now, after falling back to a season-high nine games behind the NL East leader, the Mets are looking to make another run at first.

Ike Davis said: “We’ve got a good team but we’ve lost a lot of close games. I think we’re better than a third-place team for sure, but we’re still in it.

“It’s going to take a team effort. Everyone needs to pull together and we need to play solid, fundamental baseball.”

Tuesday night, the Mets showed the kind of heart and spirit they will need to show for the rest of the season. Mike Pelfrey looked like the 10-game winner from the first half of the year and his career-high 122-pitch effort really paced the Mets in their victory. His tempo was good and he out-dueled arguably the best pitcher in the league this year.

The Mets struggled somewhat at the plate against Ubaldo Jimenez as many would have expected, but they got men on base when they could and they pushed across the winning run with fundamental baseball—walks, base hits, and sacrifice flys.

Most importantly, they were strong in the field. Ike Davis made two fine stops at first base, including a fierce stab to deny Carlos Gonzalez, and Fernando Martinez layed out for a diving stretch in left field to deny Ian Stewart in the latter stages of the contest. And then there’s the bullpen. Six up, six down for Hisanori Takahashi and Francisco Rodriguez.

If it’s going to take fundamental baseball and a little bit of good luck, Tuesday’s win was just what Davis had in mind. It’s not going to be this smooth every day of the week, but the team certainly proved to detractors that they are capable of holding their own against the best in the business.

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The New York Mets might be 8.5 games out of first place in the National League East, but the players know that they are capable of turning the deficit around if they’re given time.

Therein lies the kicker, though. The Mets are more than two-thirds of the way through their schedule and time just isn’t something that is on their side. Still, they say, you can’t stop believing now.

 Ike Davis knows the Mets are still right in the thick of things, but he also appreciates that the club can’t continue to drop series, especially to divisional rivals like they did on their last road trip.

 “We’re trying to get something started right now,” the first baseman told me in front of the Mets dugout. “The season’s not over and we have time—not a lot, but we have some time—to put something together and see if we can rattle off a couple good streaks.”

 Although young, Davis is among those leading by example, both in the clubhouse and on the field. He took extended batting practice ahead of Tuesday’s home opener with the Colorado Rockies and he has been keeping loose in and around his teammates.

The streaky slugger also appears to be adopting a more patient approach at the plate, even if he would like to be ripping the ball to all fields a little more.

He added: “You could say I’m doing better, yes, I guess. I mean I was laying off some pitches, but I wasn’t really driving the ball. I was getting my hits and taking some walks, but I need to drive the ball.”

 Similarly, fellow Mets newcomer Chris Carter understands that the club is capable of mounting a late-season charge.

“The guys and the coaching staff know that we are still in this,” Carter said, “but we’re running out of games and we need to start playing well.”

While Davis will continue to get regular playing time at first base, Carter knows he will have to make the most of every single at-bat that comes his way.

The pinch-hitting specialist is tied for seventh in the Majors with 10 hits off the bench, while his .294 batting average as a pinch hitter is 11th in the NL. He has more pinch hits than any rookie in all of baseball in 2010, and he is fifth with five RBIs.

Carter added: “Every opportunity I get I’m happy to have and I’m happy to be here and excited for trying to make a playoff run because I really believe in this team.”

After the series with Colorado, the Mets will host the Phillies to complete their six-game homestand. Road trips to Houston and Pittsburgh follow are sandwiched between sets at home to Florida and Houston and then, if the Mets are still in contention, the run-in really begins.

Six of their next eight series are against NL East opponents, with New York facing Atlanta and Philly for a combined 13 games in 28 days. This will truly make or break their season, although games against the Marlins and Cubs won’t be easy either.

The players believe they can still challenge for the playoffs in 2010, and although they’re going to need almost everything to go their way, it could just happen.

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Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline came and went last weekend, with a number of clubs making last-minute additions to their team in a bid to make one final charge towards October.

There were buyers and there were sellers. Others decided to stay pat, content with what they had, or, more likely, unable or willing to shell out top dollar or part ways with highly-touted prospects.

Now that July 31 is a thing of the past, baseball fans can look forward to the next big deadline… August 31. It’s a convoluted time in MLB’s calendar when bluffs and counter bluffs can push a team over the top or hamper their finances for years to come.

It’s a time when teams put virtually everyone up for grabs, only to take them back off of waivers when somebody shows interest in them, and it’s a time where players, if dealt, can only get moved to the bidding team with the worst record within the league.

Should no teams show an interest in a player, usually because they don’t want to get left picking up the player’s remaining salary if his owner says, “Take him; he’s yours,” then it’s open season once again, and clubs can trade him to any team they wish.

Here are some players who could pass through waivers, but still switch teams before the end of summer.

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I am so sick of hearing about how much Francisco Rodriguez sucks.

It seems all Mets fans can do these days is dish out the blame.

First, it was Jerry Manuel, then Oliver Perez, then Jeff Francoeur. Jason Bay’s power has gone, Rod Barajas’ swing has forsaken him, and Luis Castillo has no purpose on a Major League roster.

David Wright took a beating from his supposed supporters earlier in the year, and if people aren’t criticizing Omar Minaya for how he handled Jenrry Mejia they are complaining about a lack of pitching, a lack of hitting, or both.

Now it’s K-Rod’s turn.

There has been very little praise this year for a team that is still right in the thick of both divisional and wild card hunts. In case you forgot, it’s only July.

Rodriguez has had 68 save opportunities since he arrived in New York. He has converted 56 of these chances, or 82 percent.

It’s reasonable, if not spectacular.

But keep in mind there have been 1,893 saves and 913 blown saves in the league since the start of the ’09 season…just a 67 percent success rate.

Say what you want about Rodriguez, but he is well above average.

Of the saves he has blown in 2010, three were when he entered a one-run game and two were when he entered a two-run game. Of those one-run games, Rodriguez inherited a runner on second base.

K-Rod hasn’t blown a save when he entered the start of an inning with a three-run lead—unlike Ryan Madson against the Braves, LaTroy Hawkins against the Cubs, Ryan Perry against the Mariners, or Kevin Gregg against the Rays.

Nobody cares about the five-out save Rodriguez recorded against the Cubs in April when he came into the game with the bases loaded and one out, or the game in mid-May against the Yankees with the bases loaded and Jeter at the plate.

How about the other elite closers in the league?

Remember when Mariano Rivera came into a two-run game against the Twins in relief of Joba Chamberlain with the bases loaded, only to walk in a run and then serve up a grand slam homer? Or how about the Independence Day game against the Blue Jays when he gave up three hits and couldn’t hold down the lead?

How about Heath Bell, the man tied for the saves lead this season? He blew three saves in five weeks earlier this year, and he hasn’t even converted three-quarters of the games when he’s came into a one-run game in the ninth.

Francisco Cordero has been an absolute train wreck, blowing three one-run leads, a pair of two-run leads, and a three-run lead.  Jonathan Papelbon has surrendered twice as many home runs as Rodriguez in eight fewer innings. Even Andrew Bailey, the closer of the future, has blown three saves this year, twice unable to work out of another pitchers’ jam. And three times he has came into a tied game in 2010 only to walk away with the loss.

So yes, Rodriguez has blown five saves, but the 12 guys who have more saves than him in 2010 have blown, on average, 3.3 saves this year too. In addition, Rodriguez has a better ERA than seven of the men ahead of him, and he has more wins than three of the other five.

Rodriguez hasn’t been perfect this year, but he has been one of the most worked closers in the league— taking on more innings of work than any other front-line stopper in the game. The issue isn’t surrounding his struggles, but rather a failure to live up to the hype of 62 saves and a 2.24 ERA he sported in Los Angeles in 2008.

Still, he was an All-Star last season and he finished the most games out of anyone in the Major Leagues. By almost any account, he has been better this year: his ERA is a full run lower, his home runs ratios are down by one-third, and he is striking out more batters while walking less.

In fact, with the exception of a few more hits, his peripheral numbers are almost on a par with his four-year averages from his time with the Angles—when he saved a combined 194 games and led the league in saves three out of four years.

Closers aren’t perfect. None of them are. But fans demand perfection from a specialist player who has a very limited job description and has to play—by the nature of his work—in the most clutch situations.

Rodriguez is still an above-average pitcher who still has the makeup to be elite. Unfortunately, fans don’t have the patience they need to appreciate what he can bring to the club. Under the spotlight of New York, being above average, more often than not, simply is not enough for some people.

Support your ball club, rally around your team, and show some passion. In case you hadn’t read the memo, whining and criticizing is not interchangeable with support.

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