FLUSHING -- Nelson Figueroa did not pitch well on a chilly Monday night at Shea. Not by a long haul. The Brooklyn native allowed six runs -- four earned -- on five hits, five walks and two hit batsmen in five innings in the Mets' 10-4 loss to the Nationals. A pitcher in jeopardy of losing his job with a roster decision pending, Figueroa could hardly afford an outing so spotty.
But juxtaposed with Jorge Sosa, the man who relieved him, Figueroa looked like Cy Young. Sosa came on in the sixth inning of a 6-3 game and quickly made it a blowout, true to form as the White Flag: the human embodiment of surrender. Washing bats tagged the right-hander for four earned runs on four hits and two walks -- one intentional. Sosa has now given up 23 total runs in 21 2/3 innings, allowing nearly two baserunners per inning in the process.
It's easy to wonder why Sosa was even in Monday's game with the score still close. The Mets are in the midst of a nine-day stretch in which they will play 10 games, so they need to get solid performances out of all their relievers; that's for sure. But Sosa's principal value lies in his ability to pitch more than one inning, and the pitcher's slot was due up second in the bottom of the frame.
Perhaps Sosa's formidable four-inning-long scoreless stretch convinced Willie Randolph to wave the White Flag in the situation. But of all the pitchers on the Mets' staff, only Duaner Sanchez came into the game with a higher ERA, and his mark is bloated by one lousy outing in Arizona. Just about anyone would have been a better choice to relieve Figueroa in the spot, which became particularly clear when Sanchez and Joe Smith threw scoreless innings after Sosa's implosion rendered the deficit insurmountable.
It's important to consider Sosa against his teammates when contemplating the team's forthcoming roster moves. The Mets will have to recall a starter -- most likely lefty Adam Bostick -- for Wednesday's game, at which point they may opt to move Figueroa or Smith to Triple-A. Figueroa seems like a long shot to be sent packing, as despite his recent struggles he remains one of the team's most effective starting pitchers. Still, reports have claimed the Mets could send Figueroa packing and give Sosa a crack at the rotation. Lunacy.
Smith, though he's been the Mets' most effective right-handed reliever, has options on his contract and so can be shuttled back and forth between Queens and New Orleans.
But sending Smith packing -- even for a short time -- to keep Sosa on the roster seems foolish at best. And since Matt Wise will likely return from the disabled list to replace the spot starter on the active roster, Smith will essentially be cut from the big-league club to make room for Wise.
Even if you think Wise will pitch better than Smith -- a tough call given Smith's success this year -- the move makes little or no sense for a team purportedly trying to compete for the pennant. The Mets could easily make room for both Wise and Smith if they would cut bait on Sosa's $2 million contract and designate the righty for assignment. Because he has no options remaining, Sosa would have to clear waivers to join the Mets' Triple-A club, or could opt to become a free agent and still earn all of his 2008 salary.
The Mets claim to love Sosa's versatility, but thus far in 2008, Sosa has shown only that he can pitch poorly in a variety of situations. And though Sosa is supposedly the closest thing the team has to a long reliever, he's thrown more than two innings precisely once -- in the second game of the season.
Meanwhile in Triple-A New Orleans, long man Tim McNab boasts a 2.28 ERA in 23 2/3 innings across 13 appearances and closer Carlos Muniz -- who threw four scoreless innings for the Mets early in the season -- has allowed only one run in his first 14 innings. Both right-handers would likely fare better in the Majors than Sosa has, but if the Mets are so desperate for a versatile pitcher with big-league experience, they can recall Ruddy Lugo. Lugo, a veteran of two seasons in the Tampa Bay bullpen, has worked out of the Zephyrs' starting rotation and pitched splendidly, posting a 2.70 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 40 innings over seven starts.
The only rationale the Mets could have for keeping Sosa around is the fear he could flee to free agency or be claimed by another team if he is waived. But at this point, how many Major League teams are clamoring for a reliever with a 7.06 ERA? Aside from one stellar year in 2005, Sosa has never even been league average on the mound. He's another example of a pitcher -- paging Scott Erickson -- who hangs around longer than he deserves to on the strength of one strong season.
Smith, Bostick, Lugo, Muniz and McNab all have better cases for roster spots than Sosa does. Within the next few weeks, we will see if the Mets recognize those cases or continue to stubbornly grip the White Flag.
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