Should Wagner come in the 8th inning in key games?

[AutographCollector]

Seeing "Boom Boom" Wagner come in the 8th inning, made me wonder. Should Randolph bring him in in tight games when the Mets have the lead with one or two outs in the 8th, and have him finish the game off?

[NJMetfan4life]

He doesn't do very well in the 8th inning and ninth together.

[AutographCollector]

He doesn't do very well in the 8th inning and ninth together.

Interesting. He got the save today. Maybe I should have worded my question better. NOT EVERY TIME THE METS are holding a lead, just in key games. Vs NL East rivals, interleague play, etc, etc?

[NJMetfan4life]

I've seen him stuggle quite a few times. In 2006 and 2007. Not this seson. And what I ment was in 2 full innings, not 1.1 like today.

[Baseball Guru]

Well he is a very critical player of other teammates, I dont think it's asking too much of him to record a 4 or 5 out save

[freshprince85]

I really thought that we'll loose yesterdays game in the 9th, because of Wagner. He isn't the guy who can come in the 8th iniing, have a break and than get the final three outs in the 9th.
But that#s not a problem, because Filiciano, Sanchez and even Smith and Wise could make the last one or two outs in a situation like yesterdays. Wagner can just pitch the 9th, but that's OK for me.

[Thommy]

I really thought that we'll loose yesterdays game in the 9th, because of Wagner. He isn't the guy who can come in the 8th iniing, have a break and than get the final three outs in the 9th.
But that#s not a problem, because Filiciano, Sanchez and even Smith and Wise could make the last one or two outs in a situation like yesterdays. Wagner can just pitch the 9th, but that's OK for me.

YES! And that is why Wagner is our CLOSER and not any relief pitcher.

[freshprince85]

BTW, I'm missing the "It's Petersons fault that Wagner can just pitch in the 9th! fire peterson!"-post

[Brooklyn]

I'd like to see the stats to back this up, but it seems like when Wagner is asked to go two innings, he does well in the first, then poorly in the second. It may be because of the wait on the bench, or because he doesn't have the same adrenaline the second time through, but this has been consistent while he is on the Mets (can't speak for earlier)

I was nervous yesterday for this reason. I figured he'd do fine in the 8th, but was holding my breath in the 9th. The insurance run was huge

Does anyone have the stats to show how he does in his first inning of work vs. his second? I'd like to see if this is accurate

[Thommy]

As an example: He pitched 2 Innings vs. Pittsburgh (4/29/08) ... the Result was his only BS this season yet.

[nymet80]

If it's a close game and there's one or two out in the eigth and there are men on, then i say BRING HIM IN!!!!

[NY16CATCHER]

He's clearly shown that he is best used 1 inning at a time. He's at the stage of his career where he is VERY effective 1 inning at a time, but the down time between innings dramatically effects the movement of his slider and knocks too much velocity off of the fastball to make him effective.

He needs to come straight in from the pen, pitch his inning and that's it.

[Brooklyn]

It really feels like he's been frequently bad in the second inning of a two inning stint, but I went through his game logs, and he has only pitched more then 1 inning 5 times as a MEt:

June 13, 2006. Entered with a 2 run lead, 1 out in the 8th.
- 8th inning. Induced a DP
- 9th inning. A walk, single, DP and K

July 30, 2006. Entered with a 3 run lead, 2 outs in the 8th
- 8th inning. K
- 9th inning. single, 2 k's, caught stealing

June 7, 2007. Entered with a 1 run lead, 2 outs in the 8th
- 8th inning. out
- 9th inning. HR, three outs. Blown save

August 30, 2007. entered with a 2 run lead, 0 outs in the 8th
- 8th inning. HR, BB, 2 k's, out
- 9th inning. 3 singles, walk, three stolen bases against, only 1 out. 2 runs agains, blown save and loss

May 17, 2008. entered with a 3 run lead, 2 outs in the 8th
- 8th inning. out
- 9th inning. 2 singles, k, 2 outs

Very small sample size, but here are the 9th inning stats as a Met when he also pitched the 8th.

2006: 2 appearances, 2 innings, 2 saves, 0.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, .400 batting average against
2007: 2 appearances, 1.1 innings, 2 blown saves, 20.25 ERA, 3.75 WHIP, .500 batting average against
2008: 1 appearance, 1 inning, 1 save, 0.00 ERA, .2.00 WHIP, 400 batting average agaisnt

total for three years with Mets: 5 appearances, 4.1 innings, 0-1 record, 3/5 in save opportunities, 6.23 ERA, 2.31 WHIP, .421 batting average against

Vey small sample, and while his 2 bad outings in 2007 really skew these numbers, he still gave up a lot of baserunners even when he wasn't giving up runs. In fact, of the 5 appearances he has had with the Mets in this situation, he has yet to record a 1-2-3 inning.

Small sample, but enough for me to say I only want him pitching 1 inning.