Category: Baseball
Mets Tidbits:
- Lucas Duda was scratched from today’s lineup with an ailing back injury. Duda had originally encountered the injury last weekend in Colorado and played through it. On Monday Duda was given an anti-inflamatory injection, and he sat out the first two games against the Nationals this week to allow his back time to heal. It’s a concerning development as Duda has now missed multiple games this week. Keep in mind he spent time on the disabled list last season from August 22-September 6th with a lower back injury as well. It will be a situation to monitor over the next couple of days to see if a move to the disabled list is in order. Eric Campbell is getting the start in Duda’s place today and batting seventh. Alejandro De Aza has been doing some work at first base in order to receive more playing time, and it could come in handy sooner rather than later. Stay posted.
- Terry Collins indicated prior to this afternoon’s game that Wilmer Flores will begin a rehab assignment on Tuesday and likely be activated on Friday. It’s a great development as the corner infield spots have been a bit banged up lately and the Mets could really use Flores versatility right now. Flores was originally placed on the disabled list back on May 12th with a tweaked left hamstring and appears to be ready to be activated as soon as he is eligible.
Lineups & Game Notes: Brewers vs. Mets 4:10 pm et
Milwaukee Brewers (18-24):
- Jonathan Villar (S) SS
- Scooter Gennett (L) 2B
- Jonathan Lucroy (R) C
- Chris Carter (R) 1B
- Kirk Nieuwenhuis (L) CF
- Aaron Hill (R) 3B
- Alex Presley (L) LF
- Ramon Flores (L) RF
- Zach Davies (R) P
SP: Zach Davies RHP (1-3, 5.58 ERA)
New York Mets (23-18):
1. Curtis Granderson (L) RF
2. David Wright (R) 3B
3. Michael Conforto (L) LF
4. Yoenis Cespedes (R) CF
5. Neil Walker (S) 2B
6. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
7. Eric Campbell (R) 1B
8. Kevin Plawecki (R) C
9. Jacob deGrom (L) P
SP: Jacob deGrom RHP (3-1, 2.50 ERA)
Today’s game can be seen on WPIX.
Game Notes:
BREWERS-METS NOTES: The Mets are 9-14 vs. Milwaukee at Citi Field…New York has outscored the Brewers 22-4 in their last three contests at Citi Field.
METS LOVE THE SUN: New York is 8-4 in day games this year, including 4-2 at home.
deGROM in deDAY: Jacob deGrom is 13-2 with a 1.39 ERA in 22 career daytime starts…That is the best daytime ERA among qualified major league pitchers over the last three years.
deGROM in deCITI: DeGrom has allowed one earned run in two home starts this year (12.0 innings – 0.75 ERA)…He is 13-7 with a 1.79 ERA (35 earned runs/175.2 innings) in 27 starts at Citi Field…His 1.79 home ERA is the third-lowest in the majors since 2014 among pitchers with at least 100.0 innings…Trails Clayton Kershaw (1.70) and Jake Arrieta (1.75).
deCOMBO: DeGrom is 5-1 with a 0.84 ERA (six earned runs/64.0 innings) in 10 career home starts during the day.
deGROMINATING MILWAUKEE: deGrom has four career starts against Milwaukee, going 3-1 with a 1.38 ERA…He has won his last three starts against the Brewers dating to July 27, 2014…His 1.38 ERA is the lowest ERA against any team he has faced at least four times..
DO THE MATH: The Mets have hit 57 homers and allowed 26…The +31 home run differential is the best in the majors.
LIGHTS OUT: Familia has retired every batter he’s faced in eight of his last 11 outings…Opponents have a .150 OPS over the last 14 days vs. Familia, the lowest mark among ML relievers.
WELCOME BACK TO THE CITI: Kirk Nieuwenheis is making his return to Citi Field for the first time as an opposing player… Nieuwenhuis was drafted by the New York Mets in the third round of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft out of the Azusa Pacific University..Nieuwenhuis made his major league debut with the Mets on April 7, 2012… In four seasons on the Mets roster the 28-year old outfielder hit .235 with 17 HR’s and 71 RBI’s… On December 23, 2015 Nieuwenhuis was claimed by the Milwaukee Brewers off of waivers…Reliever Carlos Torres will also be facing his former club that he previously spent the past two seasons with…Torres held a 17-18 record with a 3.59 ERA in 241 innings pitched with the Mets while striking out 219 and walking 73… On April 2, 2016 Torres signed a one year major league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers after being released by the Atlanta Braves.
HENDERSON FACES FORMER TEAM: Jim Henderson is facing his former team for the first time since departing via free agency this offseason… After spending ten seasons in the minor leagues, Henderson made his major league debut for the Milwaukee Brewers on July 26, 2012…Henderson was with the Brewers big league club from 2012-2014 and spent 2015 rehabbing in the minor leagues for Milwaukee after having shoulder surgery in August 2014…Henderson posted an 8-9 record with a 3.44 ERA and 31 saves in 102 innings pitched for the Brewers…Henderson had struck out 158 and walked 47 in his time with the Brewers…The 33-year old reliever signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets on December 3, 2015.
BREW SLAMMERS: Curtis Granderson Batted .375 (9-24) with four home runs , five RBI’s and five runs scored in six games vs. Milwaukee in 2015 … His four homers vs. the Brewers were tied for the most he hit versus any opponent last year…Neil Walker Has hit 11 home runs in 91 career games vs. Milwaukee…That total is tied for second-most in his career vs. any opponent (also has hit 11 vs.Cubs)…Yoenis Cespedes has hit .400 (10-25) with 2 HR’S and 4 RBI’s in seven games played in his career against the Brewers.
METS VS. DAVIES: Zach Davies has never faced the New York Mets… The only current Mets hitter to have faced the 23-year old right-hander was Neil Walker and he is 0-3 in his career with 1 walk.
Final Recap: Mets 3 – Brewers 2
The New York Mets (23-18) defeated the Milwaukee Brewers (18-24) by the final score of 3-2 tonight. For a full boxscore recap follow the link below…
Game Notes:
- Steven Matz was strong tonight picking up the win and pitching 7 innings while only allowing 2 runs on 3 hits with 8 strikeouts.
- Michael Conforto was 2-4 with the go-ahead 2-run home run.
- Rene Rivera was 0-4 with an RBI groundout.
- Jeurys Familia picked up his 14th save of the season with a perfect 9th.
Back to your regular scheduled programming folks. The Mets won tonight playing the type of ballgame we’ve seen them accustomed to winning so far this season. The Mets had a strong pitched game from Steven Matz, played solid defense behind him, and a home run helped decide the game. Speaking of pitching, Steven Matz was absolutely brilliant tonight coming off of a skipped start due to an elbow issue. The long layoff did no harm to Matz as he made one mistake pitch the whole night, and that came in the top of the first off of the bat of Chris Carter for a 2-run home run. With tonight’s victory Matz made Mets franchise history by becoming the first pitcher to win ten of his first eleven starts to start his career. Matz has been consistently great since overcoming his bad first start of the season, and he is definitely one of the top candidate’s for NL Rookie of the Year.
Michael Conforto saved the day tonight with his go-ahead 2-run home run in the bottom of the sixth. The Mets offense was stagnant all night against arguably the worst pitcher in baseball this season, and it would’ve been a brutal loss if they couldn’t muster a win tonight. Hopefully the rest of the offense can shake out of their funk this weekend as they are facing two very hittable pitchers over the next two games.
Jeurys Familia is a perfect 14-14 in save situations this season and continues to prove why he is one of the best closers in baseball. I have never felt more comfortable with a closer since Billy Wagner as Familia is a no-nonsense pitcher, and usually gets the job done quickly and efficiently. Addison Reed also pitched a solid eighth inning to bridge the gap to Familia. The Mets bullpen has been flat out dominant so far this season. To further prove that point, when the Mets are leading after the seventh and eighth inning they have a record of 22-0. That is a nasty stat right there.
- The Mets will go for the series victory tomorrow afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 4:10 pm et. You can catch tomorrow’s game on WPIX.
- Jacob deGrom (3-1, 2.50 ERA) will toe the rubber against Brewers right-hander Zach Davies (1-3, 5.58 ERA).
Lineups & Game Notes: Brewers vs. Mets 7:10 pm et.
Milwaukee Brewers (18-23):
1. Jonathan Villar (S) SS
2. Hernan Perez (R) 3B
3. Jonathan Lucroy (R) C
4. Chris Carter (R) 1B
5. Aaron Hill (R) 2B
6. Kirk Nieuwenhuis (L) RF
7. Keon Broxton (R) CF
8. Alex Presley (L) LF
9. Wily Peralta (R) P
SP: Wily Peralta RHP (2-4, 7.30 ERA)
New York Mets (22-18):
1. Curtis Granderson (L) RF
2. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
3. Michael Conforto (L) LF
4. Yoenis Cespedes (R) CF
5. Neil Walker (S) 2B
6. Lucas Duda (L) 1B
7. Eric Campbell (R) 3B
8. Rene Rivera (R) C
9. Steven Matz (R) P
SP: Steven Matz LHP (5-1, 2.86 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY.
Game Notes:
BREWERS-METS NOTES: The Mets are 8-14 vs. Milwaukee at Citi Field…New York has outscored the Brewers 19-2 in their last two contests at Citi Field.
HEADING INTO TONIGHT: The Mets have lost six of their last seven games and are 3-7 in their last 10 games…The Mets are 10-8 at home this season, including winning nine of their last 13…The Mets are 6-2-2 in their last 10 series, including 3-3 in home series.
YO KEEP ROLLIN’: Yoenis Cespedes is tied for the major league lead in home runs (13) with Nolan Arenado…According to Elias, it’s the latest date on which a Mets player has led the majors in homers since Howard Johnson had a share of the lead through June 18, 1991, when he was tied with Chili Davis and Dave Henderson…Cespedes also became the quickest Met to 30 home runs (92 games), breaking Dave Kingman’s mark (111 games).
FRIDAY THE 13TH: Matz is making his 13th regular season start tonight…He is 9-1 through his first 12 starts…Since 1900, the only other lefthanded pitcher to win nine of his first 12 major league games was Kazuhisa Ishii in 2002 (10-1)…Research courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau…Matz is also the first pitcher in Mets history to win nine of his first 10 major league decisions.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR CANDIDATE: Matz leads all major league rookies with five wins, is second in ERA (2.86) and is third in strikeouts (35).
WELCOME BACK TO THE CITI: Kirk Nieuwenheis is making his return to Citi Field for the first time as an opposing player… Nieuwenhuis was drafted by the New York Mets in the third round of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft out of the Azusa Pacific University..Nieuwenhuis made his major league debut with the Mets on April 7, 2012… In four seasons on the Mets roster the 28-year old outfielder hit .235 with 17 HR’s and 71 RBI’s… On December 23, 2015 Nieuwenhuis was claimed by the Milwaukee Brewers off of waivers…Reliever Carlos Torres will also be facing his former club that he previously spent the past two seasons with…Torres held a 17-18 record with a 3.59 ERA in 241 innings pitched with the Mets while striking out 219 and walking 73… On April 2, 2016 Torres signed a one year major league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers after being released by the Atlanta Braves.
HENDERSON FACES FORMER TEAM: Jim Henderson is facing his former team for the first time since departing via free agency this offseason… After spending ten seasons in the minor leagues, Henderson made his major league debut for the Milwaukee Brewers on July 26, 2012…Henderson was with the Brewers big league club from 2012-2014 and spent 2015 rehabbing in the minor leagues for Milwaukee after having shoulder surgery in August 2014…Henderson posted an 8-9 record with a 3.44 ERA and 31 saves in 102 innings pitched for the Brewers…Henderson had struck out 158 and walked 47 in his time with the Brewers…The 33-year old reliever signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets on December 3, 2015.
BREW SLAMMERS: Curtis Granderson Batted .375 (9-24) with four home runs , five RBI’s and five runs scored in six games vs. Milwaukee in 2015 … His four homers vs. the Brewers were tied for the most he hit versus any opponent last year (also hit four against the Reds)…Neil Walker Has hit 11 home runs in 90 career games vs. Milwaukee…That total is tied for second-most in his career vs. any opponent (also has hit 11 vs.Cubs)…Yoenis Cespedes has hit .409 (9-22) with 2 HR’S and 4 RBI’s in six games played in his career against the Brewers.
METS VS. PERALTA: Wily Peralta has made 4 career starts against the Mets and has posted a 3-1 record with a 2.88 ERA, his lowest ERA against any opponent with a minimum of 25 career innings pitched…Peralta has struck out 15 and walked 8 batters…Notable numbers against the 27-year old right-hander are provided below…
- Lucas Duda: .333 (3-9), 2 2B, 3 RBI
- Curtis Granderson: .625 (5-8), 2 2B, 2 HR
- Neil Walker: .286 (4-14), 1 2B, 1 HR
- David Wright: .000 (0-8), 1 BB, 1 K
- Eric Campbell: .667 (2-3), 1 2B, 1 RBI
Don’t count out Harvey just yet.
In case you have been living under a rock the past couple of months, the talk of baseball is currently surrounding Matt Harvey and his struggles thus far. It has been an alarming fall from grace for Harvey who was instrumental in helping get the Mets to last year’s World Series coming off of Tommy John surgery. Continue reading
Final Recap: Nationals 7 – Mets 1
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 18: Juan Lagares #12 of the New York Mets catches a ball hit by Daniel Murphy #20 of the Washington Nationals in the seventh inning that led to a run during their game at Citi Field on May 18, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
The Washington Nationals (23-16) defeated the New York Mets (22-16) tonight by the final score of 7-1. For a full boxscore recap follow the link below…
Game Notes:
- Bartolo Colon had a tough outing going 4.2 innings while allowing 3 runs on 5 hits. Colon walked 5 and struck out 4.
- Antonio Bastardo pitched 0.2 of an inning and allowed a 2 run single to Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos.
- Jim Henderson pitched an inning and allowed 2 runs on 2 hits. He struck out 2 and walked a batter.
- Yoenis Cespedes was 2-4 with a solo HR.
- Asdrubal Cabrera was 2-4 with a double.
A very uncharacteristic game for Mets pitchers tonight as it seemed everyone was struggling with their command. It was a wet and cold night at Citi Field, but who knows if that had anything to do with it. The Mets have been praised for their ability to not provide free-passes all season and tonight they allowed a whopping eleven walks and two hit by pitches. They put way too many baserunners on tonight and put the pressure on themselves to squeeze out of jams which seemed to happen every inning. We’ll chalk this one up as an off-night for the pitchers, but we will need a much better performance out of the pitchers if they want to get a series victory tomorrow night.
One flaw early in the season with this Mets ball club has been their inability to hit with runners in scoring position. All three runs the Mets have scored this series have come via three solo home runs. The Mets had a chance to get back into this game in the bottom of the seventh down four runs with the bases loaded and one out, but they could not convert on their opportunity. The Mets are dead last in the league with a .208 average when it comes to runners in scoring position, and that is something that they will need to improve on over the course of the season.
It was a tough loss as you hate losing to the Nationals no matter how early in the season it still may be. There was one shining moment tonight however, as Juan Lagares made a Willy Mays-esque over-the-shoulder catch in center field in the bottom of the seventh inning, which was absolutely incredible. We’ll have one more crack at the Nationals tomorrow night and hope for better results, especially from the pitching staff.
- The Mets and Nationals will play the rubber game of their three game set tomorrow night at 7:10 pm et. The game can be seen on SNY and MLB Network.
- Matt Harvey (3-5, 4.93 ERA) will look to right the ship again and face Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg (6-0, 2.95 ERA).
Lineups & Game Notes: Nationals vs. Mets
Washington Nationals (23-16):
1. Ben Revere (L) CF
2. Jayson Werth (R) LF
3. Bryce Harper (L) RF
4. Daniel Murphy (L) 2B
5. Ryan Zimmerman (R) 1B
6. Anthony Rendon (R) 3B
7. Danny Espinosa (S) SS
8. Jose Lobaton (S) C
9. Gio Gonzalez (R) P
SP: Gio Gonzalez LHP (2-1, 1.93 ERA)
New York Mets (22-16):
1. Curtis Granderson (L) RF
2. Juan Lagares (R) CF
3. David Wright (R) 3B
4. Yoenis Cespedes (R) LF
5. Neil Walker (S) 2B
6. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
7. Eric Campbell (R) 1B
8. Kevin Plawecki (R) C
9. Bartolo Colon (R) P
Bartolo Colon RHP (3-2, 3.53 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY & ESPN.
Game Notes:
NATIONALS-METS NOTES: The Mets are 7-14 vs. Washington at Citi Field since 2014… The Mets are 9-3 vs. the Nationals in their last 12 match-ups.
FIRST INNING FUN: New York has hit 11 first inning home runs this year, the second-most in the majors, behind Houston (12)….New York has outscored its opponents 25-12 in the first inning this season.
SCORING LEADS TO SUCCESS: The Mets 20-5 when scoring first this year…New York is 18-3 when scoring four or more runs and 4-13 when scoring three runs or less.
PITCHERS LEADING THE WAY: The Mets rank third in the majors with a 3.01 team ERA…New York has allowed 24 homers, the fewest in the majors…The Mets have issued the fewest walks (80) in the majors and ranks eighth in strikeouts (332)…Mets starters lead the majors with a 4.35 strikeout-to-walk rate.
PEN-TASTIC: The Mets pen leads the majors with a 2.39 ERA (29 earned runs/109.0 innings)…The pen ranks second in the majors with 10.16 strikeouts per nine innings.
FAMILIA RESULTS: Jeurys Famiia is 13-for-13 in save opportuni- ties and is tied for second in the majors in saves…Seven of his last 10 outings, he’s retired every batter he’s faced.
BART BEING BART: Bartolo Colon is sixth in the NL with a 1.89 ERA at home…He went 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in one start, two games vs. Washington last year…Colon ranks second in the majors with a 0.8 walk per nine innings rate…Colon is the active leader among all major league pitchers in wins (221).
FRENEMY: The Mets welcome Daniel Murphy back to Citi Field for the first time since signing a 3-year $37.5 million contract with the Washington Nationals in the offseason…The Mets selected Murphy out of Jacksonville in the 13th round (394th overall) of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft…Made his Major League debut with the Mets back on August 1, 2008…Murphy holds a career .288/.331/.424 line in seven seasons as a member of the New York Mets…The 31-year old second baseman collected his 1,000th career hit on May 2nd 2016 against the Kansas City Royals.
METS VS. GONZALEZ: The 30-year old left-hander has started 17 games in his career against the Mets posting a 9-4 record with a 2.66 ERA in 101.1 innings pitched…Gonzalez has struck out 104 batters and walked 41…Mets career numbers against Gonzalez are posted below…
- Juan Lagares: .385 (10-26), 3 2B, 1 HR.
- Yoenis Cespedes: .500 (2-4), 2 BB, 1 K
- David Wright: .286 (6-21), 1 HR, 4 RBI
- Neil Walker: .167 (1-6), 1 K
- Asdrubal Cabrera: .118 (2-17), 1 BB, 1 K
- Curtis Granderson: .133 (4-30), 1 HR, 2 RBI
Final Recap: Mets 2 – Nationals 0
The New York Mets (22-16) defeated the Washington Nationals (23-16) by the final score of 2-0 this evening at Citi Field. For a full boxscore recap follow the link below…
Game Notes:
- Noah Syndergaard pitched 7 solid scoreless innings only allowing 5 hits, and striking out 10. Syndergaard did not walk a batter.
- Curtis Granderson was 2-2 with a solo HR and 2 walks.
- Michael Conforto was 1-3 with a solo HR.
- Jeurys Familia picked up his 13th save of the season pitching a scoreless 9th.
What an absolutely electric performance by Noah Syndergaard tonight. The Nationals had absolutely no shot to hit the heat Syndergaard was throwing off the mound tonight. Nationals hitters looked overmatched at the plate, and I believe Syndergaard is climbing up the ranks of elite status in the league with each performance. There is not much else to say about his performance other than it was absolutely dominant. Curtis Granderson also started the offense off with a bang with his leadoff home run in the bottom of the 1st. It almost set the tone for the rest of the game as the Mets were in complete control for the rest of the game. Granderson’s lead off home run was his 14th as a member of the Mets and he is now just two leadoff home runs short of Jose Reyes’s record of 16. You can tell the day off on Sunday did wonders for Granderson, as he looked like the Grandyman we’ve come to know over the last year by reaching base in all four plate appearances.
A gigantic credit to the Mets fans for giving Daniel Murphy a well deserved ovation twice before his first official at-bat tonight. Murphy has been a big part of this organization for the better half of seven seasons and he is well respected by his former teammates, as well as Mets fans alike. I had a chance to meet Daniel after a spring training game a few years ago in Tampa and he is one of the nicest guys around. Murphy received his NL Championship ring prior to tonight’s game in a private ceremony, and had an awesome tribute video posted on the Citi Field scoreboard as well. There hasn’t been this much emotion in the stadium with a former player returning since Jose Reyes returned to Citi Field as a member of the Marlins back in 2012, and it was a great sight to see. But from here on out you can now be considered the enemy Murph!
The Mets are now a half-game out of first place and will look to take sole possession of first place tomorrow night. Yes it’s only a series in May, however I believe it’s crucial for the Mets to set the tone early against the Nationals and prove they are just as hungry, if not hungrier than the Nats are.
- The Mets and Nationals are scheduled to play the second game of their three game series tomorrow evening with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 pm et. You can catch tomorrow’s game on SNY and ESPN.
- Bartolo Colon (3-2, 3.53 ERA) will take the hill for the Mets tomorrow night against Nationals lefty Gio Gonzalez (2-1, 1.93 ERA).
Bartolo recognized for home run.
Bartolo Colon was recognized by the Guinness World Records before tonight’s game, for becoming the oldest player in major league history to hit his first major league home run at the tender age of 42 years and 349 days. Colon had accomplished the feat back on May 7th at San Diego off of Padres pitcher James Shields. Colon is having an exceptional year thus far as he went 2-0 to earn co-NL Player of the Week honors for the week of May 2-7. He also passed Pedro Martinez for the second-most wins by a Dominican-born pitcher on May 3rd. Congratulations to Big Sexy!
Matz start pushed back and Wheeler on target for return.
General Manager Sandy Alderson revealed some good news regarding two of the Mets young aces prior to tonight’s game.
Left-hander Steven Matz’s left elbow/forearm was deemed structurally sound, as tests revealed no ligament damage after visiting doctors at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York yesterday. Matz received a cortisone injection by doctors and is expected to throw a bullpen session tomorrow, with his next start coming on Friday night against the Milwaukee Brewers. Matz originally felt discomfort in his left arm last week and had his start skipped on Saturday as a precaution. Matz was originally scheduled to start this Thursday as well, but his start will be pushed back a day to give him extra time to heal. All in all it’s great news for Matz, as any injury revolving around the elbow or forearm of the pitching arm is usually never good news. Matz and the Mets have avoided any serious injury that may have been in the back of everyone person’s mind leading up to today. Hopefully the long layoff does not throw Matz off his recent groove, as he had ten days between his last spring training start and his first start of the regular season in April and we saw how that ended.
Zack Wheeler also is still scheduled to make his season debut on July 1st for the Mets, despite having a procedure in April to remove a stitch that never dissolved in his surgically repaired elbow. Alderson believes that Wheeler can’t afford to have any other setbacks in his schedule to make the July 1st date, but the way things are looking right now he’s on the right track.
Above The Mendoza 