Category: Beisbol
Yoenis Cespedes hits the DL
The Mets have placed outfielder Yoenis Cespedes on the 15-day DL with a right quadriceps injury. Cespedes appeared to re-aggravate the injury on the second swing of his last at-bat last night, and all talks of him playing as a designated hitter for the rest of the week went out the window. Cespedes has been dealing with this injury since the beginning of July, and there is no sense in playing him sporadically when rest is the best way to get him 100% healthy.
Recent pictures of Cespedes golfing with former Major Leaguer Kevin Millar surfaced prior to last night’s game and criticism has run rampant. I don’t believe golfing had any affect on the 30-year old outfielder’s quadricep flaring up last night, but it isn’t a good look in the eyes of the New York media and the fans. Since the quad injury had arisen he has sit for seven games and played sporadically for 14 games, while only hitting .227. It’s clear Cespedes needs rest to get back to the middle of the order monster we’ve known him to be. However staying off the golf course for the next 15 days would be the best public relations move for La Potencia.
Brandon Nimmo who is earning his share of frequent flyer miles between the number of trips he’s made between Las Vegas and New York was recalled in a corresponding move. Nimmo had reportedly only been in Las Vegas for an hour before being asked to fly back and his equipment won’t make it back in time for tonight’s game. The Mets have a left-handed heavy outfield now with the addition of the 23-year old outfielder, as all five outfielders on the active roster are left-handed.
Jay Bruce will now be looked upon to lead the offense while Cespedes is out. Bruce hasn’t gotten off to the start he would have liked to as he is 0-8 early in his Mets career, and he struck out looking in a critical bases loaded situation last night.
Duda likely done for season.
General Manager Sandy Alderson told reporters prior to tonight’s game that Lucas Duda’s back has flared up and he will be sidelined for 30 days to rest. Alderson also noted that it’s not optimistic to expect Duda back in the Mets lineup again this season. Duda’s doctor, Dr. Robert Watkins does not believe surgery will be needed for his stress fracture, just rest.
It’s a disappointing development for the 30-year old slugger who had high expectations coming into this season. Duda was only active for 39 games this season before suffering the injury back in May and has been unable to feel healthy enough to get back into game action. While many believed Duda would be out until August or early September at the latest, many didn’t expect him to sit out for the rest of the season. Duda was hitting .231 with seven home runs and 19 RBI’s.
Jay Bruce’s acquisition certainly helps the lineup in the power department, but I’m sure many on the Mets coaching staff are sour on this development. Especially after many of the coaches reportedly wanted to keep Daniel Murphy over Lucas Duda this past offseason. James Loney will now be the primary first baseman for the rest of the season. It’s fair to wonder if we have seen the last of Duda in a Mets uniform, as he could be non-tendered this offseason or traded as the Mets lineup is already lefty heavy.
Lineups & Game Notes: Mets vs. Yankees 7:05 pm et.
New York Mets (55-51):
1. Curtis Granderson (L) CF
2. Neil Walker (S) 2B
3. Yoenis Cespedes (R) DH
4. Jay Bruce (L) RF
5. James Loney (L) 1B
6. Michael Conforto (L) LF
7. Wilmer Flores (R) SS
8. Kelly Johnson (L) 3B
9. Rene Rivera (R) C
SP: Steven Matz LHP (8-7, 3.35 ERA)
New York Yankees (53-53):
1. Jacoby Ellsbury (L) CF
2. Rob Refsnyder (R) RF
3. Mark Teixeira (S) 1B
4. Chase Headley (S) 3B
5. Starlin Castro (R) 2B
6. Didi Gregorius (L) SS
7. Austin Romine (R) C
8. Gary Sanchez (R) DH
9. Aaron Hicks (S) LF
SP: Chad Green RHP (1-2, 4.56 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY and ESPN.
Game Notes:
METS-YANKEES NOTES: The Mets are 1-1 vs. the Yankees this year…The Mets are 9-7 vs. the Yankees since 2013…The Subway Series moves to the Bronx tonight…The Mets went 1-2 in the Bronx last year and have gone 5-2 in the Bronx since 2013…The Mets are 8-11 all-time at the new Yankee Stadium and 21-31 all- time in the Bronx.
INTERLEAGUE: New York is 7-5 vs. the American League this year (1-1 vs. Yankees, 3-1 vs. Kansas City, 2-1 vs. Cleveland and 1-2 vs. the White Sox)…Since 1997, when Interleague play began, the Mets are 173-161 (.518)…The .518 winning percentage in Interleague play is the best all-time among NL clubs.
YO AT YANKEE STADIUM: Cespedes is batting .295 (18-61) with three doubles, one triple, four homers and nine RBI in 15 games at Yankee Stadium…Tonight will be his first game at Yankee Stadium as a member of the Mets.
HOT HITTERS: Since July 1, Alejandro De Aza is batting .342 (13-38) with two doubles, two home runs, four RBI, seven runs scored and a .479 OBP…Neil Walker is batting ..464 (13-28) with two doubles, one homer, six RBI and a .483 OBP over his last seven games…Michael Conforto has gone 3-6 (.500) with three doubles, two RBI and a run scored in the first two Subway Series games.
BRUUUUUUCE: Jay Bruce Has hit 233 home runs since making his major league debut on May 27, 2008…According to Elias, that’s the most home runs by any National League player since that date… The only others with at least 200 home runs in the NL since May 27, 2008 are: Ryan Howard (228), Ryan Braun (223), Matt Kemp (208) and Giancarlo Stanton (203)…Bruce was the first player to be traded during a season while leading his league in RBI.
MATZ VS. YANKEES: Matz has made one career start against the Yankees…Earned the win in the Mets’ 5-1 victory against the Yankees on September 18, 2015…Tossed 6 innings and allowed one run, earned, on seven hits and struck out four and walked one…He became the youngest Mets pitcher to earn a win against the Yankees (24 years, 112 days).
METS VS. GREEN: The Mets have never faced the 25-year old rookie.
Mets make a slew of roster moves this afternoon.
The Mets did a bit of a roster shakeup this afternoon prior to tonight’s game against the Yankees as they are dealing with multiple injuries and a few new acquisitions. I’ll break it all down for you below. Continue reading
Lineups: Yankees vs. Mets 7:10 pm et.
New York Yankees (53-52):
1. Brett Gardner (L) LF
2. Jacoby Ellsbury (L) CF
3. Mark Teixeira (S) 1B
4. Brian McCann (L) C
5. Didi Gregorius (L) SS
6. Starlin Castro (R) 2B
7. Chase Headley (S) 3B
8. Aaron Hicks (S) RF
9. Masahiro Tanaka (R) P
SP: Masahiro Tanaka RHP (7-3, 3.16 ERA)
New York Mets (54-51):
1. Alejandro De Aza (L) CF
2. Neil Walker (S) 2B
3. Jay Bruce (L) RF
4. James Loney (L) 1B
5. Wilmer Flores (R) 3B
6. Michael Conforto (L) LF
7. Travis d’Arnaud (R) C
8. Matt Reynolds (R) SS
9. Jacob deGrom (L) P
SP: Jacob deGrom RHP (6-5, 2.56 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on WPIX.
Lineups & Game Notes: Yankees vs. Mets 7:10 pm et.
New York Yankees (52-52):
1. Brett Gardner (L) LF
2. Jacoby Ellsbury (L) CF
3. Mark Teixeira (S) 1B
4. Brian McCann (L) C
5. Didi Gregorius (L) SS
6. Starlin Castro (R) 2B
7. Chase Headley (S) 3B
8. Rob Refsnyder (R) RF
9. CC Sabathia (L) P
SP: C.C. Sabathia LHP (6-8, 3.95 ERA)
New York Mets (54-50):
1. Curtis Granderson (L) RF
2. Justin Ruggiano (R) CF
3. Neil Walker (S) 2B
4. Wilmer Flores (R) 3B
5. Travis d’Arnaud (R) C
6. James Loney (L) 1B
7. Matt Reynolds (R) SS
8. Alejandro De Aza (L) LF
9. Logan Verrett (R) P
SP: Logan Verrett RHP (3-6, 4.12 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY and ESPN.
Game Notes:
METS-YANKEES NOTES: The Mets will play the Yankees four times (twice at Citi Field & twice at Yankee Stadium) starting tonight in Queens…The Mets went 2-4 vs. the Yankees last year, including going 1-2 at Citi Field…The Mets are 7-12 all-time vs. the Yankees at Citi Field and 23-29 all-time vs. the Bombers in Queens…The Mets are 8-6 vs. the Yankees since 2013… Bartolo Colon, Curtis Granderson, Tyler Clippard, and Kelly Johnson have played for both the Mets and Yankees.
MOVIN’ ON UP: Jeurys Familia’s save yesterday moved him into a fifth place tie on the club’s all-time save list with Tug McGraw with 86 saves…Familia also is already sixth on the team’s single- season save list with 37…John Franco (1998) is fifth on the list with 38 saves…Familia (2015) and Armando Benitez (2001) hold the franchise record with 43 saves.
INTERLEAGUE: New York is 6-4 vs. the American League this year (3-1 vs. Kansas City, 2-1 vs. Cleveland and 1-2 vs. the White Sox)…Since 1997, when Interleague play began, the Mets are 172-160 (.518)…The .518 winning percentage in Interleague play is the best all-time among NL clubs.
HOLDING RECORDS: Addison Reed has tossed a career-high 16.1 scoreless innings, while allowing six hits and striking out 25, since June 25…It is the fifth-longest current streak in the majors…Reed went 15.1 scoreless frames from May 4-June 8 earlier this year…He is second in the majors and has tied the single-season franchise record for holds with 26 with Aaron Heilman (2006).
VERRETT VS. YANKEES: Logan Verrett has never faced the Yankees…in his three home starts this season, he is 0-1 with a 3.66 ERA and has struck out 16 and walked 10.
METS VS. SABATHIA: In seven career starts against the Mets C.C. Sabathia holds a 4-2 record with a 3.22 ERA and has struck out 35 and walked 10 in 44.2 innings pitched… At Citi Field he holds a career 2-1 record in 4 starts with a 3.04 ERA in 23.2 innings pitched…Notable numbers against Sabathia are provided below…
- Wilmer Flores: .500 (1-2), 1 RBI
- Kelly Johnson: .333 (5-15), 5 K
- James Loney: .217 (5-23), 1 HR, 3 RBI
- Yoenis Cespedes: .143 (2-14), 1 2B, 1 RBI
- Justin Ruggiano: .125 (1-8), 1 BB, 3 K
Alejandro De Aza: .100 (1-10), 3 K - Rene Rivera: .000 (0-3), 1 K
- Travis d’Arnaud: .000 (0-2), 1 BB, 1 K
Mets reacquire Jon Niese
The New York Mets reacquired left-handed pitcher Jon Niese from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for left-handed reliever Antonio Bastardo.
You could look at this trade as a swapping of two players who weren’t exactly fitting in on their new teams. Niese has struggled in his first season with the Pirates, so much so his General Manager publicly regretted the acquisition of Niese and he was regulated to the bullpen. Niese’s ERA had ballooned all the way to 5.13 in 18 starts for the Pirates, and since his move to the bullpen he has only allowed 2 earned runs in 8.1 innings, which equates to a 2.16 ERA. Niese pitched well in the bullpen for the Mets during the postseason last season, and I wouldn’t be opposed to using him out of the pen. I think Logan Verrett has pitched well in the fifth spot and shouldn’t be sent to the bullpen unless something drastic happens over his next couple of starts.
Bastardo has flat out struggled during his tenure with the Mets this season. Bastardo signed a two-year $12 million deal in the offseason with the Mets after a dominant season with the Pittsburgh Pirates last season. Expected to be a weapon out of the Mets bullpen, Bastardo severely underperformed dating all the way back to Spring Training when he was constantly getting lit up by the opposition. The 30-year old reliever will go back to Pittsburgh with a 4.74 ERA in 43.2 innings pitched this season.
Mets acquire Jay Bruce
According to multiple reports the New York Mets have acquired outfielder Jay Bruce from the Cincinnati Reds for second baseman Dilson Herrera and left-handed pitcher Max Wotell.
While the fit may seem odd considering the Mets are crowded at the outfield corners, the Mets need as much offense as they can get right now. Bruce provides the Mets a solid power threat in their lineup and also provides Yoenis Cespedes with protection, something he hasn’t had all season. We have seen the kind of player Cespedes can be when he has protection behind him, and I look at this deal as a great pickup for the Mets as they didn’t give up too much to get him. Speaking of protection again, the trade also provides the Mets protection if Yoenis Cespedes needs to spend time on the disabled list with his quad injury that hasn’t improved, or if he decides to walk in the offseason. The Mets will hold a $13 million option on Bruce for next season.
The Mets are clearly gunning for the postseason with this trade as they sit 2.5 games back of the Wild Card and 6.5 games behind the Nationals in the NL East. The Mets have the pitching to make a run at either postseason spot, but it was just a matter of them finding some offense to help them get there which was the problem last year entering the deadline. The 29-year old Bruce is having one of the best seasons of his career as he is hitting .265 with 25 home runs and an NL leading 80 RBI’s in 97 games played this season. Bruce also hits with men on base, something the Mets can’t do, as he is hitting .360 with runners in scoring position with 8 home runs and 52 RBI’s. He provides the Mets with that big power threat they have missed since Lucas Duda has been on the shelf.
Terry Collins will most likely play Michael Conforto and Curtis Granderson in center field for the rest of the season, while having both Bruce and Cespedes taking over the corners. The Mets can afford to sacrifice defense for offense in this scenario as they clearly have been historically bad with the bats this season.
The Mets were able to keep both Amed Rosario and Conforto, who were two players that many teams are high on and have certainly asked for. It was certainly hard to swallow that the Mets traded Dilson Herrera as he was considered the second baseman of the future and slated to start for the Mets as early as next season. The other piece in the deal, Max Wotell is ranked as the Mets 16th prospect by MLB.com. The 19-year old lefty was pitching for the Rookie League Kingsport Mets, and was the Mets third round pick in the 2015 MLB Draft.
The Mets also tried working out a deal for Jay Bruce last season in exchange for Zack Wheeler, but the Reds eventually wanted more and the Mets wound up with Cespedes. Interesting what a difference a year makes.
Zack Wheeler to face live batters today.
The day is finally here Mets fans! We have been patiently waiting for Zack Wheeler to face live hitters since June, and I’m sure Wheeler has been just as antsy to begin facing hitters as well. Today marks the first time Wheeler will face live hitting since undergoing Tommy John surgery back in March of last year.
Hopefully Wheeler can begin a rehab assignment within the next week, and if he does that would place him back in the Mets rotation at the beginning of September. You would expect the Mets to give Wheeler the full 30 days to get back into form and he could provide a boost to the Mets rotation down the stretch. Barring a trade, Logan Verrett will continue to occupy the fifth spot in the Mets rotation until Wheeler is ready.
(*UPDATE: 11:34 am): Wheeler threw a successful session as he reported no problems and seemed to be hitting 90-93 mph according to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman. He will probably throw again sometime this week and then be sent on a rehab assignment barring any sort of setback.
(*UPDATE: 6:19 pm): Wheeler will begin his rehab assignment this Saturday.
Things to know: Yankees vs. Mets
The Mets and Yankees kick off their four-game series tonight, and I have provided a preview of the upcoming series below. Continue reading
Above The Mendoza 