Category: Major League Baseball
Mets Injury Updates:
The Mets who have been dealing with a rash of injuries this season have updates on multiple players including both Steven Matz and Lucas Duda heading into this weekend’s series in Atlanta.
- We will start with the bad news first, as starting pitcher Seth Lugo’s scheduled start on Saturday has been pushed back to Sunday due to a blister on his throwing hand. Lugo apparently received the blister during his last start on Sunday, and it appears it is relatively minor in nature. While we’ve heard this before about every injury this season, we will keep close tabs on his injury to make sure it doesn’t turn into anything worse. Bartolo Colon will switch spots with Lugo and pitch on Saturday instead.
- Steven Matz is scheduled to throw off a mound in Port St. Lucie tomorrow after playing catch earlier this week. If all goes well we could possibly see Matz back in the rotation for the final stretch of the season. It is certainly welcoming news to the Mets rotation as they could certainly use him for the final few weeks of the season, and obviously the playoffs if the Mets make it that far.
- Jacob deGrom met the team in Atlanta today and played catch with Seth Lugo prior to tonight’s ballgame. There is no clear timetable as to when deGrom will throw off a mound in his recovery from a forearm injury, but having the 28-year old right-hander throwing again is certainly encouraging news. At this point Steven Matz may be closer to rejoining the rotation than deGrom.
- Juan Lagares has been officially cleared to start swinging a bat since undergoing thumb surgery to repair a torn ligament back in August. The Mets aren’t expected to rush Lagares in regards to swinging a bat, but it appears they are going to push him defensively so he can be used as a defensive replacement or as a pinch runner down the stretch.
- Lucas Duda has surprisingly been scheduled to take live batting practice with the ballclub prior to tomorrow night’s game against the Atlanta Braves. Duda orginally suffered a setback last month to the stress fracture in his back and has been shut down for a month. While there is no guarantee that Duda will be back this season, it is an encouraging sign to see him ramping up baseball activities. With James Loney struggling, if Duda’s back responds well to baseball activities there could be an outside chance the Mets bring him back before the end of the season. But that is just speculation, and nobody knows how Duda’s back is going to respond to batting practice tomorrow afternoon.
Lineups: Mets vs. Braves 7:35 pm et.
New York Mets (74-66):
1. Jose Reyes (S) 3B
2. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
3. Yoenis Cespedes (R) LF
4. Curtis Granderson (L) CF
5. Wilmer Flores (R) 2B
6. Jay Bruce (L) RF
7. James Loney (L) 1B
8. Travis d’Arnaud (R) C
9. Robert Gsellman (R) P
SP: Robert Gsellman RHP (2-1, 2.87 ERA)
Atlanta Braves (54-86):
1. Ender Inciarte (L) CF
2. Adonis Garcia (R) 3B
3. Freddie Freeman (L) 1B
4. Matt Kemp (R) LF
5. Nick Markakis (L) RF
6. Tyler Flowers (R) C
7. Jace Peterson (L) 2B
8. Dansby Swanson (R) SS
9. Julio Teheran (R) P
SP: Julio Teheran RHP (5-9, 3.01 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY.
Lineups: Mets vs. Reds 12:35 pm et.
New York Mets (73-66):
1. Jose Reyes (S) 3B
2. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
3. Yoenis Cespedes (R) LF
4. Curtis Granderson (L) RF
5. Kelly Johnson (L) 2B
6. Alejandro De Aza (L) CF
7. James Loney (L) 1B
8. Rene Rivera (R) C
9. Noah Syndergaard (L) P
SP: Noah Syndergaard RHP (12-8, 2.56 ERA)
Cincinnati Reds (57-80):
1. Jose Peraza (R) SS
2. Eugenio Suarez (R) 3B
3. Joey Votto (L) 1B
4. Adam Duvall (R) LF
5. Brandon Phillips (R) 2B
6. Scott Schebler (L) RF
7. Tyler Holt (R) CF
8. Tucker Barnhart (S) C
9. Anthony DeSclafani (R) P
SP: Anthony DeSclafani RHP (8-2, 2.93 ERA)
Today’s game can be seen on SNY.
Final Recap: Mets 5 – Reds 3
The New York Mets (73-66) rallied to defeat the Cincinnati Reds (57-80) by the final score of 5-3. For a full boxscore recap follow the link below…
http://m.mlb.com/gameday/mets-vs-reds/2016/09/06/448933?#game=448933,game_state=final,game_tab=box
Game Notes:
- Yoenis Cespedes played hero hitting the go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning. He finished the night 1-4.
- Curtis Granderson was 1-2 with a solo HR.
- Jose Reyes was 2-4 with a solo HR and a stolen base.
- Alejandro De Aza was 1-1 with a pinch-hit solo HR.
- Rafael Montero got the no decision as he went 4.1 innings and gave up 3 runs, on 3 hits. He walked 4 and struck out 4.
- Jeurys Familia converted his 46th save of the season with a scoreless ninth.
Behind the bullpen’s 4.2 combined scoreless innings after Rafael Montero’s departure and Yoenis Cespedes go-ahead two-run homer, the Mets are still keeping the heat on both the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants. The Mets have also now won 13 in a row against the Cincinnati Reds dating back to 2014. And what has gotten into Curtis Granderson lately? He remained scorching hot tonight with another home run and over his last ten games he has hit four home runs with ten RBIs.
As I have said before, this team is playing with passion and Yoenis Cespedes made sure tonight that the Mets wouldn’t leave the ballpark without anything less than a win. What a different ballclub this team is with him in the lineup. La Potencia is certainly is going to be the biggest key for the Mets down the stretch, as his play more times than not dictates the success of this team. We’ve seen him carry the Mets to the playoffs before, and we are all witnessing a sequel to his success from last season.
The Mets will have a quick turnaround tomorrow with a early afternoon game against the Reds, but they will send Thor to the mound to try and complete the sweep. The Mets are now winners of four in a row, and there is no better starting pitcher for the Mets to have on the mound tomorrow as they continue to look to grab hold of a NL Wild Card position.
- The Mets and Reds will play a matinee game with first pitch scheduled for 12:35 pm et. You can catch tomorrow’s game on SNY.
- Noah Syndergaard (12-8, 2.56 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Mets and oppose Reds right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (8-2, 2.93 ERA).
Lineups: Mets vs. Reds 7:10 pm et.
New York Mets (72-66):
1. Jose Reyes (S) 3B
2. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
3. Yoenis Cespedes (R) LF
4. Wilmer Flores (R) 1B
5. Jay Bruce (L) RF
6. Travis d’Arnaud (R) C
7. Curtis Granderson (L) CF
8. Matt Reynolds (R) 2B
9. Rafael Montero (R) P
SP: Rafael Montero RHP (0-0, 3.68 ERA)
Cincinnati Reds (57-79):
1. Jose Peraza (R) CF
2. Zack Cozart (R) SS
3. Joey Votto (L) 1B
4. Adam Duvall (R) LF
5. Brandon Phillips (R) 2B
6. Scott Schebler (L) RF
7. Ivan De Jesus Jr. (R) 3B
8. Tucker Barnhart (S) C
9. Brandon Finnegan (L) P
SP: Brandon Finnegan LHP (8-10, 4.19 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY.
Final Recap: Mets 5 – Reds 0
The New York Mets (72-66) defeated the Cincinnati Reds (57-79) this evening by the final score of 5-0. For a full boxscore recap follow the link below…
http://m.mlb.com/gameday/mets-vs-reds/2016/09/05/448918?#game=448918,game_state=final,game_tab=box
Game Notes:
- Bartolo Colon kept chugging along and picked up the victory, going six scoreless innings while allowing 5 hits, 1 walk and 2 strikeouts.
- Matt Reynolds went 3-4 with with a solo HR and 2 RBIs.
- Kelly Johnson was 1-4 with a solo HR.
- Wilmer Flores went 3-4 with a double but was thrown out twice trying to advance a base by Reds left fielder Adam Duvall.
- Asdrubal Cabrera went 1-1 with a pinch hit RBI single.
- Alejandro De Aza was 0-3 with a sacrifice fly.
- Jay Bruce was 0-4 with 2 strikeouts in his return to Cincinnati.
The Mets keep on rolling despite barely getting any sleep after flying into Cincinnati at 3:30 am last night. Trotting out a starting lineup missing Jose Reyes, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Yoenis Cespedes, the Mets were able to manufacture five runs behind starter Bartolo Colon’s solid pitching. Winners of 12 of their last 16, the Mets are rejuvenated and are no doubt making a serious push to play meaningful games in October. It doesn’t hurt either that the Mets have won twelve games in a row against the Reds dating back to 2014.
The Mets have finally improved their fortunes against teams under .500, as they have struggled against such teams this season. The rest of the schedule aside from one remaining series against the Nationals, is littered with teams under .500, and they obviously have the easiest remaining schedule of all the teams they are battling with in the Wild Card race. I won’t say the Mets are a bonafide lock for a Wild Card spot based on their schedule, but you have to love the way they are playing at this point in the season, and they seemed to have kicked in into high gear.
There have been recent rumblings of Bartolo Colon wanting to return to the Mets next season, and with the way he has pitched this season I say why not? Colon has been a solid rock for this rotation all season and easily one of the reasons why the Mets are where they are today. The 43-year old right-hander improved to 13-7 this season for the Mets with a 3.22 ERA, and only sits 14 wins from breaking the record for most wins among Latin-American pitchers which is held by Dennis Martinez with 245 victories.
- The Mets will look to keep their success against the Reds rolling tomorrow evening with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 pm et. You can catch tomorrow’s game on SNY.
- Rafael Montero (0-0, 3.68 ERA) will be activated and make his second start of the season for the Mets against Reds southpaw Brandon Finnegan (8-10, 4.19 ERA).
Lineups: Mets vs. Reds 1:10 pm et.
New York Mets (71-66):
1. Alejandro De Aza (L) CF
2. Michael Conforto (L) LF
3. Wilmer Flores (R) 2B
4. Jay Bruce (L) RF
5. Kelly Johnson (L) 3B
6. Travis d’Arnaud (R) C
7. James Loney (L) 1B
8. Matt Reynolds (R) SS
9. Bartolo Colon (R) P
SP: Bartolo Colon RHP (12-7, 3.35 ERA)
Cincinnati Reds (57-78):
1. Jose Peraza (R) CF
2. Zack Cozart (R) SS
3. Joey Votto (L) 1B
4. Adam Duvall (R) LF
5. Brandon Phillips (R) 2B
6. Scott Schebler (L) RF
7. Eugenio Suarez (R) 3B
8. Tucker Barnhart (S) C
9. Robert Stephenson (R) P
SP: Robert Stephenson RHP (2-0, 3.00 ERA)
Today’s game can be seen on SNY.
Prepare Yourselves The Second Wave of Mets Call Ups Are Coming.
As the Triple-A Las Vegas season wraps up today the Mets are prepared to add a second wave of Minor League talent to the Major League roster. Beginning today, the Mets recalled infielder Matt Reynolds to the big league roster, in the first of many call ups that will be occurring over the next two days. Reynolds will provide the Mets with bench depth and versatility as he can play shortstop, as well as second and third base. The 25-year old infielder has hit .211 with two home runs and 11 RBIs in 76 at-bats for the Mets this season. Continue reading
Lineups: Nationals vs. Mets 8:05 pm et.
Washington Nationals (79-56):
1. Trea Turner (R) CF
2. Jayson Werth (R) LF
3. Daniel Murphy (L) 2B
4. Bryce Harper (L) RF
5. Anthony Rendon (R) 3B
6. Wilson Ramos (R) C
7. Ryan Zimmerman (R) 1B
8. Danny Espinosa (S) SS
9. Reynaldo Lopez (R) P
SP: Reynaldo Lopez RHP (2-2, 5.33 ERA)
New York Mets (70-66):
1. Jose Reyes (S) 3B
2. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
3. Yoenis Cespedes (R) LF
4. Curtis Granderson (L) CF
5. Wilmer Flores (R) 2B
6. Jay Bruce (L) RF
7. James Loney (L) 1B
8. Rene Rivera (R) C
9. Seth Lugo (R) P
SP: Seth Lugo RHP (2-2, 2.60 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on ESPN.
Mets will rely on rookies to stay in race
After last night’s disappointing defeat to the Washington Nationals, the Mets will rely on two rookie starting pitchers to keep them in the thick of the NL Wild Card race this weekend. While it’s not the ideal scenario for the Mets, they could have put forth a better effort towards last night’s game as they wasted a quality start by Noah Syndergaard. The Mets also have no other choice with Steven Matz on the shelf, and now Jacob deGrom expected to miss his next start with forearm inflammation. So now the team will turn to a rookie tonight who has one career start under his belt in Robert Gsellman, and another rookie tomorrow in Seth Lugo, who has a little more experience coming out of the bullpen but still only has three career starts. While both pitchers have found success early for the Mets, it’s going to be a tall task handed to them this weekend.
The Mets are going to have to find a way to beat the Nationals this weekend one way or the other. They have dropped seven of their last eight matchups against the division leaders after dominating them in the second half of last season to make the postseason, and ultimately land in the World Series. While I understand they have two completely different teams, the Mets did not let Daniel Murphy beat them last night, something he’s had a hand in against the Mets all season long. Which goes back to last night’s wasted opportunity that I mentioned earlier. The Mets will look to the trio who has carried them over the last two weeks, of Jose Reyes, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Yoenis Cespedes to navigate them through the next two games with two relatively inexperienced pitchers on the mound.
Above The Mendoza 