Category: MLB Blogs
Zack Wheeler to begin “Spring Training” in next two weeks
Mike Puma of the New York Post is reporting that right-hander Zack Wheeler is beginning to ramp up towards his “spring training” in the next two weeks. Wheeler is still currently on schedule to make an early July return to the Mets rotation. Wheeler is currently rehabbing from a Tommy John operation that occurred in March 2015. Wheeler’s 60-Day DL expiration date is May 31st, which would make you believe he will begin pitching in rehab games shortly after for the next thirty days, which indeed places him at an early July return.
Bartolo Colon who has filled in admirably for the Mets in Wheeler’s place, is expected to pitch out of the bullpen once Wheeler returns. He has posted an exceptional 3-1 record, with a 2.82 ERA in seven appearances (six starts) this season. Colon who pitched out of the bullpen last postseason, is also expected to make spot-starts for the Mets down the stretch of the season.
Wheeler’s return will be a huge addition for the Mets already loaded rotation. In Wheeler’s last season dating back to 2014, he posted an 11-11 record with a 3.54 ERA while posting 187 strikeouts. Wheeler also had pitched that memorable complete-game shutout against the Miami Marlins during the 2014 season. It’s hard to imagine the Mets rotation getting any better than it already is, but another top-flight ace will be added to the equation in July.
Edgin officially optioned to AAA Las Vegas
Mets left-handed reliever Josh Edgin was officially assigned to AAA Las Vegas today, as his 30-day rehab window has expired. Edgin has pitched good between both St. Lucie and Las Vegas posting a 1.13 ERA in ten appearances but his velocity isn’t quite back to where it was previously. Edgin’s fastball velocity has hovered between 87-88 mph, but prior to his elbow injury his average fastball was sitting at 92 mph. With the Mets bullpen being as strong as it has been through the first month of the season there is no need to rush Edgin back at this point. Edgin has also not appeared in back-to-back games yet which is another feat he will have to accomplish before being recalled.
Colon named NL Player of the Week
Major League Baseball named Bartolo Colon Co-NL Player of the Week for the week of May 2-8, with Chicago Cubs second baseman Ben Zobrist, yesterday afternoon. Colon went 2-0 with a 1.84 ERA last week, with one walk and twelve strikeouts. A few notable accomplishments over the past week include, on May 2nd Colon tossed eight shutout innings against Atlanta, to move past Pedro Martinez into second place with 220 wins by a Dominican-born pitcher. On May 7th against San Diego, he picked up the win and became the oldest player to hit his first major league home run. This was Colon’s fifth Player of the Week honor, and his second award in the last two years with Mets. He won once last year during the week of August 31-September 6. In recognition of his National League Player of the Week Award, Colon will receive a custom watch. The award couldn’t have gone to a better individual than Colon.
Lineups & Game Notes: Mets vs. Dodgers 10:10 pm et.
New York Mets (20-11):
1. Juan Lagares (R) RF
2. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
3. David Wright (R) 3B
4. Yoenis Cespedes (R) CF
5. Wilmer Flores (R) 2B
6. Michael Conforto (L) LF
7. Kevin Plawecki (R) C
8. Eric Campbell (R) 1B
9. Jacob deGrom (L) P
SP: Jacob deGrom RHP (3-1, 1.99 ERA)
Los Angeles Dodgers: (16-16):
1. Chase Utley (L) 2B
2. Corey Seager (L) SS
3. Justin Turner (R) 3B
4. Adrian Gonzalez (L) 1B
5. Yasmani Grandal (S) C
6. Joc Pederson (L) CF
7. Yasiel Puig (R) RF
8. Carl Crawford (L) LF
9. Alex Wood (R) P
SP: Alex Wood LHP (1-3, 5.18 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY and MLB Network.
Game Notes:
METS-DODGERS NOTES: The Mets are 12-9 in Los Angeles (including the playoffs) since 2011.
SERIES MASTERS: New York is undefeated in its last seven series, winning six and tying one…The Mets have not lost a series since April 11-13…Overall, New York is 3-0-2 in road series.
PITCH HAND STRONG: The Mets rank second in the majors with a 2.77 team ERA…New York is fourth in the majors with 286 strike- outs and has allowed the fewest homers (17).
PLAYOFF deGROMINATION: Jacob deGrom made two starts vs. the Dodgers during last year’s NLDS, going 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA (two earned runs/13.0 innings)…DeGrom started Game 1 and Game 5 at Dodger Stadium…He tied a postseason franchise record with 13 strikeouts in Game 1.
DEGROM VS. DODGERS IN REGULAR SEASON In three career regular season starts against the Dodgers, deGrom is 0-2 with a 3.66 ERA in 19.2 innings with 19 strikeouts.
CASTAWAY: Mets relievers have stranded 37 of 44 inherited runners (80%), the best percentage in the NL and the fourth-best mark in the majors.
HOMER HAPPY: The Mets have scored 77 of their 137 runs this year on home runs, for a 56.2 percentage, the highest rate in the majors according to the Elias Sports Bureau…Overall, the Mets lead the majors with 49 home runs…The Mets lead the majors with 33 home runs on the road…The Mets have hit 10 first inning home runs this year, ranking second in the majors…Houston is first with 11…New York leads the majors with a .504 road slugging percentage.
CUBAN MISSLE: Yoenis Cespedes has three home runs in his last five contests… Cespedes has hit six homers and has 17 RBI over his last 12 games and 10 home runs and 28 RBI over his last 19 contests…Cespedes leads the NL and is second in the majors with 31 RBI…His 11 home runs are tied for the third-most in the majors…He ranks third in the majors with a .792 road slugging percentage.
GRAND ENTRANCE: Curtis Granderson hit his 37th career leadoff home run last night…He is tied with Ichiro Suzuki for the second- most among active players…Jimmy Rollins has 46…Granderson has 13 leadoff home runs with the Mets…Only Jose Reyes (16) has more in franchise history…Since 2014, Granderson leads the majors with 13 leadoff homers.
ENEMY NUMBER ONE: Chase Utley has reached base safely in 27 of his last 32 games against the Mets, batting .319 with nine doubles, two triples, four home runs and 18 RBI along with a .926 OPS since Aug. 28, 2013…has played in 180 games in his career against the Mets, the second most among active players behind only Jimmy Rollins (247), while also ranking among the active leaders in hits (184, 2nd), doubles (43, 2nd), home runs (35, 2nd) and RBI (103, 3rd).
METS VS. WOOD: Alex Wood has made seven career starts combined against the Mets as both a member of the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers…The 25-year old left-hander holds a 0-3 record with a 4.35 ERA in 39.1 innings against the Mets…Wood has struck out 40 and walked 16…Notable numbers against Wood are provided below…
- David Wright: .429 (3-7, 2 BB, 1 K)
- Wilmer Flores: .300 (3-10, 1 HR, 1 RBI)
- Juan Lagares: .222 (4-18, 1 HR, 2 RBI)
- Curtis Granderson: .125 (1-8, 1 HR, 1 RBI)
- Lucas Duda: .200 (2-10, 2 BB, 4 K)
- Asdrubal Cabrera: .667 (2-3, 1 2B, 1 K)
- Neil Walker: .286 (2-7, 1 2B, 2 K)
Lineups & Game Notes: Mets vs. Dodgers 10:10 pm et.
New York Mets (19-11):
1. Curtis Granderson (L) RF
2. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
3. David Wright (R) 3B
4. Yoenis Cespedes (R) LF
5. Lucas Duda (L) 1B
6. Juan Lagares (R) CF
7. Wilmer Flores (R) 2B
8. Kevin Plawecki (R) C
9. Steven Matz (R) P
SP: Steven Matz LHP (4-1, 2.83 ERA)
Los Angeles Dodgers (16-15):
1. Enrique Hernandez (R) LF
2. Howie Kendrick (R) 2B
3. Adrian Gonzalez (L) 1B
4. Justin Turner (R) 3B
5. Yasiel Puig (R) RF
6. Trayce Thompson (R) CF
7. A.J. Ellis (R) C
8. Charlie Culberson (R) SS
9. Scott Kazmir (L) P
Game Notes:
METS-DODGERS NOTES: The Mets are 11-9 in Los Angeles (including the playoffs) since 2011.
NLDS REMATCH: The Mets and Dodgers met in last year’s NL Division Series…New York won Games 1 and 5 in Los Angeles to advance to the NLCS…Steven Matz started Game 4 at Citi Field and took the loss, allowing three runs in 5.0 innings.
BIG TIME SLUGGERS: The Mets are fifth in the majors with a .445 slugging percentage…Yoenis Cespedes (.701) leads the majors in slugging…New York leads the majors with a .507 road slugging percentage.
SCORING FIRST LEADS TO SUCCESS: The Mets have outscored the opposition 23-5 in the first inning this year…The five first-inning runs allowed are the fewest in the majors…New York has scored first in 18 of its last 24 games…The Mets are 17-3 when they score first this year, including 10-2 on the road.
THE MATZ MACHINE: Steven Matz is 4-0 with a 0.67 ERA (two earned runs/27.0 innings pitched) over his last four starts…He has struck out 29 and walked five in that stretch…The last Mets starter to win five straight starts was Jacob deGrom, July 8-August 2, 2014…Matz has not allowed a run in a career-high 13.2 innings entering tonight…Matz has allowed only one extra-base hit to a left- handed batter in his major league career.
DIRTY DOZEN: Steven Matz is making his 12th major league start tonight…He is 8-1 through his first 11 starts…His eight wins are the most by any pitcher through their first 11 starts in club history… Since 1913, only Kaz Ishii, Mel Stottemyre and Dave Ferriss have more wins in their first 11 starts…The trio each has nine victories.
MATZ VS. DODGERS: Has made two career starts (one regular season, one postseason) against the Dodgers…Won, 8-0, on July 5, 2015, at Dodger Stadium while tossing 6.0 scoreless innings and allowed two hits… Matz struck out eight and walked two…Started Game 4 of the NLDS against Los Angeles-NL at Citi Field…Took the loss in the Mets’ 3-1 defeat…Pitched 5.0 innings and allowed three runs, on six hits…Struck out four and walked two.
GOOD WITH THE BAT: Asdrubal Cabrera is hitting .321 (9-28) in May…With a runner on base and two outs, Cabrera is batting .333 (6-18)… Cabrera has a 50% (11-22) line drive rate over the past seven days, to lead 154 qualifying players.
HOMER PERCENTAGE: The Mets have scored 75 of their 133 runs this year on home runs, for a 56.4 percentage, the highest rate in the majors according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
METS VS. KAZMIR: The Mets will face their former top pitching prospect Scott Kazmir tonight…Kazmir was drafted by the Mets in the first round of the 2002 MLB First Year Player Draft with the 15th pick out of the University of Notre Dame… On July 30 2004 Kazmir was traded along with minor league pitcher Joselo Díaz to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for veteran starting pitcher Víctor Zambrano and minor league reliever Bartolomé Fortunato…Kazmir has made 3 career starts against his former organization and has posted a 2-1 record with a 4.80 ERA in 15 innings pitched…Kazmir has struck out 22 and walked 4…Notable Mets career numbers against Kazmir at the plate are posted below…
- David Wright: .400 (2-5, 1 2B)
- Curtis Granderson: .273 (3-11, 1 HR, 4 RBI)
- Lucas Duda: .200 (1-5, 1 K)
- Asdrubal Cabrera: .118 (2-17, 1 2B, 2 RBI)
- Yoenis Cespedes: .000 (0-6, 1 BB, 5 K)
- Juan Lagares: .250 (1-4, 1 BB, 1 K)
- Wilmer Flores: .000 (0-4, 4 K)
Final Recap: Mets 4 – Padres 3
The New York Mets (19-11) defeated the San Diego Padres (13-19) this afternoon by the final score of 4-3 to split the four game series with the Padres. For a full boxscore recap follow the link below…
Game Notes:
- Matt Harvey pitched his best game of the season pitching 6 innings and allowing 2 runs on 4 hits. Harvey struck out 10 batters and walked 2. Harvey was also 2-3 at the plate with a run scored.
- Yoenis Cespedes was 2-4 with a solo HR.
- Asdrubal Cabrera was 2-5 with 2 RBI’s.
- Eric Campbell was 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
- Jeurys Familia pitched a clean 9th inning and received his 10th save of the season.
There you have it folks, the Mets are now in first place in the NL East with this afternoon’s victory and the Nationals loss. Today’s game was by no means any easy as the Mets were able to squeeze themselves out of some tough situations. There was no situation bigger however than Antonio Bastardo bailing the Mets out of a bases loaded, no out scenario, in the bottom of the eighth inning unscathed. Bastardo was able to strike out Derek Norris, have Melvin Upton Jr. pop out to Lucas Duda, and strike out Alexei Ramirez in that order, to protect the Mets one run lead. The Mets bullpen has been as formidable as it has ever been in recent memory, and it played a huge part in today’s game to preserve the Mets lead. The Mets bullpen leads the league with a 2.53 ERA.
Matt Harvey looked as good as he has all season, as hit fastball was hitting 97 mph, and he seemed to be attacking hitters consistently this afternoon. Harvey ran into trouble in the bottom of the fifth, which has been his achilles heel all season, but he came out of the inning maintaining the lead. Harvey’s big mistake came on a 2-run home run allowed to catcher Christian Bethancourt, but he was bailed out of the inning by a throw that nailed Andrew Cashner at home plate trying to score on a Jon Jay double, to prevent further damage. All in all Harvey seems to righting the ship slowly every start, and today was the most electric we’ve seen him all season. Let’s hope today’s results translate to a big month of May for The Dark Knight.
The Mets are now scheduled to play in one of their most anticipated series of the season against the Los Angeles Dodgers. This is a rematch of last year’s hard fought NLDS that went all five games. There is also the big question surrounding the Mets, as to whether they will retaliate towards Chase Utley after last year’s dirty slide that broke Ruben Tejada’s leg. The Mets are also scheduled to face three left-handed pitchers in this series, which includes Scott Kazmir, Alex Wood, and Clayton Kershaw. The Mets have had their fair share of struggles facing southpaws this season, so this series will definitely present a challenge to break out of that funk. It will be an exciting four game series with plenty of intrigue!
- The Mets will take a bus down to Los Angeles as they begin a four game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers tomorrow evening. First pitch is scheduled for 10:10 pm et. and can be seen on SNY.
- Steven Matz (4-1, 2.83 ERA) will take on former Mets left-handed top prospect Scott Kazmir (2-2, 5.68 ERA).
Lineups & Game Notes: Mets vs. Padres 4:40 pm et.
New York Mets (18-11):
1. Curtis Granderson (L) RF
2. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
3. Michael Conforto (L) LF
4. Yoenis Cespedes (R) CF
5. Lucas Duda (L) 1B
6. Wilmer Flores (R) 2B
7. Kevin Plawecki (R) C
8. Eric Campbell (R) 3B
9. Matt Harvey (R) P
SP: Matt Harvey RHP (2-4, 4.76 ERA)
San Diego Padres (13-18):
1. Jon Jay (L) CF
2. Wil Myers (R) 1B
3. Matt Kemp (R) RF
4. Brett Wallace (L) 3B
5. Melvin Upton Jr. (R) LF
6. Alexei Ramirez (R) SS
7. Christian Bethancourt (R) C
8. Adam Rosales (R) 2B
9. Andrew Cashner (R) P
SP: Andrew Cashner RHP (2-2, 4.85 ERA)
Today’s game can be seen on WPIX.
Game Notes:
METS-PADRES NOTES: Since 2000, the Mets are 21-38 at San Diego…The Mets have won one series (2011) in San Diego since 2003.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY: The Mets are 28-29 all-time on Mother’s Day…New York has won three straight games on Mother’s Day…Mets players and on-field personnel will wear specially-designed uniforms that incorporates pink into the Mets logo and numbers and will include the symbolic pink ribbon on their uniforms…Players will wear pink wrist bands and use pink bats…The Rawlings baseball will have pink stitching today… Authenticated items from today’s game will be auctioned off at MLB.com/Auction to benefit the fight against breast cancer.
DAY BASEBALL: The Mets are 7-3 in day games, including 3-1 on the road this year.
SCORING FIRST IS EVERYTHING: The Mets have outscored the opposition 23-5 in the first inning this year…The five first-inning runs allowed are the fewest in the majors…New York has scored first in 17 of its last 23 games…The Mets are 16-3 when they score first this year, including 9-2 on the road.
HOMER HAPPY: The Mets have 46 home runs through their first 29 games, which is the most in team history after 29 games…New York has hit 44 home run in its last 21 games after just two in its first eight games…Overall, the Mets lead the majors with 46 home runs.
VAUNTED PEN: The Mets pen worked 2.1 scoreless innings last night…The pen has a 2.62 ERA (25 earned runs/86.0 innings) which leads the NL and ranks fourth in the majors…Mets relievers have stranded 31 of 41 inherited runners and ranks third in the majors with 10.78 strikeouts per nine innings…The pen also has 24 holds, tied for the second-most in the majors.
KEEP THE PITCH HAND STRONG: The Mets rank second in the majors with a 2.78 team ERA…New York is third in the majors with 265 strike- outs and has allowed the fewest homers (15)…The Mets and Orioles are the only two teams that have not allowed a home run with more than one runner on base.
WELCOME TO LA FAMILIA: Jeurys Familia moved into sole possession of 10th place on the Mets all-time saves list with his 58 save last night…He moved past Braden Looper…Familia is 9-for-9 in save opportunities… Familia is tied for fourth in the majors in saves.
THE DARK KNIGHT: Matt Harvey took the loss in the Mets’ 3-0 defeat against the Atlanta Braves on May 3 at Citi Field…Tossed 5.2 innings and allowed three runs, earned, on eight hits…Struck out four and walked two…Last season he did not pick up his fourth loss until his 12th start on June 10 against the San Francisco Giants…Has 25 strikeouts in his first six starts of the season, the lowest of his career to start a season in that span.
HARVEY VS. PADRES: Has made three career starts against San Diego…He is 1-1 with a 3.50 ERA in 18.0 innings pitched…Struck out 21 and walked three…In two career starts at Petco Park, he is 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA in 11.0 innings pitched.
METS VS. CASHNER: Andrew Cashner has made eight career appearances against the Mets including three career starts in which he holds a 0-2 record with a 6.35 ERA…Cashner has struck out 26 and walked 7 in 22.2 innings pitched…Notable Mets hitters career numbers against the 29-year old right-hander are provided below…
- Juan Lagares: .500 (2-4, 1 3B, 1 RBI)
- Lucas Duda: .250 (2-8, 2 2B, 1 RBI)
- Wilmer Flores: .333 (1-3, 2 K)
- Neil Walker: .200 (2-10, 2 2B, 2 K)
- Curtis Granderson: .222 (2-9, 1 HR, 3 RBI)
- David Wright: .143 (1-7, 1 HR, 1 RBI)
- Kevin Plawecki: .200 (1-5, 2 K)
- Michael Conforto: .000 (0-2, 1 BB)
Final Recap: Mets 6 – Padres 3
The New York Mets (18-11) defeated the San Diego Padres (13-18) tonight at Petco Park by the final score of 6-3. For a full boxscore recap follow the link below…
Game Notes:
- Bartolo Colon hit a 2-run home run in the top of the 2nd inning. He also pitched 6.2 innings while allowing 3 runs on 6 hits. He struck out 5 and only walked 1.
- Yoenis Cespedes was 1-3 with a 2-run HR.
- David Wright was 2-2 with a solo HR, and 3 walks.
- Michael Conforto was 1-4 with a solo HR and a walk.
- Kevin Plawecki was 2-3 with 2 doubles and a run scored.
- Jeurys Familia pitched a perfect 9th inning to receive his 9th save of the season.
Tonight’s ball game will not be remembered for anything else other than Bartolo Colon’s home run heard around the world. It was truly a special moment and I honestly couldn’t believe what I was witnessing as he rounded the bases. Colon made waves during the spring when went deep during pitchers batting practice and many were disappointed when there was no video evidence. Colon made sure there was video evidence tonight when he uncorked his 357 foot bomb to left field. With the home run, Colon became the oldest major leaguer to hit his first career home run at 42 years old and 349 days. Surprisingly Colon isn’t the oldest Met to ever hit a home run as that title belongs to the ageless Julio Franco, who did it back in May of 2007, at the age of 48. Oh yeah Colon did an admirable job on the mound as well, as his lone mistake came off the bat of Padres center fielder Jon Jay who hit a 3-run home run in the bottom of the third.
The Mets home run party continued tonight which obviously included Bartolo Colon. Yoenis Cespedes hit a two run bomb in the top of the first inning to give the Mets the early lead. Cespedes has been nothing short of spectacular since coming to the Mets. In 82 games since being acquired Cespedes has hit .288 with 22 home runs and 78 RBI’s. Those numbers would be good for the equivalent of half of a season, which are numbers many great players around the league put up in a full season. Also David Wright and Michael Conforto went back-to-back in the top of the 9th to put the Mets up comfortably by three runs. The Mets have hit six back-to-back home runs this season which leads the majors. 57% of the Mets runs have come by the long ball, which just goes to show how much the Mets are dependent on hitting home runs to win ball games.
Colon’s home run will go down as one of the greatest moments in Mets history, and I have provided a video of tonight’s moment below so you can relive it over and over again.
- The Mets will go for the split of the four game series in San Diego tomorrow afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 4:40 pm et. You can watch tomorrow’s game on WPIX.
- Matt Harvey (2-4, 4.76 ERA) will get the start for the Mets opposing Padres right-hander Andrew Cashner (2-2, 4.85 ERA).
Mets Injury Updates:
- Catcher Travis d’Arnaud tried throwing today for the first time since going on the DL, down at Port St. Lucie and reportedly felt discomfort. Ultimately the Mets shut d’Arnaud down and it is unknown when he will resume throwing. Manager Terry Collins reportedly found the news “very discouraging.” It can be noted that d’Arnaud did some hitting on Thursday, but he is still having trouble throwing the ball. We can only hope that this injury doesn’t keep him out for a longer period of time.
- Mets Assistant GM John Ricco has announced that left-handed reliever Josh Edgin will remain in the minors with AAA Las Vegas when his rehab stint expires on Monday. Edgin has pitched well in eight appearances between St. Lucie and Las Vegas posting a 1.42 ERA, however there is no room in the Mets vaunted bullpen currently which leaves Edgin without a role. Edgin still hold options which allows the Mets to make the move for him to stay down in Las Vegas. Manager Terry Collins spoke earlier in the week on Edgin stating he wanted to see Edgin pitch on back-to-back days, as well as see more velocity on Edgin’s fastball. The Mets have a league best 2.69 bullpen ERA, which allows Edgin as much time as possible to get back to pre-Tommy John Surgery form.
Lineups & Game Notes: Mets vs. Padres 8:40 pm et.
New York Mets (17-11):
1. Curtis Granderson (L) RF
2. David Wright (R) 3B
3. Michael Conforto (L) LF
4. Yoenis Cespedes (R) CF
5. Lucas Duda (L) 1B
6. Neil Walker (S) 2B
7. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
8. Kevin Plawecki (R) C
9. Bartolo Colon (R) P
SP: Bartolo Colon RHP (2-1, 2.56 ERA)
San Diego Padres (13-17):
1. Jon Jay (L) CF
2. Wil Myers (R) 1B
3. Matt Kemp (R) RF
4. Brett Wallace (L) 3B
5. Melvin Upton Jr. (R) LF
6. Alexei Ramirez (R) SS
7. Derek Norris (R) C
8. Jemile Weeks (S) 2B
9. James Shields (R) P
SP: James Shields (1-4, 3.23 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on WPIX and MLB Network.
Game Notes:
METS-PADRES NOTES: Since 2000, the Mets are 20-38 at San Diego…The Mets have won one series (2011) in San Diego since 2003…The Padres have a 28-14 (.667) record at Petco Park against the Mets since the ballpark opened in 2003, which is their best mark against any team.
COLON SMELLS LIKE WINNING: Bartolo Colon earned his 220th career win in his last start on May 2 vs. Atlanta…He moved into sole possession of second place among Dominican-born pitchers, passing Pedro Martinez, Juan Marichal is first with 243 wins…Colon is the active leader among all major league pitchers in wins and is tied for 76th all- time, one behind Joe Niekro for 75th…Colon has posted 23 victories since the 2014 All-Star Game, which is tied for the 13th- most over that span.
COLON VS. PADRES: Is 2-3 with a 4.13 ERA in 32.2 innings pitched…Struck out 27 and walked five in six career starts against the Padres…He has only made one career start at Petco Park, which came on July 18, 2014…Received a no-decision in the Mets’ 5-4 win, after pitching 5.0 innings, allowing four runs, earned, on five hits…Struck out six and walked one.
HIT THEM DON’T GIVE THEM: The Mets rank third in the majors with a 2.78 team ERA…New York is fourth in the majors with 256 strikeouts and has allowed the fewest homers (14).
GRAND STREAK: Curtis Granderson has reached base safely in 37 consecutive road games dating to August 8, 2015, the longest active streak in the major leagues…The franchise record is 38 straight road games held by Moises Alou, May 3, 2007-May 20, 2008…Granderson is hitting .278 (15-54) with five home runs, nine RBI and 13 runs scored in 13 road contests this year.
HOMER HAPPY: The Mets have scored 68 of their 123 runs this year on home runs, for a 55.3 percentage, the highest rate in the majors according to the Elias Sports Bureau…The Mets have hit at least one home run in 17 of their 28 games and multiple homers in 12 games this year.
CONSISTENT CABRERA: Asdrubal Cabrera is hitting .316 (6-19) with one home run and two RBI in May (six games)…Cabrera has hit safely in 16 of his last 20 games that he’s started dating to April 12…He’s batting .338 (25-74) over that stretch…He owns a .991 fielding percentage (one error in 106 total chances).
METS VS. SHIELDS: James Shields has made 3 career starts against the Mets posting a 2-1 record with a 2.57 ERA in 21 innings pitched…Shields has struck out 12 batters while only walking two…Notable Mets hitter’s numbers against Shields are provided below…
- Asdrubal Cabrera: .250 (6-24, 1 HR, 2 RBI)
- Lucas Duda: .333 (2-6, 1 HR, 2 RBI)
- Alejandro De Aza: .167 (5-30, 1 2B, 3 RBI)
- Curtis Granderson: .125 (8-64, 2 HR, 6 RBI)
- Neil Walker: .167 (1-6, 2 K)
- David Wright: .000 (0-3)
- Yoenis Cespedes: .000 (0-7, 3 K)
Above The Mendoza 