Category: Sports News
Lineups: Mets vs. Giants 10:15 pm et.
New York Mets (60-61):
1. Jose Reyes (S) 3B
2. Kelly Johnson (L) 2B
3. Jay Bruce (L) RF
4. Yoenis Cespedes (R) LF
5. James Loney (L) 1B
6. Curtis Granderson (L) CF
7. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
8. Rene Rivera (R) C
9. Seth Lugo (R) P
SP: Seth Lugo RHP (0-1, 2.65 ERA)
San Francisco Giants (67-54):
1. Denard Span (L) CF
2. Angel Pagan (S) LF
3. Brandon Belt (L) 1B
4. Buster Posey (R) C
5. Brandon Crawford (L) SS
6. Hunter Pence (R) RF
7. Eduardo Nunez (R) 3B
8. Joe Panik (L) 2B
9. Johnny Cueto (R) P
SP: Johnny Cueto RHP (13-3, 2.97 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY.
Are we watching the Mets season end before our eyes?
It’s a fair question to ask and one that could be answered rather simply with the way things have gone for the team over the past several weeks. The Mets have been ravaged with injuries, not hitting when the pitching is on and not pitching when the hitting is on, as well as their manager being speculated to be on the hot seat by baseball insiders. I noted that prior to their last homestand against below average opponents that stretch could possibly make or break their season. And it looks like that homestand, and the trip to Arizona have spoken quite loudly. Continue reading
Josh Edgin demoted, Smoker recalled.
The Mets are expected to make a slew of roster moves prior to tonight’s game due to returns of Yoenis Cespedes and Asdrubal Cabrera off the disabled list, but the team made a bullpen move first. Left-handed reliever Josh Edgin has been sent down to Triple-A Las Vegas and the team has recalled left-hander Josh Smoker from Triple-A Las Vegas.
The 29-year old Edgin has made five appearances for the Mets out of the bullpen and posted a 9.82 ERA in 3.2 innings pitched. That inflated ERA can be attributed to Edgin giving up four runs in an inning of work against the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 17th. Edgin more likely than not will be back up with the big club before the end of the season.
The 27-year old Smoker is currently ranked as the Mets 28th best prospect by MLB.com and will be making his big league debut when he enters a game. Smoker has been described as being built like a Coke Machine for his sturdy build at 6’2 and 250 lbs. In 57 innings pitched at Las Vegas, Smoker has posted a 4.11 ERA to go along with 3 saves and 81 strikeouts. He has only walked 18 batters, and has been praised by many scouts for the velocity he brings to the mound. Smoker can reach the upper 90’s with his fastball, but comfortably sits in the mid 90’s with his repertoire. He will fit right in with the flamethrowers that the Mets currently have in their bullpen.
Matz scratched from start.
The injury toll continues to add for the Mets this season. Starting pitcher Steven Matz has been scratched from his start tonight against the San Francisco Giants with a shoulder injury. Matz reportedly has been dealing with shoulder discomfort in his pitching arm but he believes the issue is nothing serious. The hope is that he will only miss one turn in the rotation.
“I was throwing on flat ground and I felt a little twinge in my shoulder,” Matz stated after last night’s defeat. “It was bothering me a little bit. And then, next day, I was throwing and I was still feeling it, so I didn’t throw my bullpen, hoping it would get better. I was just kind of taking it day by day. There’s some discomfort in there. I think you go through stuff all the time throughout a season, but it didn’t respond the way I’d like it to.”
Right-handed rookie Seth Lugo will make the spot start tonight for Matz. In nine appearances out of the bullpen for the Mets, Lugo has posted an 0-1 record with a 2.65 ERA, while striking out 16 batters and only walking six. This will be the 26-year old pitcher’s first career start at the big league level.
Mets activate Ruggiano demote Ynoa
Prior to tonight’s game the Mets activated outfielder Justin Ruggiano from the 15-Day Disabled List. In a corresponding roster move, right-handed pitcher Gabriel Ynoa was sent back down to Triple-A Las Vegas.
Ruggiano, 34, was signed by the Mets on July 30 and he was 1-6 (.167) in three games before he ended up on the DL with a strained left hamstring. He was 3-11 (.273) with one double in three rehabilitation games with Las Vegas (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League. Ruggiano will see the bulk of his playing time in center field for the Mets as they currently lack a true center fielder on the roster. He was starting in center field and hitting sixth for the Mets tonight.
The 23-year old Ynoa was recalled on August 13, and appeared in three games for the Mets. He allowed four runs in the three innings he pitched, but did pick up a win with a scoreless inning of relief in the extra inning marathon against the Padres back on August 13. He will return to a 10-5 record with a 4.42 ERA at Las Vegas, but we most likely will see him again when rosters expand in September.
Manager Terry Collins also indicated prior to tonight’s game that both outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera will be activated off the disabled list tomorrow.
Lineups: Mets vs. Giants 10:15 pm et.
New York Mets (60-60):
1. Jose Reyes (S) SS
2. T.J. Rivera (R) 2B
3. Jay Bruce (L) RF
4. Wilmer Flores (R) 1B
5. Travis d’Arnaud (R) C
6. Justin Ruggiano (R) CF
7. Kelly Johnson (L) 3B
8. Ty Kelly (S) LF
9. Jacob deGrom (L) P
SP: Jacob deGrom RHP (7-5, 2.30 ERA)
San Francisco Giants (66-54):
1. Denard Span (L) CF
2. Angel Pagan (S) LF
3. Brandon Belt (L) 1B
4. Buster Posey (R) C
5. Brandon Crawford (L) SS
6. Hunter Pence (R) RF
7. Eduardo Nunez (R) 3B
8. Joe Panik (L) 2B
9. Madison Bumgarner (R) P
SP: Madison Bumgarner LHP (11-7, 2.11 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY.
T.J. Rivera recalled, Nimmo demoted.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal infielder T.J. Rivera is being promoted to the Majors with outfielder Brandon Nimmo being demoted back to Triple-A Las Vegas.
Rivera was recently named the Pacific Coast Player of the Week for last week’s action and has been a constant force in the middle of the Las Vegas 51’s lineup all season. The 27-year old infielder was currently hitting .349 with 11 HR’s and 80 RBI’s for the 51’s. He is widely recognized as one of the best hitters, if not the best in the PCL. Rivera also has the highest Minor League Batting average among active players over his six seasons in the Minors at .323.
The Mets are looking for any offense they can get at this point and Rivera seems to have nothing left to prove in the Minors. Rivera who is predominately an infielder gives the Mets an extra right-handed bat off the bench, and could give Ty Kelly more time in the outfield. I believe Rivera’s Major League debut was long overdue and I’m rooting for him to make an impact for the big league team, as he seems to have the tools to carve out a successful utility role for the team.
The 23-year-old Nimmo who was just recalled on Thursday was part of the numbers game as the Mets are simply too left-handed heavy in the outfield. He will also receive more consistent at-bats in Las Vegas, as he simply was being regulated to pinch hitting appearances for the Mets currently. I’m sure we will see the 23-year old outfielder back up when rosters expand in September. Nimmo was hitting .237 in 59 at-bats with the Mets this season.
Final Recap: Diamondbacks 5 – Mets 3
The Arizona Diamondbacks (46-66) defeated the New York Mets (57-55) by the final score of 5-3 tonight at Citi Field. For a full boxscore recap follow the link below…
http://m.mlb.com/gameday/d-backs-vs-mets/2016/08/09/448541?#game=448541,game_state=final,game_tab=
Game Notes:
- Steven Matz was brilliant tonight in the no-decision going 6 innings while only allowing 2 runs on 5 hits while striking out 9.
- Hansel Robles was charged with the loss after allowing 3 runs in 0.2 of an inning.
- Neil Walker stayed red hot going 3-4 with a 2-run HR.
- James Loney was 0-4 with a RBI groundout.
It was a disappointing loss tonight for the Mets which just seems to be the common theme over the past month. The Mets who have not won back-to-back games since July 6-7, certainly put themselves in position to finally post back-to-back wins but ultimately choked it away in the 7th inning.
In what was a tightly contested pitchers duel between Steven Matz and Zack Greinke, the Mets took a one-run lead in the bottom of the sixth inning on a Neil Walker home run to right center field. That however would be all for naught, as Hansel Robles had a complete off night and allowed three runs in the top of the seventh inning, before departing with runners on first and second base. Matz who had a career nine strikeouts was unable to pick up a victory after the seventh inning meltdown, and he is now winless since May 25th.
Neil Walker who is 26 for his last 53 (.491) seems to be the only player showing a pulse offensively for the Mets. Walker who has been the subject of extension rumors lately certainly deserves one with the way he has preformed for the team this season. It would most likely be in Alderson’s best interests to hammer something out with Walker and his representatives soon, before he prices himself out of the Mets budget. It’s hard to see where this team would’ve been this season without the contributions of both Walker and Yoenis Cespedes this season. The Mets will need to find a way to keep both players next season, as it will be tough to imagine the offense being much better without them.
Going on vacation for the next week before fall semester gets underway, I hope to come back to a Mets team firmly in contention. Unfortunately that may be asking a little much at this point and I would easily settle for back-to-back wins as well at this point. The next eight games are the best opportunity for the Mets to put together a win streak and build some momentum, but they can’t afford to play as they did tonight or this could be the moment we look back that the season was lost.
- The Mets and Diamondbacks will play the second game of their three game series tomorrow night with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 pm et. You can catch tomorrow night’s game on SNY.
- Bartolo Colon (10-6, 3.46 ERA) will look to beat the Diamondbacks for the first time in his career and face off against D-backs left hander Robbie Ray (5-11, 4.83 ERA)
Lineups: Diamondbacks vs. Mets 7:10 pm et.
Arizona Diamondbacks (45-66):
1. Jean Segura (R) 2B
2. Michael Bourn (L) CF
3. Paul Goldschmidt (R) 1B
4. Rickie Weeks Jr. (R) LF
5. Yasmany Tomas (R) RF
6. Jake Lamb (L) 3B
7. Chris Owings (R) SS
8. Tuffy Gosewisch (R) C
9. Zack Greinke (R) P
SP: Zack Greinke RHP (10-3, 3.62 ERA)
New York Mets (57-54):
1. Curtis Granderson (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. Steven Matz (R) P
SP: Steven Matz LHP (8-8, 3.63 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY.
Things to Know: Diamondbacks vs. Mets
The New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks will do battle for a three-game series beginning on Tuesday night at Citi Field. I highlighted some things below to check out before play gets underway!
Above The Mendoza 