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Lineups & Game Notes: Reds vs. Mets 7:10 pm et.
Cincinnati Reds (9-11):
1. Zack Cozart (R) SS
2. Tyler Holt (R) RF
3. Joey Votto (L) 1B
4. Eugenio Suarez (R) 3B
5. Adam Duvall (R) LF
6. Tucker Barnhart (S) C
7. Ivan De Jesus Jr. (R) 2B
8. Brandon Finnegan (L) P
9. Billy Hamilton (S) CF
SP: Brandon Finnegan LHP (1-1, 3.74 ERA)
New York Mets (11-7):
1. Curtis Granderson (L) RF
2. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
3. David Wright (R) 3B
4. Michael Conforto (L) LF
5. Neil Walker (S) 2B
6. Wilmer Flores (R) 1B
7. Juan Lagares (R) CF
8. Kevin Plawecki (R) C
9. Bartolo Colon (R) P
SP: Bartolo Colon RHP (1-1, 2.89 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY and MLB Network.
Game Notes:
REDS-METS NOTES: New York has won 14 of the last 16 match- ups between the two clubs…The Mets have won a franchise-record nine straight games vs. Cincinnati dating to September 7, 2014…The Mets have posted a double-digit winning streak vs. one team five times in their franchise history (Pittsburgh 15 straight wins, 6/6/86-4/9/87; Colorado, 11 wins, 5/4/14-8/23/15; San Diego, 11 wins, 5/28/69-8/27/69; Philadelphia, 10 wins, twice, 5/9/15- 8/31/15 and 9/10/71-6/28/72)…Mets clinched the 2015 NL East title in Cincinnati on September 26.
METSCELLANEOUS: The Mets have won nine of their last 11 games, including four in a row…New York is 3-4 at home this year.
SCORE FIRST ASK QUESTIONS LATER: New York has scored first in 12 straight games dating to April 12, the longest such streak in team history…The previous mark was 11 straight games accomplished in 1991 and 1987…Info courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau.
DIGGIN’ THE LONG BALL: New York has hit 28 home runs this year… Only Arizona (30) and St. Louis (30) have hit more…Since April 15, the Mets lead the majors with 26 home runs…Arizona and St. Louis are tied for second with 19 during that span.
COLON CHASING HISTORY: Bartolo Colon has 219 career wins, tied with Pedro Martinez for the second-most among Dominican-born pitchers… Juan Marichal ranks first with 243 wins…Colon has posted 22 victories since the 2014 All-Star Game, which is tied for the 13th- most in the majors over that span.
COLON VS. CINCINNATI: Is 4-1 with a 3.77 ERA (12 earned runs/28.2 innings) in five games, all starts, against the Reds…Has not faced the Reds since 2014, when he earned the win on September 5…Pitched 7.0 innings, allowing two runs, earned, on seven hits at the Great American Ball Park.
CONFORTO LOVES THE NUMBER 3: Since moving the number #3 spot in the lineup, Conforto is hitting .378 (14-37) with 10 runs scored, five doubles, three home runs and eight RBI in 10 games…He has a .442 on-base percentage and a .757 slugging percentage during that span.
DUDA IS SEEING RED: Has four home runs in his last seven games with nine RBI during that span…Duda is batting .345 (10-30) during that stretch…Last night was his 57th home run at Citi Field, the most in the park’s history…Duda has nine career home runs and 32 RBI in 28 games vs. Cincinnati…Has reached base safely in 10 consecutive games vs. the Reds dating to September 5, 2014 (.468 OBP during that time)…Was 7-22 (.318) with two doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI in 22 games vs. Cincinnati in 2015.
GRANDYMAN IS STREAKING: Curtis Granderson has hit in six straight contests, going 10-26 (.385) with a .484 on-base percentage… Granderson has hit .333 (13-39) with 11 runs scored, three doubles, one triple, four home runs and eight RBI over his last nine contests..Is riding a 10-game hitting streak vs. the Reds dating to September 5, 2014… Is batting .386 (17-44) with four doubles, six home runs, 15 RBI and 10 runs scored in the 10-game stretch.
METS VS. FINNEGAN: The New York Mets have never faced the 23-year old left-hander, but three players have previous experience against Finnegan with their respective clubs and their numbers are provided below…Only one player with previous experience is in tonight’s starting line up…
- Asdrubal Cabrera: .000 (0-2, 1 K)
- Alejandro De Aza: .667 (2-3, 1 RBI)
- Yoenis Cespedes: .000 (0-4, 3 K)
Travis d’Arnaud placed on Disabled List.
Mets catcher Travis d’Arnaud has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right rotator cuff strain, after being evaluated at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan today. D’Arnaud had left last night’s game early after appearing to have discomfort in his throwing shoulder. There had been no previous shoulder injury reported prior to last night’s contest according to both d’Arnaud and manager Terry Collins. It’s another unfortunate injury for the Mets starting catcher who can’t seem to stay healthy over the course of a full season. Kevin Plawecki will take over starting catching duties for the Mets.
The Mets have also called up catcher Rene Rivera from AAA Las Vegas in a corresponding move. Rivera had signed a minor league contract with the Mets on April 5th following his unsuspecting release from the Tampa Bay Rays. In Las Vegas Rivera was hitting .280/.357/.320 (7-25) in eight games. The 32-year old catcher is a career .211/.258/.331 hitter in the Major Leagues over his seven year playing career.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Mets have moved Zack Wheeler from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list. This move does not affect Wheeler’s availability to be ready for the Mets on July 1st.
Final Recap: Mets 5 – Reds 3
The New York Mets (11-7) defeated the Cincinnati Reds (9-11) this evening at Citi Field by the final score of 5-3. For a full boxscore recap follow the link below…
Game Notes:
- Neil Walker was the hero tonight going 2-4 with the go ahead 2-run home run in the bottom of the 7th.
- Michael Conforto was 3-3 tonight with a solo HR, a double and a single.
- Lucas Duda continued his hot hitting against the Reds going 2-4 with 2-run home run.
- Noah Syndergaard pitched 6.2 innings allowing 3 runs on 7 hits. Syndergaard walked none while striking out 9.
- Jeurys Familia pitched a perfect ninth to pick up his 6th save.
- Travis d’Arnaud left tonight’s contest early in the top of the 8th with a sore shoulder.
What more can you say about Neil Walker’s first month with the New York Mets? Walker has been hitting at a torrid pace in April and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. It makes you forget all about Daniel Murphy who is also having a torrid start to the season for the rival Nationals. It was nice to see the crowd Neil such a great reaction after his home run and he is easily becoming a fan favorite on this ball club. Walker’s eight home runs now rank second in the Majors, and he has now tied Jeff Kent for most home runs by a second baseman in the month of April with eight. The Mets all-time record for most home runs hit in the month of April by any position player is nine, which has been completed three times. Walker has 4 games left in the month to tie that record and we will all be rooting for him to do so.
Noah Syndergaard pitched a fantastic game tonight despite running into trouble in a few innings. He constantly figures out ways on the fly to get hitters out and I feel as if I can trust him to get out of any tough situation he gets into. Syndergaard’s stuff in the first month of April is Cy Young worthy, and it will be interesting to see if he can continue to dominate at the level he is at right now, through the rest of the season.
Michael Conforto has called dibs on the third-spot in the lineup for the rest of the season as he has done nothing but rake since being moved up in the lineup. Conforto was just a triple shy of the cycle tonight and he has all the makings of the next Mets young superstar. In eleven games thus far hitting in the three spot, Conforto has hit .378 with five doubles, four home runs eight RBIs, and ten runs scored. It will be interesting to see if Terry Collins sits Conforto tomorrow night as the Reds will be sending out a left-handed starting pitcher. I can’t see how Collins can bench Conforto with how hot his bat is, and how dynamic the lineup has become since being inserted into the third spot in the lineup. That will be something to watch when the lineups come out tomorrow afternoon.
You have to feel bad for Travis d’Arnaud who can’t seem to catch a break as far as injuries go. D’Arnaud was replaced in the top of the eighth inning tonight by Kevin Plawecki due to a sore shoulder. The injury apparently originated from the Mets catcher making throws tonight, as the Reds went nuts on the base paths swiping five stolen bases. There had been no indication this was a previous injury so it is something that bears watching. D’Arnaud is expected to undergo medical tests on the shoulder tomorrow, where we will learn more about his condition. The Mets have apparently pulled catcher Rene Rivera from action in Las Vegas tonight, which all but means he is heading to New York. Rivera will back up Plawecki if d’Arnaud is indeed placed on the DL.
- The Mets look to continue their nine game winning streak, which dates back to 2014, against the Reds in the second game of their three game series. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 pm et and can be seen on SNY and MLB Network.
- Bartolo Colon (1-1, 2.89 ERA) with his 219 career wins, will look to pass Pedro Martinez on the all-time Dominican born pitcher wins list, against Reds southpaw Brandon Finnegan (1-1, 3.74 ERA).
Cespedes likely out for Reds series.
Yoenis Cespedes was examined today by Mets team doctors, and had fluid drained from his right leg after reaggravating his leg injury on Friday night. Cespedes reinjured his right leg sliding into second base on a double. Cespedes originally injured his right leg on a dive into the stands, chasing a foul ball earlier this month. He was not in tonight’s lineup and has now missed three games in a row with the possibility of missing at least five in a row.
Mets GM Sandy Alderson spoke on the situation prior to tonight’s contest and stated that he does not believe he will require a DL stint, however it is “possible” that Cespedes will sit the entire series against the Reds.
“At the moment we’re looking at it on a day-by-day basis,” Alderson told reporters prior to the game. “Fortunately we have the depth that we anticipated we would need, and so we’ve been able to survive his absence over the last several days. And I’m sure we’ll do our best to survive over the next two or three. But, right now, I don’t see it being a DL. That could change, obviously, with a different medical opinion as time goes on. But I don’t see that.”
I believe the Mets will err on the side of caution with Cespedes as they have plenty of outfield depth, and there is no reason to rush him back at less than 100% this early in the season. The Mets are beginning a stretch starting tonight, of twenty games in twenty-one days, which includes a long West Coast swing starting next Thursday. With only one off day in the next twenty-one days, the Mets can’t afford to lose Cespedes for a significant period of time. With the offense currently trending up, there should be no harm letting him sit out one series against the struggling Reds.
Lineups & Game Notes: Reds vs. Mets 7:10 pm et
Cincinnati Reds (9-10):
1. Zack Cozart (R) SS
2. Eugenio Suarez (R) 3B
3. Joey Votto (L) 1B
4. Brandon Phillips (R) 2B
5. Devin Mesoraco (R) C
6. Adam Duvall (R) RF
7. Scott Schebler (L) LF
8. Raisel Iglesias (R) P
9. Billy Hamilton (S) CF
New York Mets (10-7):
1. Curtis Granderson (L) RF
2. David Wright (R) 3B
3. Michael Conforto (L) LF
4. Lucas Duda (L) 1B
5. Neil Walker (S) 2B
6. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
7. Alejandro De Aza (L) CF
8. Travis d’Arnaud (R) C
9. Noah Syndergaard (L) P
Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY.
Game Notes:
REDS-METS NOTES: New York has won 13 of the last 15 match- ups between the two clubs… The Mets have won a franchise-record eight straight games vs. Cincinnati dating to September 7, 2014…The Mets went 7-0 vs. the Reds last year, including 3-0 at Citi Field…Mets clinched the 2015 NL East title in Cincinnati on September 26…
METS ON THE ROAD: New York scored 54 runs during their nine-game road trip (6.0 runs per game)…The Mets had 51 extra-base hits during the road trip after just 10 in their first eight games…The Mets hit .293 (99-338) during the road trip…The pitching staff posted a 2.98 ERA (27 earned runs/81.2 innings).
METS AT CITI FIELD: New York is 2-4 at Citi Field this year…The Mets went 49-32 (.605) at home, tied for the seventh-best record in the majors last year.
FIRST INNING FUN: The Mets have scored in the first inning in seven of their last nine games (11 runs total)…New York is 10-3 when they score first this year, including 2-1 at home.
NOAH’S ARK: Noah Syndergaard has 29 strikeouts, the second- most in team history after three starts…Only Pedro Martinez had more (30 strikeouts after his first three starts in 2005)…Martinez holds the club record for strikeouts after the first four starts with 38 in 2005.
SYNDERGAARD VS. REDS: Is 2-0 versus Cincinnati in two starts, with a 1.72 ERA (three earned runs/15.2 innings pitched)…Struck out 16 and walked none…His 16 strikeouts versus Cincinnati are his fourth most against any opponent, trailing Washington (23), Philadelphia (23), and San Diego (19).
CABRERA IS ON FIRE: Asdrubal Cabrera is hitting .395 (15-38) with six runs scored, three doubles, one home run, four RBI and a .465 on- base percentage over his last 10 games…Cabrera is hitting .300 (6-20) at Citi Field this year.
GRANDY MAN STREAKING: Curtis Granderson has hit in five straight contests, going 9-21 (.429) with a .538 on-base percentage…He has scored two runs in three straight games…Granderson has hit .353 (12-34) with 11 runs scored, three doubles, one triple, four home runs and eight RBI over his last eight contests…Is riding a nine-game hitting streak vs. the Reds entering this series dating to September 5, 2014…Is batting.410 (16-39) with four doubles, six home runs, 15 RBI and 10 runs scored in the nine-game stretch.
WALKER AROUND THE BASES: Neil Walker has six home runs over his last nine games…Walker’s seven home runs are tied for the most he’s ever hit in any calendar month…He had seven home runs in September, 2013 and seven in July, 2012…Walker is tied for fourth in the majors with his seven long balls…The only other Mets second baseman with seven or more home runs in April was Jeff Kent, who hit eight home runs in 1994…Dave Kingman (1976), Carlos Delgado (2006) and John Buck (2013) hold the club record with nine April home runs…Walker has hit in six straight games, going 10-25 (.400) with four homers and four RBI.
DUDA SEEING RED: Has reached base safely in nine consecutive games vs. the Reds dating to September 5, 2014 (.465 OBP during that time)…Was 7-22 (.318) with two doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI in 22 games vs. Cincinnati in 2015.
DIGGIN’ THE LONG BALL: New York has hit 25 home runs this year, ranking seventh in the majors…Since April 15, the Mets lead the majors with 23 home runs…Arizona is second with 18 during that span…The Mets hit 23 home runs an eight game span (April 15-23), the most home runs over any eight-game span in franchise history…The previous mark was 22 home runs over eight games from June 27-July 5, 2004…Research courtesy of Elias.
BEWARE OF BRANDON: Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips has hit safely in each of his 32 career road games vs. the Mets, including all 22 games he’s played at Citi Field… He’s hitting .338 lifetime vs. New York on its turf which is the longest hitting streak by any player at that ballpark and tied with Luis Castillo for the longest hitting streak by an opponent in Queens (2001-05)….Has a career line of 309/.350/.513 11 HR’s 48 RBI in 65 career games against the Mets…Phillips .BA, OBP, & SLG%, against the Mets is his highest against any National League opponent…His OPS of .863 against the Mets is highest against any NL opponent.
METS VS. IGLESIAS: The Mets have never faced the Cuban right-hander, and only Neil Walker has any previous experience against Iglesias which is provided below…
-
Neil Walker: .200 (1-5, 1 K)
Final Recap: Mets 3 – Braves 2
The New York Mets (10-7) defeated the Atlanta Braves (4-14) this afternoon by the final of 3-2 at Turner Field. For a full boxscore recap follow the link below…
Game Notes:
- In his return to the rotation Jacob deGrom picked up his second win of the season as he pitched 5.2 innings while only allowing 1 run on 8 hits. DeGrom did not allow a walk and struck out 3.
- Michael Conforto went 1-3 with a double and 2 RBI’s.
- Curtis Granderson was 1-3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.
- Lucas Duda was 1-3 with an RBI.
- Asdrubal Cabrera was 2-4 with a run scored.
- Jeurys Familia picked up his 5th save of the season despite pitching a shaky 9th inning where he allowed a run.
The Mets head back to New York with a tremendous amount of momentum after this successful road trip. The Mets completed their first sweep of the season against the Braves this weekend, and finished their nine-game road trip 7-2. The Mets won all three series on this trip and were a few hairs short of having an undefeated road trip. It’s a remarkable road trip in the sense that there were more questions than games played surrounding this Mets ball club, during their last homestand. The team looked relaxed on the road over the past week and moving Michael Conforto to the three-hole looks to have made this offense dynamic. Conforto hit .324 (11-34) with two home runs, seven RBI’s, and four doubles since being moved to the three spot at the beginning of this trip.
DeGrom threw only 82 pitches this afternoon as he hasn’t pitched in a game since April 8th. However he made the most of his opportunities, doing enough to keep the Mets in a tightly played ball game for most of the afternoon. His velocity hovered around 93 mph but he still had a knack for getting hitters out this afternoon. I still strongly believe we will see his velocity back up around 95 mph as the season goes on. All in all it was great to see him on the mound today after dealing with the lat injury and his son’s birth complications over the past couple of weeks.
The Mets have now won seven games in a row dating back to last season at Turner Field which is a franchise record. They have never won that many games at Turner Field previously, but they have tied a franchise record of seven straight victories in Atlanta dating back to the 1985-1986 seasons when the Braves played at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Considering the amount of trouble the Mets have had in the past at Turner Field it’s nice to see them having success in Atlanta for a change. The Mets now return home for a nine-game home stand that begins tomorrow evening against the Cincinnati Reds.
- The Mets return home tomorrow to face the Cincinnati Reds with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 pm et. Tomorrow night’s game can be seen on SNY.
- Noah Syndergaard (2-0, 0.90 ERA) will take the hill for the Mets opposing Cuban right-hander Raisel Iglesias (1-1, 3.09 ERA)
Lineups & Game Notes: Mets vs. Braves 1:35 pm et.
New York Mets (9-7):
1. Curtis Granderson (L) RF
2. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
3. Michael Conforto (L) LF
4. Lucas Duda (L) 1B
5. Neil Walker (S) 2B
6. Wilmer Flores (R) 3B
7. Kevin Plawecki (R) C
8. Juan Lagares (R) CF
9. Jacob deGrom (L) P
SP: Jacob deGrom RHP (1-0, 1.50 ERA)
Atlanta Braves (4-13):
1. Nick Markakis (L) RF
2. Daniel Castro (R) SS
3. Freddie Freeman (L) 1B
4. Adonis Garcia (R) 3B
5. A.J. Pierzynski (L) C
6. Kelly Johnson (L) 2B
7. Jace Peterson (L) LF
8. Mallex Smith (L) CF
9. Aaron Blair (R) P
SP: Aaron Blair RHP (Major League Debut)
Today’s game can be seen on WPIX.
Game Notes:
METS-BRAVES NOTES: The Mets have posted back-to-back double-digit win seasons (2014-2015) vs. Atlanta/Milwaukee for the first time in their team history… The Mets went 11-6 in 2015 and 10-9 in 2014 against the Braves…After winning the first two games of the series, the Mets will look to complete the sweep today…New York swept a four-game series from the Braves in Atlanta from September 10-13, 2015…The Mets have not swept a series this season… The Mets had 16 series sweeps of two or more games in 2015, including six on the road.
TURNER FIELD: The Mets have won a franchise-record six straight games at Turner Field dating to September 10, 2015… The last time the Mets won six straight in Atlanta was July 20, 1983-July 14, 1984 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium…The franchise record is seven straight wins in Atlanta from May 14, 1985-April 30, 1986…The Braves are moving into a new ballpark in 2017…New York is 62-103 (.376) all-time at Turner Field.
FIRST INNING FUN: The Mets have scored in the first inning in six of their eight games on this road trip (10 runs total) …New York is 9-3 when they score first this year, including 7-2 on the road.
deGROM in deDAY: Jacob deGrom is 11-2 with a 1.30 ERA (18 earned runs/124.2 innings) in 19 career daytime starts…That is the best daytime ERA among qualified major league pitchers over the last three years…It is also the best daytime ERA for any pitcher in his first three seasons in the last 100 years (min. 100 daytime IP)…Last season, deGrom went 6-2 with a 1.10 ERA (nine earned runs/73.1 innings) during the day.
DEGROM VS. BRAVES: DeGrom has made five starts against the Braves…He is 2-2 with a 1.95 ERA (seven earned runs/ 32.1 innings pitched)…His 1.95 ERA is his lowest against any NL East opponent.
ASDRUBAL FUEGO CABRERA: Slugged his first home run as a member of the Mets last night…Cabrera is hitting .382 (13-34) with five runs scored, three doubles, four RBI and a .462 on-base percentage over his last nine games.
PITCH HAND IS STRONG: The Mets have allowed two or fewer runs in nine of their last 15 games…New York ranks fourth in the majors with a 3.01 ERA…The staff has racked up 157 strikeouts, fourth in the majors.
WALKER AROUND THE BASES: Neil Walker has six home runs over his last eight games…Walker’s seven home runs are tied for the most he’s ever hit in any calendar month…He had seven home runs in September, 2013 and seven in July, 2012…Walker is tied for third in the majors with his seven long balls…The only other Mets second baseman with seven or more home runs in April was Jeff Kent, who hit eight home runs in 1994…Dave Kingman (1976), Carlos Delgado (2006) and John Buck (2013) hold the club record with nine April home runs…Walker hit his 100th career home run in the ninth inning last night.
BACK-TO-BACK: Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera hit back-to- back home runs last night in ninth inning…It marked the fourth time in the last five games the Mets hit back-to-back home runs… The last team to hit back-to-back at least four times in a five- game was the Cubs in April, 2004.
SLUGGING THE WRIGHT WAY: Has 35 career home runs vs. Atlanta, second-most vs.any opponent in his career (Has 36 vs. Philadelphia)…19 of his 35 career homers vs. the Braves have come at Turner Field.
FULL CIRCLE: The Mets will face a familiar face from their 2015 postseason team in utility player Kelly Johnson who signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves on January 21 2016, and made the team out of Spring Training…Johnson was acquired by the Mets on July 24, 2015 from the Braves along with Juan Uribe for pitchers John Gant and Rob Whalen…Johnson produced a.250/.304/.414 line in 49 games for the Mets with 5 home runs and 13 RBI…John Gant originally made the Braves roster out spring training but was demoted to AAA Gwinnett on April 10th after allowing 6 hits and 4 earned runs in 3 innings pitched.
Yoenis Cespedes likely out through weekend.
Yoenis Cespedes was held out of today’s Mets lineup by Manager Terry Collins after he reaggravated his right leg bruise sliding into second base on a double last night in the top of the seventh inning. Cespedes originally stayed in the game, but was replaced by Juan Lagares in the bottom of the eight inning. Cespedes originally injured his right leg on a dive into the stands earlier this month while chasing a foul ball.
When speaking to the media before today’s game in Atlanta, Collins talked about Cespedes current condition. “The bruise is pretty big. He’s aggravated it, and he’s limping pretty bad. … He’s pretty swelled. He’s certainly not going to be available today.” Collins also stated that no X-ray’s or MRI’s are scheduled for Cespedes right leg.
It makes perfect sense to sit Cespedes out the next two days, until he has full mobility in his leg as he clearly has a limp with the injury. The Mets can get by with Juan Lagares in center field as he is a Gold Glover himself, and his bat seems to be coming back around this season. Look for Cespedes to be back in the Mets lineup Monday night when the Mets return to New York, health permitting of course.
Lineups & Game Notes: Mets vs. Braves 7:10 pm et
New York Mets (8-7):
1. Curtis Granderson (L) RF
2. David Wright (R) 3B
3. Michael Conforto (L) LF
4. Lucas Duda (L) 1B
5. Neil Walker (S) 2B
6. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
7. Travis d’Arnaud (R) C
8. Juan Lagares (R) CF
9. Steven Matz (R) P
SP: Steven Matz LHP (1-1, 7.27 ERA)
Atlanta Braves (4-12):
1. Nick Markakis (L) RF
2. Daniel Castro (R) 2B
3. Freddie Freeman (L) 1B
4. Adonis Garcia (R) 3B
5. Tyler Flowers (R) C
6. Jeff Francoeur (R) LF
7. Erick Aybar (S) SS
8. Drew Stubbs (R) CF
9. Jhoulys Chacin (R) P
SP: Jhoulys Chacin RHP (0-0, 2.38 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on WPIX.
Game Notes:
METS-BRAVES NOTES: The Mets have posted back-to-back double-digit win seasons (2014-2015) vs. Atlanta/Milwaukee for the first time in their team history… The Mets went 11-6 in 2015 and 10-9 in 2014 against the Braves.
DEGROMINATOR IS BACK: Prior to tonight’s game, the Mets activated RHP Jacob deGrom from MLB’s Bereavement/Family Medical Emergency List and optioned RHP Rafael Montero to Las Vegas (AAA)…DeGrom will start tomorrow for New York.
STEVEN MATZ: Tossed 7.0 scoreless innings and had a career- high nine strikeouts in his last start on April 17 at Cleveland… Matz has made five career regular season road starts…He is 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA (six earned runs/29.0 innings pitched)…Matz has struck out 33 and walked eight in those five starts…New York is 6-2 when he starts in the regular season…In one career start against the Braves, he picked up the win in the Mets’ 5-1 victory on September 11, 2015, at Turner Field…Tossed 5.0 innings and allowed one run, earned, on six hits… Struck out two and walked two.
TURNER FIELD: The Mets have won a franchise-record five straight games at Turner Field dating to September 10, 2015… The Braves are moving into a new ballpark in 2017…New York is 61-103 (.372) all-time at Turner Field.
HISTORIC HOMERS: The Mets have hit 21 home runs in their last seven games, the most home runs over any seven-game span in franchise history…The previous mark was 20 home runs over seven games from June 27-July 4, 2004…Research courtesy of Elias.
ROAD WARRIORS: The Mets are 5-2 on their nine-game road trip which concludes in Atlanta…New York is 6-3 on the road this season…The Mets went 41-40 on the road in 2015.
YO’S THROW: The 2015 American League Gold Glove winner Yoenis Cespedes collected his second outfield assist of the year last night…Since 2012, Cespedes leads the majors with 50 outfield assists.
ASDRUBAL CABRERA IS ON FIRE: Is hitting .379 (11-29) with four runs scored, three doubles, two RBI and a .471 on-base percentage over his last eight games.
NEIL WALKER: Has five home runs over his last seven games… Walker’s six home runs are the third-most he’s ever hit in any calendar month…He had seven home runs in September, 2013 and seven in July, 2012..Walker is tied for fourth in the majors with his six long balls…The only other Mets second baseman with six or more home runs in April was Jeff Kent, who hit eight home runs in 1994…Dave Kingman (1976), Carlos Delgado (2006) and John Buck (2013) hold the club record with nine April home runs.
CASTAWAY: Jerry Blevins stranded two inherited runners last night and has stranded nine of 10 inherited runners of the season…Blevins is tied for second in the majors with nine runners stranded.
FULL CIRCLE: The Mets will face a familiar face from their 2015 postseason team in utility player Kelly Johnson who signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves on January 21 2016, and made the team out of Spring Training…Johnson was acquired by the Mets on July 24, 2015 from the Braves along with Juan Uribe for pitchers John Gant and Rob Whalen…Johnson produced a.250/.304/.414 line in 49 games for the Mets with 5 home runs and 13 RBI…John Gant originally made the Braves roster out spring training but was demoted to AAA Gwinnett on April 10th after allowing 6 hits and 4 earned runs in 3 innings pitched.
SLUGGING THE WRIGHT WAY: Has 35 career home runs vs. Atlanta, second-most vs.any opponent in his career (Has 36 vs. Philadelphia)…19 of his 35 career homers vs. the Braves have come at Turner Field.
METS VS. CHACIN: Jhoulys Chacin has made 5 appearances against the New York Mets in his career including 4 games started…Holds a career 2.88 ERA in 25 innings pitched…Chacin holds a 17/13 strikeout to walk ratio against the Mets…Notable Mets career numbers against Chacin are provided below…
- Juan Lagares: .333 (2-6, 1 2B, 1 K)
- Neil Walker: .333 (3-9, 2 2B, 1 RBI)
- David Wright: .222 (2-9, 1 2B, 1 RBI)
Final Recap: Mets 6 – Braves 3
The New York Mets (8-7) defeated the Atlanta Braves (4-12) by the final score of 6-3 this evening at Turner Field. For a full boxscore recap follow the link below…
Game Notes:
- Curtis Granderson was 3-4 with a grand slam and a solo HR. Granderson had 5 RBI’s tonight.
- Matt Harvey received his first victory of the season pitching 5 innings while giving up 2 runs, on 7 hits. He also struck out 5 while only walking 1.
- David Wright was 1-4 with a double and a run scored.
- Yoenis Cespedes was 1-4 with a double. He left in the bottom-half of the 8th and was replaced by Juan Lagares after reaggravating the bruise in his right leg, on a slide into 2nd base in the top of the 7th.
- Jeurys Familia collected his 4th save of the season, allowing no hits, walking 1 and striking out 1.
- Tonight’s game had been in a 56 minute rain delay after the top of the 8th inning concluded.
Tonight was the Curtis Granderson show as he belted two bombs off of Braves starter Bud Norris, with the first being a grand slam in the top of the second to give the Mets a comfortable 4-0 lead. Granderson was responsible for five of the six Mets runs tonight and it looks like he’s breaking out of the mini slump he was in to start the season. It’s always a good sign when Granderson is getting on base, but an even better sign when he is hitting for power. An interesting note on Granderson, he is now one of four Mets players to hit a grand slam with both the Mets and the Yankees in his career. With Granderson’s two home runs, the Mets have broken a record for most home runs in a seven day span with 21. The previous record had been 20 and that was accomplished during June 27-July 4th 2004. There is no question that this team may be slugging their way to wins more than we thought this season.
Matt Harvey had a good but not great start tonight and did just enough to get himself a win. Harvey flirted with danger in the second, fourth and fifth innings but was helped out tremendously in the bottom of the fifth by Yoenis Cespedes. Braves catcher A.J. Pierzynski hit a line drive single to center field with runners on first and second base and two outs, at which point Yoenis Cespedes uncorked a beautiful throw from center field to nail Nick Markakis at home. It was just another reminder to many people that while Cespedes may have his fair share of mistakes in the outfield, when he’s on his game he’s as good as anyone defensively. Remember folks he did win a Gold Glove last year. Cespedes did leave tonight’s contest early after reaggravating his leg injury on a slide into second base on a double, so it will be interesting to see if he is in tomorrow’s lineup. It’s always nice to beat the Braves in Turner Field no matter what the Braves record is, as it always seems to never come easy in that stadium for the Mets. One down, two more to go this weekend against the wounded Braves, as the Mets will look to go for their third straight series victory tomorrow evening.
- The Mets and Braves play the second game of their three game set tomorrow evening with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 pm et. Tomorrow’s game can be seen on WPIX.
- Steven Matz (1-1, 7.27 ERA) who is coming off one of the best pitching performances of his young career will face Braves right-hander Jhoulys Chacin (0-0, 2.38 ERA).
Above The Mendoza 