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Lineups & Game Notes: Mets vs. Braves 7:35 pm et.
New York Mets (7-7):
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. Travis d’Arnaud (R) C
9. Matt Harvey (R) P
SP: Matt Harvey RHP (0-3, 5.71 ERA)
Atlanta Braves (4-11):
1. Nick Markakis (L) RF
2. Daniel Castro (R) 2B
3. Freddie Freeman (L) 1B
4. Adonis Garcia (R) 3B
5. A.J. Pierzynski (L) C
6. Kelly Johnson (L) LF
7. Erick Aybar (S) SS
8. Mallex Smith (L) CF
9. Bud Norris (R) P
SP: Bud Norris RHP (1-2, 6.23 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY.
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.
ROAD WARRIORS: The Mets are 4-2 on their nine-game road trip which concludes in Atlanta…New York is 5-3 on the road this season…The Mets went 41-40 on the road in 2015…The Mets have scored in the first inning in five of their six games on this road trip…New York is 7-3 when they score first this year, including 5-2 on the road.
ADIOS TURNER FIELD: This is the last season the Braves are playing at Turner Field before moving into their new ballpark…The Mets will not be sad to see it go…New York is 60-103 (.368) all-time at Turner Field…The Mets have won their last four games at Turner Field…This is the first of three final trips to Turner Field this season.
HISTORIC HOMER SPAN: The Mets have hit 19 home runs in their last six games, the most home runs over any six-game span in franchise history…The previous mark was 18 home runs over five games from August 18-24, 2015…Research courtesy of Elias.
HEY YO: Yoenis Cespedes has at least one extra-base hit in a career- high six straight games and the longest active streak in the majors…Over his last six contests, Cespedes is batting .360 (9- 25) with two doubles, one triple, four home runs and 10 RBI… Cespedes is tied for 10th in the majors with 13 RBI…Since August 1, 2015 (his first game with the Mets), Cespedes is tied for fourth in the majors in home runs, behind Chris Davis (27), Nolan Arenado (23) and Carlos Gonzalez (23).
NEIL WALKER: Went 4-5 on Wednesday and his hitting .293 with six home runs and 11 RBI in 17 games this season…Walker has five home runs over his last six 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 third 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.
THE DARK KNIGHT: Has lost a career-high four straight regular season decisions dating to October 3, 2015…Harvey finished sixth in the NL with a 2.71 ERA and sixth in batting average against (.222) last season…He was named the 2015 Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year and the 2015 Player’s Choice NL Comeback Player of the Year…Has a 1-2 career record against the Braves in 3 games started…In 19.2 innings pitched Harvey holds a career 2.75 ERA with a 21/9 strikeout-to-walk ratio against the Braves.
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.
HOT HITTERS: Lucas Duda Has homered in three consecutive games dating to April 18 at Philadelphia…Is the second time in his career he’s homered in three straight (the other time was September 25-29, 2015)…Asdrubal Cabrera is hitting .385 (10-26) with three runs scored, three doubles, two RBI and a .467 on-base percentage over his last seven games.
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.
METS VS. NORRIS: Bud Norris has made 6 career starts against the Mets and holds a 1-2 record with a 4.54 ERA…Norris holds a 34/11 strikeout-to-walk ratio against the Mets while giving up 20 earned runs in 39.2 innings pitched…Notable Mets hitters career numbers against Norris are below…
- Neil Walker: .391 (9-23, 1 2B, 1 HR)
- Yoenis Cespedes: .300 (3-10, 1 HR, 3 RBI)
- David Wright: .091 (1-11, 3 BB, 6 K)
- Alejandro De Aza: .182 (2-11, 1 RBI, 2 K)
- Lucas Duda: .333 (1-3, 1 2B, 1 BB)
Will the Dark Knight rise tonight?
Matt Harvey has not gotten off to the start he and many thought he would to start the 2016 season. However his track record indicates this may just be a small rough patch he is currently going through. All indications are that Harvey is going through a mechanical flaw that has currently been corrected for tonight’s game in Atlanta. Manager Terry Collins had indicated earlier this week that the mechanical flaw dealt with Harvey’s back leg. Both Collins and pitching coach Dan Warthen are confident that Harvey will begin to be himself again moving forward. Continue reading
Final Recap: Phillies 5 – Mets 4 (11 innings)
The Philadelphia Phillies (7-9) avoided a sweep tonight by defeating the New York Mets (7-7) this evening by the final of 5-4 in 11 innings. For a full boxscore recap follow the link below…
Game Notes:
- Lucas Duda was 3-5 tonight with with a solo HR.
- Yoenis Cespedes was 2-6 with a solo HR.
- Neil Walker was 4-5 with a run scored.
- Asdrubal Cabrera was 1-5 with an RBI double, which originally was ruled a home run in the second inning before overturned upon umpire review.
- David Wright had a rough night at the plate going 0-6 with 4 strikeouts, snapping a streak of 21 straight games reaching base dating to Sept. 20, 2015.
- Michael Conforto was 0-5 with 3 strikeouts.
- Bartolo Colon got the no-decision pitching 6 innings while allowing 3 runs, on 4 hits, with only 1 walk and 4 strikeouts.
- Hansel Robles was charged with the loss in the bottom of the 11th, allowing a game-winning base hit to Phillies outfielder Peter Bourjos.
The Mets home run party continued tonight when Yoenis Cespedes and Lucas Duda slugged back-to-back home runs in the top of the fifth inning to give the Mets a 4-3 lead. The Mets hit back-to-back home runs every game this series with Lucas Duda being involved in all three occurrences. Duda is rapidly emerging as another Phillies killer on this Mets ball club next to David Wright. An interesting statistic I heard on tonight’s broadcast was that since Aug. 24, 2015, the Mets and Phillies have hit the same number of homers at Citizens Bank Park which is twenty-nine apiece. The Mets have only played ten games at the ballpark during that span. The Phillies have played thirty-three. Aside from the homers, the Mets however failed to capitalize on other opportunities as they were 2-14 with runners in scoring position and struck out a whopping 17 times tonight as a team. I hope this team doesn’t solely rely on the long ball and become an all or nothing team, as they have guys that are capable of hitting the ball in play and making something happen. It’s just a matter of the hitters driving those guys who are on base home without solely depending on the long ball.
Phillies outfielder Peter Bourjos ended up being a thorn in the Mets side tonight both tying the game and winning the game on separate base hits. The game-winner he hit in the bottom of the 11th, was a ground ball hit deep enough to third base for him to beat the throw to first base. I immediately knew once the ball was hit deep enough, he had the speed to beat the throw that Wright would eventually make, and that is exactly what happened. It was a tough ending tonight but it doesn’t go without saying the Mets did have their opportunities, and simply didn’t capatalize enough. All in all they took the series from the Phillies with a historic power surge and they will look to continue that momentum going into Atlanta this weekend. They have had a great road trip thus far going 4-2 and just being a hair short of possibly being 6-0. The Mets will also be excited to welcome back one of their own in Jacob deGrom, as he makes his return to the mound Sunday afternoon. Despite the loss all is still looking up in Mets world!
- The Mets will have the day off tomorrow but return to action on Friday night to begin a 3-game weekend set with Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:35 pm et and can be seen on SNY.
- The Dark Knight Matt Harvey (0-3, 5.71 ERA) will look to right the ship as he takes the mound Friday evening for the Mets, while he opposes Braves right-hander Bud Norris (1-2, 6.23 ERA).
Mets Tidbits
- It has been announced today that Jacob deGrom will rejoin the rotation this weekend and start Sunday’s afternoon game in Atlanta against the Braves. DeGrom has been out since April 8th due to a right lat injury and his son’s Jaxon’s birth. He threw a 71-pitch simulated game in Port St. Lucie yesterday and he appears ready to go. DeGrom will throw one more bullpen session in Port St. Lucie on Friday and join his teammates in Atlanta on Saturday, which is the deadline for him to be activated off the emergency list. Rafael Montero is expected to be optioned back to AAA Las Vegas as soon as deGrom is activated.
- Logan Verrett who has made two starts in place of Jacob deGrom, has more than proved his value to the Mets as both a spot-starter and as a reliever in the Mets bullpen.Verrett is 2-0 with an 0.69 ERA this season and he also has a 2.36 ERA in six career starts for the Mets. Verrett is also holding opposing left handed hitters to a .190 opponent batting average and righties to a .179 batting average since returning to the Mets last season. Manager Terry Collins talked about Verrett’s role on the team and was more than satisfied stating,”We know there’s going to be a day when somebody is going to show up sick who is supposed to pitch. Hopefully, this guy is rested enough. If you need somebody, he can step in and do the job.”
- While the Mets bats have begun to catch up with the starting pitching the Mets bullpen has done a great job despite numerous questions by outsiders coming into the season. The pen has stranded 17 of 20 inherited runners and retired 34 of 42 first batters faced so far this season. The Mets bullpen’s 3.18 ERA is the fourth lowest in the National League and the pitchers have issued 14 walks while striking out 49 over 39.2 innings. Collectively this group has done a great job and as the season goes on you can only hope they don’t get overworked and can keep building confidence from the strong first month. Don’t forget Josh Edgin is only a couple of weeks away from rejoining this team which will only make them stronger.
- Speaking of Josh Edgin, his rehab assignment seems to be going great as he threw a scoreless inning of relief last night for the St. Lucie Mets. In his last three rehab appearances for the St. Lucie Mets, Edgin has thrown 2.1 scoreless innings while only allowing one hit, striking out three, and walking none. Edgin who is recovering from Tommy John surgery is scheduled to come off the disabled list on May 1st.
- With the Atlanta Braves scheduled to open a new ballpark next season, the New York Mets will make their first of three final trips this season to Turner Field on Friday. The Mets have an all-time record of 60-103 in 163 regular season contests. The Mets are also 0-3 in the postseason at Turner Field, back when the Mets made their lone postseason appearance at the stadium in 1999. Turner Field has always been known as a house of horrors for the Mets since it’s opening in 1997 and I’m sure the Mets won’t miss it at all next season.
Lineups & Game Notes: Mets vs. Phillies 7:05 pm et.
New York Mets (7-6):
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. Travis d’Arnaud (R) C
9. Bartolo Colon (R) P
SP: Bartolo Colon RHP (1-1, 2.13 ERA)
Philadelphia Phillies (6-9):
1. Odubel Herrera (L) CF
2. Cesar Hernandez (S) 2B
3. Maikel Franco (R) 3B
4. Ryan Howard (L) 1B
5. Carlos Ruiz (R) C
6. Freddy Galvis (S) SS
7. David Lough (L) LF
8. Jeremy Hellickson (R) P
9. Peter Bourjos (R) RF
SP: Jeremy Hellickson RHP (1-1, 4.30 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY.
Game Notes:
METS-PHILLIES NOTES: The Mets are 29-11 at Citizens Bank Park since 2012…After winning the first two games of the series, the Mets will look to sweep the three-game set…New York swept a four-game series in Philadelphia, August 24-27, 2015…The Mets have now won 10 of their last 12 series vs. the Phillies.
ROAD WARRIORS: The Mets are 4-1 on their nine-game road trip which includes a stop in Atlanta after tonight…New York is 5-2 on the road this season…The Mets went 41-40 on the road in 2015.
FIRST INNING FUN: The Mets have scored in the first inning in each of their last five games (eight runs total)…New York has gone 4-1 in those games…The Mets are 7-2 when they score first this year after going 61-24 when scoring first last year.
HISTORIC HOMER SPAN: The Mets have hit 17 home runs in their last five games, the most home runs over any five-game span in franchise history…The previous mark was 16 home runs over five games from August 19-24, 2015…Research courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau.
HIGH FIVE: The Mets have hit 17 home runs, collected 14 doubles, two triples and scored 33 runs while hitting .283 (53-187) over their last five games…In the club’s first eight games, the Mets hit .194 (49-252) with 20 runs scored, eight doubles and two home runs…The Mets have 33 extra-base hits in their last five games after collecting 10 extra-base hits in their first eight games.
NEIL WALKER: Hit two home runs last night and has three home runs in his last two games and five home runs over his last five games…His last five hits have all been home runs…He has never homered in three straight games…Last night was the fourth time in Walker’s career, he’s hit two home runs in a game, last on July 1, 2015, with Pittsburgh at Detroit…Walker has three homers vs. lefthanders this season, which ties his career-high for a single season…Walker also hit three home runs off a lefty in 2010…He is batting .636 (7-11) vs. lefthanders this year.
WRIGHT STUFF: David Wright has 22 career home runs in Citizens Bank Park, the most by any visiting player in the ballpark’s history…Wright is hitting .292 (118-404) with 27 doubles and 69 RBI in 99 games at CBP…Wright’s 118 hits, 27 doubles, 22 home runs and 69 RBI are his most in any visiting ballpark…Wright is hitting .308 (12-39) in his last 10 games …Wright has reached base safely in 21 straight games dating to September 20, 2015…He has a .396 on-base percentage during that span.
YOENIS CESPEDES: Has six extra-base hits (three home runs, two doubles, one triple) and nine RBI in his last five games.. Cespedes is tied for eighth in the majors with 12 RBI… Cespedes has four home runs and 10 RBI in eight career games at Citizens Bank Park.
THE DUDE: Lucas Duda has 11 home runs and 32 RBI in 41 career games at Citizens Bank Park, both are career-highs for a visiting ballpark…Duda belted six home runs and had 12 RBI in 11 games vs. the Phillies in 2015…Duda has six RBI in his last three games…He has hit a homer in two straight games…He had a home run in three consecutive contests in 2015 (September 25-29).
BARTOLO COLON: Picked up the win in the Mets’ 6-5 victory over the Cleveland Indians on April 15 at Progressive Field…Tossed 5.1 innings and allowed two runs, earned, on eight hits…Struck out five and walked one…The victory gave him win number 219 of his career, tying him with Pedro Martinez for the second-most all-time by a Dominican-born pitcher…His 219 wins are the most by any active Dominican-born pitcher in the majors…Since joining the Mets, he has made 10 starts against the Phillies and is 7-3 with a 2.86 ERA (21 earned runs/66.0 innings pitched)…Struck out 58 and walked nine…Has lost two straight starts against Philadelphia…Won seven of his first eight starts against the Phillies, including four straight from May 10-August 31, 2015.
METS VS. HELLICKSON: In 3 career starts against the Mets Jeremy Hellickson is 2-1 with a 7.04 ERA…In 15.1 innings Hellickson has allowed 12 ER with an 11/5 strikeout to walk ratio…In his last start against the Mets on April 10th Hellickson pitched 5.2 innings while allowing two earned runs on three hits while striking out five and only walking one…Notable Mets career numbers against Hellickson are provided below…
- Yoenis Cespedes: .444 (4-9, 1 HR, 2 RBI)
- David Wright: .600 (3-5, 2 2B, 1 BB)
- Neil Walker: .286 (2-7, 1 2B, 2 RBI)
- Alejandro De Aza: .250 (4-16, 3 2B, 1 RBI)
- Lucas Duda: .167 (1-6, 1 2B, 3 RBI)
- Curtis Granderson: .150 (3-20, 1 HR, 1 RBI)
- Asdrubal Cabrera: .200 (2-10, 1 BB, 2 K)
Lineups: Mets vs. Phillies 7:05 pm et.
New York Mets (6-6):
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. Travis d’Arnaud (R) C
9. Logan Verrett (R) P
SP: Logan Verrett RHP (0-0, 1.69 ERA)
Philadelphia Phillies (6-8):
1. Freddy Galvis (S) SS
2. Odubel Herrera (L) CF
3. Andres Blanco (S) 2B
4. Ryan Howard (L) 1B
5. Maikel Franco (R) 3B
6. David Lough (L) RF
7. Cameron Rupp (R) C
8. Tyler Goeddel (R) LF
9. Vince Velasquez (S) P
SP: Vince Velasquez RHP (2-0, 0.00 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY.
DeGrom throws simulated game; Son Jaxon goes home.
Jacob deGrom threw a 71-pitch simulated game this afternoon in Port St. Lucie and appears ready to rejoin the Mets rotation. DeGrom’s week old son was also discharged from the hospital yesterday which is fantastic news! DeGrom has not pitched since April 8th due to a sore right lat, and also because of the birth of his son Jaxon. DeGrom is projected to rejoin the rotation either this weekend in Atlanta or the following series in New York against the Cincinnati Reds.
Final Recap: Mets 5 – Phillies 2
The New York Mets (6-6) were victorious tonight in their first contest at Citizens Bank Park against the Philadelphia Phillies (6-8) by the final score of 5-2. For a full boxscore recap follow the link below…
Game Notes:
- David Wright was 2-5 tonight with 2 solo HR’s.
- Noah Syndergaard received his second win of the season pitching 7 innings while only allowing 1 run on 5 hits. Syndergaard struck out 8 and only walked 1.
- Lucas Duda was 2-4 with a solo HR and a double. Duda had 2 RBI’s on the night.
- Neil Walker was 1-4 with a solo HR.
- Yoenis Cespedes was 1-4 with a triple.
- Asdrubal Cabrera was 3-4 with a double.
- Jeurys Familia pitched an inning in relief and allowed 1 run on 2 hits while striking out 2.
Another solid win for the Mets tonight on this 9-game road trip. The Mets have now won 3 of 4 thus far on the trip and can go for the series win tomorrow night. The Mets seemed to be more relaxed since leaving New York and the results prove it. David Wright is a bonafide Phillies killer as tonight he just padded his great career numbers against the Phillies by registering two home runs which added to his career total at Citizens Bank Park. Wright is the all time leading visiting player in home runs at Citizens Bank Park with 22 home runs, and he will look to continue his success over the next two games. Wright even made another beautiful barehand play in the field tonight in the bottom of the fourth. What back injury right? The Mets bats are beginning to wake up as they have 24 extra-base hits in their last four games, and as the weather gets warmer I believe their offense will begin to catch up with their great pitching.
Noah Syndergaard was once again electric tonight as he threw three pitches in the first inning that registered 101 mph on the radar gun. I’m beginning to run out of words to explain his dominance to start the season but he just continues to get better with every start, and he looks to have no issues with becoming the anchor of the Mets rotation right now. According to ESPN Stats & Information Syndergaard has put together at least eight strikeouts while allowing one run or less in each his first three games this season. The only other player to accomplish that feat over the last 100 years to start a season is the great left-hander Randy Johnson, which is an amazing statistic. Syndergaard also became the seventh pitcher in franchise history to allow one run or fewer and toss at least six innings in each of his first three appearances in a season. He joins Matt Harvey on that list who accomplished that feat back in 2013. Keep up the great work Noah!
Jeurys Familia in my eyes looks a little overworked. I don’t think he needed to brought in tonight in a 4-run ball game as I believe he needs to get as much rest as possible with the way he is used. The Phillies hit the ball hard off of him tonight and I hope the next couple of nights the Mets have a big enough lead where they are not forced to use him. These games against the Phillies are not going to be as easy as they were a year ago as the Phillies are starting to trot out some pretty good young pitchers. Jerad Eickhoff seems to always give the Mets fits in his young career thus far, and they will face a dynamic pitcher in Vince Velasquez tomorrow night. Velasquez has thrown fifteen scoreless innings to start the season while striking out twenty five of the batters he’s faced. Sixteen of those twenty-five strikeouts came in his historic last start. Let’s hope the Mets can put a dent in that scoreless streak tomorrow night!
- The Mets to look to get above .500 tomorrow night against the Phillies in the second game of their three game series. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm et and can be seen on SNY.
- Logan Verrett (0-0, 1.69 ERA) will make his second start in place of Jacob deGrom and face Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez (2-0, 0.00 ERA).
Lineups & Game Notes: Mets vs. Phillies 7:05 pm et.
New York Mets (5-6):
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. Noah Syndergaard (L) P
SP: Noah Syndergaard RHP (1-0, 0.69 ERA)
Philadelphia Phillies (6-7):
1. Freddy Galvis (S) SS
2. Odubel Herrera (L) CF
3. Maikel Franco (R) 3B
4. Ryan Howard (L) 1B
5. Cameron Rupp (R) C
6. David Lough (L) LF
7. Cesar Hernandez (S) 2B
8. Peter Bourjos (R) RF
9. Jerad Eickhoff (R) P
SP: Jerad Eickhoff RHP (1-1, 1.50 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY.
Game Notes:
METS-PHILLIES NOTES: The Mets are 27-11 at Citizens Bank Park since 2012…The Mets have won nine of their last 11 series vs. the Phillies…New York lost two of three games during its Opening Homestand last week…The Mets went 14-5 vs. the Phillies last year, the most wins in team history in a single season vs. Philadelphia.
NOAH NOTES: Noah Syndergaard has 21 strikeouts, which is tied for the sixth-most in the majors…His 21 strikeouts are tied for the most in club history for a Mets pitcher after his first two starts of the season…Pedro Martinez also had 21 strikeouts in 2005 and Dwight Gooden did the same in 1991 after their first two games…Martinez holds the franchise mark for the most strikeouts after the first three starts of a season (30 in 2005)…He is tied for sixth in the majors in ERA (0.69).
SYNDERGAARD VS THE PHILLIES: Making his first start of the season against the Phillies…Is 2-0 versus Philadelphia in two starts, with a 1.46 ERA (two earned runs/12.1 innings pitched)…Struck out 15 and walked two…His 15 strikeouts versus Philadelphia are his fourth most against any opponent, trailing Washington (23), San Diego (19) and Cincinnati (16).
BRINGING THE HEAT: According to FanGraphs, Noah Syndergaard leads the majors in average fastball velocity (98.1), slider velocity (92.0) and change-up velocity (89.5) this season…In 2015, he threw 1,421 pitches at 95 mph or faster, the second-most among all major league pitchers behind Pittsburgh’s Gerrit Cole (1,484).
YOENIS CESPEDES: Hit two home runs and drove in six runs during the three-game series at Cleveland…Cespedes is hitting .385 (10-26) with four runs, two doubles, three home runs and nine RBI in his last seven games…He hit three home runs and had seven RBI in six games in Philadelphia last season.
WRIGHT STUFF: David Wright has 20 career home runs in Citizens Bank Park, the most by any visiting player in the ballpark’s history…Wright is hitting .292 (114-394) with 26 doubles and 67 RBI in 97 games at CBP…Wright’s 26 doubles, 20 home runs and 67 RBI are his most in any visiting ballpark.
DUDA IN PHILLY: Lucas Duda has nine home runs and 28 RBI in 39 career games at Citizens Bank Park, most are career- highs for a visiting ballpark…Duda belted six home runs and had 12 RBI in 11 games vs. the Phillies in 2015.
SERIES IN CLEVELAND: The Mets hit .279 (31-111), scored 17 runs, collected nine doubles and 17 RBI during their three- game series at Cleveland…Entering that series, New York hit .194 (49-252) with 20 runs scored, eight doubles and two home runs in its first eight games.
METS VS. EICKHOFF: Eickhoff is making his second start of the season against the Mets, his first start against them came on April 8th…Eickhoff was charged with the loss on April 8th giving up 5 hits, 3 runs (2 ER), while striking out 3, walking 2, and hitting a batter over five innings of work… He is 1-3 in his career against the Mets with a 2.88 ERA in 4 career starts…Eickhoff has a 23/8 strikeout to walk ratio in his 4 career starts against the Mets… Notable Mets numbers against Eickhoff are provided below…
- Michael Conforto: .500 (5-10, 2 2B, 1 HR)
- Curtis Granderson: .125 (1-8, 1 HR, 2 RBI)
- David Wright: .167 (1-6, 1 2B)
- Neil Walker: .333 (1-3, 1 RBI)
- Lucas Duda: .500 (1-2, 1 2B, 1 BB)
- Yoenis Cespedes: .111 (1-9, 3 K)
Final Recap: Mets 6 – Indians 0
The New York Mets (5-6) defeated the Cleveland Indians (5-5) this afternoon in the rubber match of their 3-game series at Progressive Field by the final score of 6-0. For a full boxscore recap follow the link below…
Game Notes:
- Steven Matz was dominant this afternoon, pitching 7 scoreless innings while striking out a career high 9 batters. He only allowed 3 hits and walked 2. This was Matz first win of the season.
- Michael Conforto was 2-3 with 2 doubles, 2 RBI’s and 2 runs scored.
- Asdrubal Cabrera was 2-5 this afternoon with 2 runs scored and an RBI on a squeeze bunt single.
- Curtis Granderson was 1-3 with a triple and 2 runs scored.
- Lucas Duda was 1-4 with a 2-run single.
- Yoenis Cespedes was 1-3 with an RBI double.
- Hansel Robles, Jerry Blevins, and Addison Reed combined to pitch 2 scoreless and hitless innings. The trip combined to strike out 6.
Today the Mets played their most complete game so far this season in my opinion. Steven Matz rebounded nicely from his last start, pitching seven scoreless innings and striking out a career high nine batters. You really didn’t know what to expect from Matz this afternoon after he got shelled in his last start, and many young pitchers struggle to rebound immediately from such a start. Matz showed great perseverance today and proved he does have the makeup to be a great starting pitcher in this league. It’s almost astounding to think that this is just Matz’s eighth career regular season start, and surely the best is yet to come.
The Mets offense was alive today as it has been most of this series. It didn’t hurt to receive some help from two misplayed balls in the top of the second inning by Rajai Davis in the outfield either. The offense jumped on former AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber early on in the game, which has been his kryptonite as he tends to start off slow. Once the Mets built a big enough lead there was no turning back as they just kept rolling along. Michael Conforto hitting in the three spot has really jumped started this offense as well, and we can expect him to stay in that spot for much of the season against right-handers, with the way he is producing. Get excited Mets fans as Conforto has as much promise as any young player on this team.
Getting away from the negative energy in New York looks to have done wonders for the team in this series. Hopefully the Mets can keep that momentum going into Philadelphia where they seek to avenge last weekend’s poor offensive showing against their NL East rivals. Yoenis Cespedes is also expected to be back in the field tomorrow after filling in as a DH the past three games due to leg soreness, which has lingered from a dive in the stands he made after a foul ball last Wednesday afternoon.
- The Mets begin a 3-game series in Philadelphia tomorrow evening with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 pm et. The game can be seen on SNY.
- Noah Syndergaard (1-0, 0.69 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Mets opposing Phillies right-hander Jerad Eickhoff (1-1, 1.50 ERA).
Above The Mendoza 