Tagged: Beisbol
Resiliency Is Why The Mets Are Postseason Bound
What an incredible run it has been the past two seasons for the New York Mets. Last season this team behind strong starting pitching went on to shock the world and make it all the way to the World Series. This season the Mets had an even more remarkable run to October, as they fought their way through every possible injury imaginable to have a seat at the table to defend their National League crown. I have never seen a team in all of my years watching the Mets as resilient as this season’s team. Names such as Robert Gsellman, Seth Lugo, James Loney, T.J. Rivera, among others have replicated the production of who they were replacing in the starting lineup or starting rotation this season. This is only the second time in franchise history they have made the playoffs in back to back seasons, and Manager Terry Collins should be commended for the job he has done in keeping this team together through all the adversity they faced this season.
You can’t help but also be happy for our very own homegrown third baseman Jose Reyes, who is getting another shot at the postseason for the first time since 2006. Since the Mets acquired Reyes, he has changed the dynamic of this team with his presence at the top of the lineup, as well with the leadership and energy he has brought along with him. Many people left Reyes out to dry including his former team the Colorado Rockies after his off the field incident, but I have never seen an athlete in that unimaginable position handle his situation with such class. His acquisition has been one of the reasons the Mets will be playing Wednesday night.
Jay Bruce has also gotten red-hot at the right time for the Mets. We have seen him carry the Cincinnati Reds before, and his recent revival will be huge if the Mets want to make a deep run. Bruce has homered four times in his last seven games while driving in eight, and hitting .478 during that stretch. This is the Jay Bruce we all thought we were getting when we acquired him at the Trade Deadline, and there is no underestimating the impact he can provide with Yoenis Cespedes in the middle of the lineup.
The Mets will send Noah Syndergaard to the mound Wednesday night at Citi Field to face either the San Francisco Giants or St. Louis Cardinals. The Mets will certainly be scoreboard watching this afternoon to determine if they will be facing Madison Bumgarner or Carlos Martinez on the mound. Regardless of who they face, you always want to be playing your best baseball at the end of the season and the Mets are certainly doing that. Since August 20 the Mets have the best winning percentage (.692) in baseball while posting a 27-12 record. The Mets 43 road victories this season are also the most since 2011, which proves this team can go on the road and win if they need to. The Mets have also won at least one postseason series in each of the last four years they have qualified for the playoffs (2015, 2006, 2000 and 1999), which bodes well for their postseason history.
We can no longer look the other way at this team’s will to win. The Mets will have plenty of postseason experience behind them after last season’s run, and they believe they have unfinished business to take care of. It’s been an us against the world mentality all season since Opening Night in Kansas City and the Mets will have another chance on the big stage to get the job done. Our journey begins Wednesday night and we know this season’s theme has been all 25 men hands on deck. This team has won collectively as a team in the regular season utilizing every player on the roster, and that theme will look to continue Wednesday night. Let’s go Mets and lets go out there and shock the world!
Lineups: New York Mets vs. Miami Marlins 7:10 pm et.
New York Mets (83-74):
1. Jose Reyes (S) 3B
2. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
3. Yoenis Cespedes (R) LF
4. Curtis Granderson (L) CF
5. Jay Bruce (L) RF
6. T.J. Rivera (R) 2B
7. Lucas Duda (L) 1B
8. Rene Rivera (R) C
9. Noah Syndergaard (L) P
SP: Noah Syndergaard RHP (13-9, 2.63 ERA)
Miami Marlins (78-78):
1. Dee Gordon (L) 2B
2. Marcell Ozuna (R) LF
3. Martin Prado (R) 3B
4. Christian Yelich (L) CF
5. Giancarlo Stanton (R) RF
6. Justin Bour (L) 1B
7. J.T. Realmuto (R) C
8. Adeiny Hechavarria (R) SS
9. Tom Koehler (R) P
SP: Tom Koehler RHP (9-12, 4.02 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY.
Last Night Was Bigger Than Baseball
I’ll forgive you if you don’t remember the score of last night’s game, as despite the Mets being in the middle of a postseason race, last night was much bigger than the game of baseball. I’ll admit I did not pay much attention to the score after Dee Gordon’s lead-off home run. It was almost the first time as a Mets fan in my life that I did not mind if they won or lost because there was a bigger picture in play. You could not help but get emotional watching the pregame ceremony tribute to the late Jose Fernandez, or shed a tear watching Gordon’s lead-off home run. Even the Mets were choked up by last night’s events as catcher Travis d’Arnaud admitted to shedding a tear during Gordon’s inspiring home run.
The Mets were in one of the toughest situations any opposing team could be in and they handled it with as much class as possible. Dee Gordon even praised the Mets after the game as a “first class organization” for the way they handled last night’s game. Our team is currently in the thick of a Wild Card race with their own agenda, but humanity took over last night and it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen on a baseball field.
Jose Fernandez tragic death has resonated with everyone associated with the game of baseball as he was one of the biggest star’s on and off the field in the world of sports. It’s going to be a tough final week for the Marlins and an even tougher offseason for the organization in trying to pick up the pieces of what occurred. However last night, I was proud to be a Mets fan win or lose because of the humanity, emotion, and class they displayed in one of the most, if not the most tragic event in baseball history.
The Mets and Marlins have two games remaining in this series and it certainly will still be tough on everyone involved to play. But Jose Fernandez played the game the right way with intensity and would expect nothing less from both teams. The Mets were fortunate to have the Cardinals get pummeled last night, and hopefully our team can get back on track as a Wild Card birth hangs in the balance. It still will not be any easier, but hopefully last night both teams found some sort of peace with being on the field and playing the game they love. With five games remaining the Mets will somehow have to put their foot on the gas beginning tonight if they want to return to October.
Lineups: New York Mets vs. Miami Marlins 7:10 pm et.
New York Mets (83-73):
1. Jose Reyes (S) 3B
2. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
3. Yoenis Cespedes (R) LF
4. Curtis Granderson (L) CF
5. T.J. Rivera (R) 2B
6. Jay Bruce (L) RF
7. Travis d’Arnaud (R) C
8. Eric Campbell (R) 1B
9. Bartolo Colon (R) P
SP: Bartolo Colon RHP (14-7, 3.12 ERA)
Miami Marlins (77-78):
1. Dee Gordon (L) 2B
2. Marcell Ozuna (R) LF
3. Martin Prado (R) 3B
4. Christian Yelich (L) CF
5. Giancarlo Stanton (R) RF
6. Justin Bour (L) 1B
7. J.T. Realmuto (R) C
8. Adeiny Hechavarria (R) SS
9. Adam Conley (L) P
SP: Adam Conley LHP (8-6, 3.94 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY and MLB Network.
Mets Eye Return To Citi Field On Final Road Trip Of The Season.
The New York Mets absolutely clobbered the Philadelphia Phillies yesterday afternoon by seventeen runs, in the biggest shutout in franchise history. It was more than a fitting end to the regular season finale at Citi Field and a strong statement by the team after the three previous games were filled with many peaks and valleys. The Mets finished their final ten-game homestand with a 6-4 record, and now hit the road to play their final six games of the season. There are expectations of a return to Citi Field however for at least one more game next week if the Mets play their cards right.
Both the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants lost their respective games giving the Mets a full game lead over the Giants for the first NL Wild Card spot. The Cardinals trail the Mets by a 1.5 games heading into the final week of the season. The Mets will head into Miami for three games while sending their three best rotation options to the mound (Colon, Syndergaard, Lugo), with the opportunity to seal a Wild Card birth, as well as home field for the play-in game. The Mets current magic number to clinch is five.
There will be much uncertantity however with how the Miami Marlins will look on the field over the next three games with the recent tragic passing of ace pitcher Jose Fernandez. Fernandez was scheduled to face the Mets tonight which makes the situation even more somber. In a fitting move, the Mets plan to honor Fernandez this series and hang a Fernandez jersey in the visiting dugout similar to yesterday’s game.
The Mets will enter the final week of the season on a roll after taking three of four from the Phillies in impressive fashion. They now face an opponent going through something unimaginable, followed by a Phillies team who showed fight against the Mets the first three games over the weekend. The odds are in the Mets favor based on their opponents record, but as we’ve seen with the Braves we can take nothing for granted over these final six games. I have all the confidence in the world this team will bring us at least one more game to Citi Field. One game at a time boys. Let’s go Mets!
Rest In Peace Jose Fernandez
The baseball world is mourning the loss of the Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez who tragically passed away in a boating accident off the coast of Miami Beach early this morning. The 24-year old Fernandez was regarded as one of the best pitchers in baseball and many of us Mets fans experienced that firsthand, as he had dominant numbers throughout his young career against the Mets. Fernandez was scheduled to start tomorrow night against the Mets.
Fernandez had announced recently that both he and his girlfriend were expecting their first child together. It’s a true testament as to how short life is and how precious every moment in life is as well. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and the Marlins organization through this incredibly difficult time. There was not a star bigger or nor a smile bigger in Miami currently than Jose’s, and the entire baseball community will proceed with heavy hearts through the rest of the season. Rest in peace Jose.
Lineups: Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Mets 1:10 pm et.
Philadelphia Phillies (70-85):
1. Cesar Hernandez (S) 2B
2. Freddy Galvis (S) SS
3. Odubel Herrera (L) CF
4. Maikel Franco (R) 3B
5. Ryan Howard (L) 1B
6. Cody Asche (L) LF
7. Aaron Altherr (R) RF
8. Jorge Alfaro (R) C
9. Jake Thompson (R) P
SP: Jake Thompson RHP (3-5, 5.62 ERA)
New York Mets (82-73):
1. Jose Reyes (S) 3B
2. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
3. Yoenis Cespedes (R) LF
4. Curtis Granderson (L) CF
5. Jay Bruce (L) RF
6. T.J. Rivera (R) 2B
7. James Loney (L) 1B
8. Rene Rivera (R) C
9. Robert Gsellman (R) P
SP: Robert Gsellman RHP (2-2, 3.13 ERA)
Today’s game can be seen on SNY.
Lineups: Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Mets 7:10 pm et.
Philadelphia Phillies (69-84):
1. Cesar Hernandez (S) 2B
2. Roman Quinn (S) RF
3. Odubel Herrera (L) CF
4. Maikel Franco (R) 3B
5. Ryan Howard (L) 1B
6. Cameron Rupp (R) C
7. Freddy Galvis (S) SS
8. Cody Asche (L) LF
9. Jeremy Hellickson (R) P
SP: Jeremy Hellickson RHP (12-9, 3.57 ERA)
New York Mets (81-72):
1. Jose Reyes (S) 3B
2. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
3. Yoenis Cespedes (R) LF
4. Curtis Granderson (L) CF
5. Kelly Johnson (L) 2B
6. Michael Conforto (L) RF
7. Lucas Duda (L) 1B
8. Travis d’Arnaud (R) C
9. Gabriel Ynoa (R) P
SP: Gabriel Ynoa RHP (1-0, 9.00 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY.
Asdrubal Cabrera Saves The Mets Season!
It took the Mets eleven innings in a true test of resiliency to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies tonight, as they were down two runs twice in their final turn at-bat’s. Both in the bottom of the ninth and the bottom of the eleventh innings, the Mets were staring down a fourth consecutive loss to a underwhelming opponent. The Phillies seemed to have an answer for everything the Mets brought tonight, but a Jose Reyes two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game at six, and ultimately a three-run walk-off home run by Asdrubal Cabrera in the bottom of the eleventh, would propel this team to their biggest win of the season.
The Mets received their first victory of the season tonight when trailing after nine innings, which astonishingly pushed their record to 1-63. In what truly could go down as the craziest and greatest game of the 2016 season, the Mets very well may have just saved their own season with tonight’s victory. The Mets were two outs away in the bottom of the eleventh from headlines in the morning reading of another possible late September collapse, had they lost in heartbreaking fashion for the second night in a row. But a hanging slider by Phillies reliever Edubray Ramos to Cabrera, which sent a no-doubter into right field to send Citi Field into a frenzy was the difference between those stories being written tonight. Instead the stories being written, will be about another obstacle this 2016 team has overcome when the odds have been stacked against them.
I’m truly speechless as to what I just witnessed, as I have been on an emotional roller coaster over the past four hours watching the game. Sure there is plenty to be said about other factors of tonight’s game, but I’m just going to leave you with the video of Cabrera’s heroics below because quite frankly that’s all that matters tonight.
Lineups: Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Mets 7:10 pm et.
Philadelphia Phillies (69-83):
1. Cesar Hernandez (S) 2B
2. Roman Quinn (S) LF
3. Odubel Herrera (L) CF
4. Maikel Franco (R) 3B
5. Ryan Howard (L) 1B
6. Cameron Rupp (R) C
7. Freddy Galvis (S) SS
8. Aaron Altherr (R) RF
9. Adam Morgan (L) P
SP: Adam Morgan LHP (2-10, 5.57 ERA)
New York Mets (80-72):
1. Jose Reyes (S) 3B
2. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
3. Yoenis Cespedes (R) LF
4. T.J. Rivera (R) 2B
5. Curtis Granderson (L) RF
6. Eric Campbell (R) 1B
7. Rene Rivera (R) C
8. Alejandro De Aza (L) CF
9. Seth Lugo (R) P
SP: Seth Lugo RHP (4-2, 2.35 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY.
Above The Mendoza 