The New York Mets (13-7) defeated the Cincinnati Reds (9-13) this evening by the final score of 5-2. For a full boxscore recap follow the link below…

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2016_04_27_cinmlb_nynmlb_1#game=2016_04_27_cinmlb_nynmlb_1,game_state=Wrapup,game_tab=box

Game Notes:

• Matt Harvey picked up his second victory of the season pitching 6 innings while allowing 2 runs on 7 hits. Harvey only walked 1 while striking out 7.
• Neil Walker was 2-3 with a solo HR and an RBI single.
• Michael Conforto was 1-4 with a 2-run RBI double.
• Jim Henderson & Hansel Robles combined for 2 perfect innings of relief while striking out 4.
• Addison Reed acquired his first save of the season pitching a perfect 9th inning.

Another solid win for the Mets tonight! Neil Walker did it again with the bat, slugging his ninth home run and tying the franchise record for home runs in a month. Walker also made a great grab in the field in the top of the third inning with the bases loaded. Walker ended up robbing Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco of a base-hit, and saving two runs by being positioned perfectly behind the second base bag. Different night, same result from Michael Conforto in the three-hole, as he drove in two with an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth to give the Mets a comfortable lead. Conforto and Walker are having an unbelievable first month of the season. 

Matt Harvey is beginning to come into form as well, as his velocity seemed to be up tonight as I saw him touching 97 mph multiple times. At one point Harvey had struck out five Reds hitters in a row and looked as confident as I’ve seen him all season. I provided an infographic from Baseball Tonight below on Harvey’s return to form.The Mets have now swept two consecutive series and their win streak currently sits at six games. The Mets have also won eleven games in a row against the Reds dating back to 2014, which ties the second longest streak against any opponent in franchise history. The longest streak if you are interested is held against the Pittsburgh Pirates which sits at fifteen games, and dates back to the 1986-87 season’s. 

• The Mets have an off day tomorrow before they welcome the San Fransisco Giants to town on Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 and can be seen on SNY.

• Steven Matz (2-1, 5.40 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Mets opposing Giants right-hander Jake Peavy (1-1, 6.86 ERA).

 

Cincinnati Reds (9-12):

1. Zack Cozart (R) SS
2. Ivan De Jesus Jr. (R) 2B
3. Joey Votto (L) 1B
4. Eugenio Suarez (R) 3B
5. Devin Mesoraco (R) C
6. Adam Duvall (R) RF
7. Scott Schebler (L) LF
8. Jon Moscot (R) P
9. Billy Hamilton (S) CF

SP: Jon Moscot RHP (0-1, 5.06 ERA)

New York Mets (12-7):

1. Alejandro De Aza (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. Juan Lagares (R) CF
8. Kevin Plawecki (R) C
9. Matt Harvey (R) P

SP: Matt Harvey RHP (1-3, 5.24 ERA)

Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY.

Game Notes:

The New York Mets (12-7) won their fifth game in a row tonight by defeating the Cincinnati Reds (9-12) by the final score of 4-3. For a full boxscore recap follow the link below…

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2016_04_26_cinmlb_nynmlb_1#game=2016_04_26_cinmlb_nynmlb_1,game_tab=box,game_state=Wrapup

Game Notes:

• Yoenis Cespedes came off the bench tonight and hit a game- tying pinch-hit 3-run homer in the bottom of the 7th.
• David Wright was 1-4 hitting the go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the 7th.
• Michael Conforto who was hitting clean-up went 2-4 with a double.
• Curtis Granderson was 2-3 with a triple and scored the go-ahead run.
• Jeurys Familia picked up save number 7 with a perfect 9th inning.
• Bartolo Colon received the no-decision pitching 5 innings while allowing 3 runs on 8 hits. Colon walked only 1 batter while striking out 4. Tonight Colon became the second active pitcher this season to pitch 3,000 career innings.

What. A. Win. To be honest I did not see this coming with the way the flow of the game had been going. But as I have learned since last July, these aren’t the same old Mets. The Mets couldn’t muster much offense against Brandon Finnegan but everything changed in the magical bottom of the seventh. A Juan Lagares walk, and a Kevin Plawecki single set up the perfect scenario for a hobbled Yoenis Cespedes to come to the plate as the tying run. I originally believed Reds pitching coach Bryan Price would pull Finnegan when he ran to the mound after the Plawecki single, but he left him in to face Cespedes.  Cespedes then cracked the first pitch fastball thrown by Finnegan into left field just over the fence sending Citi Field into a frenzy. Curtis Granderson then followed that act up with a triple off of Reds reliever Tony Cingrani, with David Wright driving him in on a base hit one batter later. 

Besides Cespedes and Wright being the obvious heroes tonight, there were a couple of unsung heroes on the field tonight that kept this game within striking distance. Logan Verrett came in and gave the Mets two scoreless innings of relief in the sixth and seventh innings which helped keep the game within reach for the offense. Verrett has been such a great piece to this Mets team with his versatility of pitching out of the bullpen and in the rotation. Gary Cohen pointed out tonight that Logan Verrett is the first Mets pitcher since Joe Smith in 2008 to get wins on consecutive days.

Neil Walker’s bat did not carry the Mets tonight, but his glove certainly did. Walker helped Logan Verrett get out of a jam in the top of the sixth inning with runners on first and second with one out, and Reds pitcher Brandon Finnegan at the plate. Walker who looked to be playing the bunt instead got a sharply hit ground ball his way, and made a beautiful diving roll-over stop to his right, to turn a double play, and get Verrett out of a jam. Walker continues to do nothing but impress for the Mets in his first season.

The Mets have now won five straight games and ten of their last twelve, as they are steamrolling through opponents since the beginning of their previous nine game road trip. The Mets have also now won ten straight games in a row against the Reds dating back to 2014, which is an impressive feat in itself.  The Mets will go for win number six in a row tomorrow evening and look to add to their current win streak against the Reds. There is speculation that Yoenis Cespedes may make his return to the lineup which would be fantastic, although I won’t disagree if he rests one more game since the Mets have an off-day Thursday as well, which could give him another day of rest to heal. By the way what gives with Reds second basemen against the Mets? Mets slayer Brandon Phillips sat tonight’s game out due to his painful at-bat last night, and Ivan De Jesus Jr. stepped in and cracked a 2-run bomb to left-center tonight. Whoever is at second base tomorrow night for the Reds, we should tread lightly with (joking), especially if Phillips returns to the Reds lineup (not joking). 

• The Mets will look for their second straight sweep tomorrow evening against the Reds with first pitch slated for 7:10 pm et. Tomorrow night’s game can be seen on SNY.

• Matt Harvey (1-3, 5.24 ERA) will look to continue to move past his recent struggles as he toes the hill for the Mets against Reds right-hander Jon Moscot (0-1, 5.06 ERA).

 

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…

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2016_04_25_cinmlb_nynmlb_1#game=2016_04_25_cinmlb_nynmlb_1,game_state=Wrapup,game_tab=box

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).