Tagged: Major League Baseball
Lineups & Game Notes: Mets vs. Marlins 7:10 pm et.
New York Mets (50-44):
1. Jose Reyes (S) 3B
2. Curtis Granderson (L) RF
3. Yoenis Cespedes (R) LF
4. Wilmer Flores (R) 1B
5. Neil Walker (S) 2B
6. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
7. Travis d’Arnaud (R) C
8. Juan Lagares (R) CF
9. Logan Verrett (R) P
SP: Logan Verrett RHP (3-6, 4.21 ERA)
Miami Marlins (52-43):
1. J.T. Realmuto (R) C
2. Miguel Rojas (R) 3B
3. Christian Yelich (L) LF
4. Giancarlo Stanton (R) RF
5. Marcell Ozuna (R) CF
6. Derek Dietrich (L) 2B
7. Chris Johnson (R) 1B
8. Adeiny Hechavarria (R) SS
9. Adam Conley (L) P
SP: Adam Conley LHP (6-5, 3.61 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY.
Game Notes:
METS-MARLINS NOTES: The Mets have won 12 of their last 19 games in Miami…New York is 27-20 vs. the Marlins since 2014.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: The Mets are 11-4 on Friday’s, including 6-2 on the road this year…New York’s .733 winning percentage on Friday’s is the second-best in the majors, behind Cleveland (12-3, .800).
AFTER AN OFF DAY: The Mets are 10-1 after a scheduled off day this year and have scored an average of 5 runs in those 11 games.
HOTTER THAN JULY: Wilmer Flores has seven homers this month, tied for the major league lead with Max Kepler and Ryan Schimpf…Flores is hitting .341 (14-41) with 13 RBI in 13 games in July…He is tied for eighth in the NL with 13 RBI this month…Flores has five homers in his last eight games.
DOMINANT PEN: New York’s bullpen is 4-1 with seven saves and a 1.61 ERA (nine earned runs/50.1 innings) since June 30…The pen has a 1.74 ERA in July which ranks second in the majors.
VERRETT VS. MARLINS: Logan Verrett has faced the Marlins twice this season (one start, one relief appearance)…Has not received a decision in either outing…Tossed a combined 8 scoreless innings, struck out seven and walked two.
METS VS. CONLEY: Adam Conley has made three appearances (two starts) in his career against the Mets…He is 1-0 with a 0.59 ERA and has struck out 19 and walked 2 in 15.1 innings…Notable numbers against the southpaw are provided below…
- Neil Walker: .333 (1-3), 2 K
- Curtis Granderson: .250 (1-4), 1 B, 1 K
- Asdrubal Cabrera: .250 (1-4), 1 BB, 1 K
- Wilmer Flores: .200 (1-5), 1 2B
- Juan Lagares: .000 (0-6), 1 K
- Yoenis Cespedes: .000 (0-7), 5 K
Things to Know: Mets vs. Marlins This Weekend
The New York Mets and Miami Marlins will do battle this weekend in a critical series that has ramifications on both the NL Wild Card and the NL East Division race. Here are a few things to know ahead of this weekend’s series which begins tonight.
- The Mets trail the Marlins in the NL East standings by 1.5 games for second place and are 1.5 games behind the Marlins for the final NL Wild Card spot.
- The Mets hold a 5-4 record against the Marlins this season in nine meetings so far.
- The Mets are also 2-1 at Marlins Park this season, outscoring the Marlins 12-7.
- Friday night starter Logan Verrett is 0-0 with a 0.69 ERA in three career games (two starts) against Miami, with 10 strikeouts in 13 innings. All three appearances however occurred at Citi Field.
- Saturday night starter Jacob deGrom holds a career 1.89 ERA at Marlins Park in 19 innings pitched. It’s his lowest ERA at any visiting ballpark with a minimum of three starts.
- Yoenis Cespedes holds a .367 average with two home runs and nine RBI’s in 11 games at Marlins Park. It’s his second highest average among any MLB park he’s played at with a minimum of 10 games played.
- Jose Reyes will play the Marlins for the second time (first time in Miami) since being traded away back in November of 2012. He originally signed a six-year $106 million deal back in December of 2011 with the Marlins that he is currently still playing under.
- Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton has turned into a bonafide Mets killer with 26 HR’s and 58 RBI’s in 83 career games against the Mets.
- The Mets will face Marlins ace Jose Fernandez on Saturday night, who has notoriously stymied them. Fernandez holds a 2-0 record in five career starts with a 1.32 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 34 innings.
- Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki as of today is just four hits shy of the 3,000 hit milestone.
- The pitching matchups for this weekend are provided below:
- Friday: RHP Logan Verrett (3-6, 4.21) vs. LHP Adam Conley (6-5, 3.61)
- Saturday: RHP Jacob deGrom (6-4, 2.38) vs. RHP Jose Fernandez (11-4, 2.53)
- Sunday: LHP Steven Matz (7-6, 3.56) vs. RHP Jose Urena (1-1, 7.52)
Mets Tidbits:
- Well some good news on the Zack Wheeler front, as the right-handed pitcher will make the trip from Port St. Lucie to Miami to meet the team on Friday. He is scheduled to throw off a mound for Mets brass tomorrow afternoon prior to the Mets and Marlins game. Wheeler has still not been assigned a rehab assignment, and you would expect the Mets would require the full 30-days to complete it, considering the setbacks and length of time Wheeler has been out. I wouldn’t expect to see Wheeler as a factor in the rotation until the end of August.
- Reliever Jim Henderson who had been on a rehab assignment has suffered a setback while with Triple-A Las Vegas a few nights ago, as he sustained a hamstring injury. Henderson who has been on the disabled list since June 21st with a shoulder impingement, has been sent back to Port St. Lucie and there is no timetable on when Henderson will resume throwing. Henderson had been struggling in five appearances at Double-A Binghamton posting a 15.43 ERA and a .421 opponents average against. However it seemed Henderson had turned it around recently at Triple-A Las Vegas as he had posted three perfect appearances, but this recent injury certainly derails any chance of him rejoining the Mets bullpen anytime soon.
- Aside from the scorching season Double-A Mets shortstop Amed Rosario is having, fellow teammate and top prospect Dominic Smith seems to have finally tapped into his power potential and is having quite the season himself. The 21-year old former first round pick has always been known as a high-contact line drive hitter, as he holds a career .291 average in the minors, and has been known as a doubles machine hitting 33 in 2015, and 26 in 2014. However scouts have always questioned his power potential and this season he has hit a career high 12 home runs in 90 games while producing a career high .466 slugging percentage. If Smith is just beginning to tap into his power potential this season, his star will be shining even brighter when he is big league ready.
The Mets Offense is Historically Bad.
The New York Mets fell to the Chicago Cubs yesterday afternoon by the final score of 6-2, and unfortunately the Mets lost in the same fashion that they have all season. Wilmer Flores saved the Mets from a shutout with a 2-run home run in the top of the eighth inning, but it wasn’t enough. Continue reading
Lineups & Game Notes: Mets vs. Cubs 2:20 pm et.
New York Mets (50-43):
1. Jose Reyes (S) SS
2. Curtis Granderson (L) RF
3. Wilmer Flores (R) 3B
4. James Loney (L) 1B
5. Travis d’Arnaud (R) C
6. Kelly Johnson (L) 2B
7. Juan Lagares (R) CF
8. Michael Conforto (L) LF
9. Bartolo Colon (R) P
SP: Bartolo Colon RHP (8-4, 3.11 ERA)
Chicago Cubs (56-37):
1. Ben Zobrist (S) RF
2. Kris Bryant (R) 3B
3. Anthony Rizzo (L) 1B
4. Willson Contreras (R) LF
5. Jason Heyward (L) CF
6. Addison Russell (R) SS
7. Miguel Montero (L) C
8. Javier Baez (R) 2B
9. Kyle Hendricks (R) P
SP: Kyle Hendricks RHP (8-6 2.41 ERA)
Today’s game can be seen on SNY and ESPN.
Game Notes:
METS-CUBS NOTES: The Mets are 7-19 at Wrigley Field since 2008…The Mets have won nine of their last 10 match- ups vs. the Cubs (including the postseason)…New York snapped an eight-game regular season losing streak at Wrigley Field with last night’s 2-1 win…It was the second-longest losing streak at Wrigley Field in team history.
DAY GAMES: New York is 18-11 in day games (7-6 on the road)…The Mets have a .621 winning percentage in day games which ranks fourth in the majors…The Mets lead the majors with a 2.71 team ERA during the day.
ONE-RUN GAMES: The Mets are 19-11 in one-run games (8-6 on the road) this year…The .633 winning percentage in one-run decisions ranks sixth in the majors.
CLOSING TIME: Jeurys Familia has 33 saves, the most in the majors…Is 33-33 in save opportunities in 2016…Familia has a franchise record with 33 straight saves to open a season…Familia has hurled a career-high 17.0 scoreless innings with 17 strikeouts dating to June 8.
RECORD RUN: Familia has saved 49 consecutive games in the regular season dating to August 1, 2015, extending a franchise-record…It is the tied for the fourth-longest streak in major league history with John Axford…Familia has also set another franchise record with saves in each of his last 11 appearances.
COLON VS. CUBS: Bartolo Colón is 2-2 with a 3.66 ERA in eight games (seven starts) versus the Cubs (seven regular season starts, one postseason relief appearance)….He has struck out 26 and walked 21…His only career regular season victory against the Cubs came in his last start against them on July 2…Colón pitched 6.0 innings and gave up two runs, earned, on four hits and struck out five and walked three…Colon was the winning pitcher in the Mets clinching Game 4 of the NLCS vs. the Cubs…He worked 1.1 scoreless innings of relief as the Mets won, 8-3.
METS VS. HENDRICKS: Kyle Hendricks has made 2 career starts against the Mets and holds a 2-0 record with a 0.69 ERA…He has struck out nine and walked three in 13 career innings…Notable numbers against the 26-year old right hander are provided below…
- Kelly Johnson: .500 (1-2), 1 RBI, 1 K
- Jose Reyes: .333 (1-3)
- Curtis Granderson: .167 (1-6), 1 K
- Juan Lagares: .000 (0-5)
- Wilmer Flores: .000 (0-4)
- Travis d’Arnaud: .000 (0-3)
Final Recap: Mets 2 – Cubs 1
The New York Mets (50-43) defeated the Chicago Cubs (56-37) tonight by the final score of 2-1. For a full boxscore recap follow the link below…
Game Notes:
- Rene Rivera had the clutch hit tonight with a go-ahead RBI single in the top of the 9th. He finished the night 3-4.
- Jose Reyes went 1-4 with a triple and a run scored.
- Curtis Granderson was 0-3 with a sacrifice fly.
- Noah Syndergaard went 5.2 innings while allowing 1 run on 7 hits. He walked 2 and struck out 8.
- Jeurys Familia converted his league leading 33rd save.
Wow. What. A. Game. We can all breathe a sigh of relief now after how the bottom of the ninth inning unfolded. Jeurys Familia completed a Houdini act tonight after loading the bases with no outs. Familia who was struggling with finding the strike zone provided the Cubs with two walks, and Jose Reyes misplayed a ball which was going foul to allow the Cubs a chance to steal a win from the Mets tonight. With no outs, Familia got pinch-hitter Matt Szczur to ground into a force out at home plate due to a great stop by first baseman James Loney. Familia then got Kris Bryant to ground out into a 5-4-3 double play to end the game. Reyes redeemed himself on that final double play and an energized Familia was able to exhale after throwing a stressful 22 pitches.
Rene Rivera came up huge for the Mets tonight with the go-ahead RBI single off of Cubs closer Hector Rondon in the top of the ninth inning. With a tied ballgame and two outs with runners on second and first base, Rivera punched a first pitch fastball into right field which allowed Neil Walker to score from second base and put the Mets ahead. In what was a common theme tonight with the Mets struggling to produce runs with runners in scoring position, Rivera saved the Mets tonight with a rare base knock in that situation.
I didn’t agree with Collins pinch-hitting options tonight, as he batted Alejandro De Aza with runners on first and second base in the top of the seventh, and Kelly Johnson with runners on first and third base in the top of the ninth. De Aza ended up striking out swinging and Johnson grounded out. I believe Collins should’ve used one of his two hot-hitting hitters in Wilmer Flores or Juan Lagares in those situations. But the Mets won so it’s all for naught. But the Mets are still a dreadful 3-33 with RISP since the All Star break which is an area they are going to have to continue to clean up if they want to contend.
Noah Syndergaard looked great tonight as his fastball was constantly in the upper 90’s, even touching 100 mph early on in the game. The Cubs did get a few hits off of him which upped his pitch count, but he gutted it out tonight and put any worries about his arm to bed tonight with his performance. Syndergaard ended up throwing 105 pitches but did not lose any velocity as the game wore on. As I’ve said a million times, the All Star break could not have benefited the Mets staff at a better time and I believe we can relax and enjoy Thor’s performances going forward for the rest of the season.
A couple of milestones occurred tonight as Jose Reyes hit his 100th career triple as a member of the Mets, which is a franchise record. Noah Syndergaard also reached 300 career strikeouts tonight in his 43rd career game. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, both Syndergaard and Koji Uehara are the only pitchers with 50 or fewer walks at the time of their 300th strikeout since the pitcher’s mound was relocated to its current distance in 1893. What an incredible statistic, and it goes to show the great command as well as dominance that Syndergaard has possessed since his arrival in the Majors.
- The Mets and Cubs will play a matinee rubber game tomorrow afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 2:20 pm et. The Mets will wear 1986 road uniforms for the first time all season, and you can watch them in those great looking uni’s on SNY and ESPN.
- Bartolo Colon (8-4, 3.11 ERA) will take the hill for the Mets and face Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks (8-6, 2.41 ERA).
Lucas Duda slowly progressing
Apr 23, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; New York Mets first baseman Lucas Duda (21) hits an RBI sacrifice fly off of Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin (43) in the first inning of their game at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
It is being reported by MLB.com reporter Anthony DiComo, that first baseman Lucas Duda did some running for the first time today since being placed on the disabled list back on May 23rd. Duda also played catch prior to tonight’s game as well.
Duda has been progressing slowly from the stress fracture in his back, but it looks like he could hopefully be ready for a rehab assignment at the beginning of next month. If he is able to continue to progress over the next couple of weeks and begin a rehab assignment at the beginning of August, he could possibly return to the Mets lineup sometime in the middle to end of August. Duda’s timetable all depends on how his back responds to baseball activities and how much game action he will need to round into form.
The 30-year old first baseman was hitting .231 with seven home runs and 19 RBI’s in 39 games prior to hitting the disabled list.
Lineups & Game Notes: Mets vs. Cubs 7:05 pm et.
New York Mets (49-43):
- Jose Reyes (S) 3B
- Curtis Granderson (L) CF
- Yoenis Cespedes (R) LF
- James Loney (L) 1B
- Neil Walker (S) 2B
- Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
- Michael Conforto (L) RF
- Rene Rivera (R) C
- Noah Syndergaard (L) P
SP: Noah Syndergaard RHP (9-4, 2.56 ERA)
Chicago Cubs (56-36):
1. Tommy La Stella (L) 3B
2. Kris Bryant (R) RF
3. Anthony Rizzo (L) 1B
4. Ben Zobrist (S) 2B
5. Willson Contreras (R) LF
6. Jason Heyward (L) CF
7. Addison Russell (R) SS
8. Miguel Montero (L) C
9. Jake Arrieta (R) P
SP: Jake Arrieta RHP (12-4, 2.68 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY and ESPN.
Game Notes:
METS-CUBS NOTES: The Mets are 6-19 at Wrigley Field since 2008.
THE RETURN: Noah Syndergaard made his major league debut at Wrigley Field on May 12, 2015…He suffered the loss, allowing three runs over 5.1 innings while notching six strikeouts.
GRANDYMAN LOVES THE WINDY CITY: Curtis Granderson is batting .353 (18-51) with a .450 OBP, four doubles, three home runs and seven RBI over his last 15 games..Is batting .346 (18-52) during his career at Wrigley Field.
JEKYLL & HYDE: Asdrubal Cabrera is batting .313 (15-48) with five homers and seven RBI in 12 games in July…He is tied for third in the majors with five home runs this month..Is 0-for-his-last-28 with runners in scoring position dating to May 27 … His last hit with RISP came on May 23 at Washington.
WILMER!!: Wilmer Flores has six homers this month, tied for the major league lead with the Twins’ Max Kepler…Flores is hitting .351 (13-37) with 11 RBI in 12 games in July…Flores has four homers in his last seven games.
THOR VS. CUBS: Syndergaard is 2-1 with a 2.50 ERA in his career against Chicago (two regular season starts, one postseason start)…He’s struck out 24 and walked five.
METS VS. ARRIETA: In six career starts Arrieta has posted a 2-2 record with a 2.48 ERA against the Mets…He has struck out 36 and walked 10 in 40 innings…Picked up the loss back on July 2nd after going 5.1 innings and allowing 4 runs on 8 hits to the Mets…He struck out 4 and walked 2… Notable numbers against Arrieta are provided below…
- Asdrubal Cabrera: .455 (5-11), 2 HR, 4 RBI’s
- Curtis Granderson: .333 (10-30), 3 HR, 9 RBI’s
- Jose Reyes: .333 (1-3), 1 RBI, 1 K
- Yoenis Cespedes: .222 (2-9), 1 HR, 3 RBI
- Neil Walker: .214 (6-28), 1 HR, 3 RBI
Mets Tidbits:
- With the recent promotion of outfielder Michael Conforto, Terry Collins has a lot of juggling to do with his daily lineup card as far as the outfield goes. Yoenis Cespedes also recently expressed a desire to strictly stay in left field the rest of the season, especially after he suffered a quadriceps injury before the break. Collins has agreed with Cespedes and told the media that he expects to primarily play Cespedes in left field to preserve his legs for the rest of the season. That leaves Michael Conforto a candidate for center field as odd as that may sound. Collins told reporters that Conforto will begin taking fly balls in center field this week, and many believe he could see playing time there when the Mets go to spacious Marlins Park this weekend. Conforto has no game experience in college nor professionally in center field but he’s young enough to hopefully adapt quickly. It may be the only way Conforto could get his bat in the lineup on a consistent basis currently.
- Matt Harvey went under the knife today in St. Louis with Dr. Robert Thompson to correct his thoracic outlet syndrome. Harvey is expected to need around six months to recover and agent Scott Boras expects the Dark Knight to be ready for the 2017 season.
Final Recap: Cubs 5 – Mets 1
The Chicago Cubs (56-36) defeated the New York Mets (49-43) tonight by the final score of 5-1. For a full boxscore recap follow the link below…
Game Notes:
- Steven Matz picked up the loss tonight going 5 innings while allowing 4 runs on 8 hits. He walked 1 and struck out 5.
- Wilmer Flores was 2-4 with a solo HR.
- Michael Conforto was 1-1 with a pinch hit single.
- Seth Lugo pitched 2 perfect shutout innings in relief while striking out a batter.
Well the Mets aren’t going to beat the Cubs 11 times in a row, as the Cubs are a good ballclub and the Mets simply squandered multiple opportunities tonight to go ahead. The Mets had Cubs starter Jon Lester on the ropes multiple times tonight early on in the game and could not drive in a run. Neil Walker was also unable to come through with runners on in the top of the eighth inning. The Mets offense finished 0-7 with runners in scoring position tonight, an area they’ve struggled in all season and it’s significantly affected their record. If the Mets aren’t hitting multiple home runs a game they aren’t scoring, and it’s frustrating to figure out how they can’t manufacture runs without the long ball. The Mets are currently ranked dead last in the league with a .209 average with runners in scoring position.
Terry Collins is going to have to also figure out a way to get Wilmer Flores more at bats, as all he has done over the past couple of weeks is rake. Word is that Jose Reyes is also learning how to play center field (like the Mets need another outfielder) but it may be helpful in getting both of their bats, as well as Reyes’ speed in the same lineup. Flores currently has six home runs this month, a number nobody else in the league has. Collins is going to need to be creative in getting him in the lineup until he stops hitting, as well as Michael Conforto who came up and got a base hit in his return to the Majors. Conforto is expected to get a start in left field tomorrow night with Cespedes in center field, and Granderson in right field.
Steven Matz essentially lost the game on one pitch to Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo who took him deep in the bottom of the third inning for a three-run homer. Rizzo turned on an 83 MPH changeup and took Matz’s pitch into the right center field seats. The Cubs would take a 3-0 lead, a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the game. To Matz’s credit it was a tough 10 pitch at-bat, and while Matz pitched admirably the rest of the night, that home run by Rizzo will stick out like a sore thumb for tonight’s loss.
- The Mets will attempt to take the second game of this three game series against the Cubs tomorrow night with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 pm et. You can watch tomorrow’s night’s game on SNY and ESPN.
- Noah Syndergaard (9-4, 2.56 ERA) will make his first start since his arm fatigue injury and square off with Cubs ace Jake Arrieta (12-4, 2.68 ERA).
Above The Mendoza 