Tagged: Sports
Reyes and Cespedes can turn the tide.
The Mets are currently playing to keep their season alive over the next two days in St. Louis, and the Mets have two players on the roster who are doing everything they possibly can to keep their dreams of October alive.
Jose Reyes has been everything the Mets wanted when they signed him back on June 25th. While he got off to a slow start, he has really turned it on as of late and has kept the Mets offensively afloat with his ability to get on base and score runs. Over his last five games, which have been critical games for the Mets, Reyes has hit .429 with a .478 on-base percentage and has scored five runs. Reyes actually accounted for three of the Mets seven runs in last night’s game and he reached base four times. Having a table setter at the top of the lineup with speed is something the Mets have been looking for all season and they finally have it at their disposal. The 33-year old’s glove has also been steady at third base only accounting for one error in the 157 innings he’s played there thus far. We all heard the stories about how Reyes rubbed his teammates in Colorado the wrong way and it had to have been tough on him getting traded from a playoff team to a team in the bottom-half of the league in the middle of the season. His motivation may not have fully been there in Colorado, but we are seeing a fully energized and motivated Reyes who wants to help the Mets reach the postseason. Reyes is also playing himself on to the team for next season and I’m glad we have one of our own homegrown players helping lead the charge to October.
The way Yoenis Cespedes goes is the way the Mets go and that is something we have seen over the past season and a half with the Mets. Cespedes is the unquestioned team leader and his impact has been felt since returning to the lineup on Friday night. Over his last four games since returning, the 30-year old slugger has hit .412 with three home runs and five RBIs. Oh yeah the Mets are also 3-1 in those four games and have a chance to be right in the middle of the Wild Card race again with victories in the next two games against the Cardinals. There is no question that the Mets need Cespedes down the stretch but also beyond that. We haven’t seen a player be able to change the dynamic of the Mets lineup since the Mets had Carlos Beltran. I can’t imagine the team without Cespedes going into the future as he has led this team to the World Series once, and he is going to try and use his heroics again to make a late season push for the Mets. In 155 games played since being acquired by the Mets, Cespedes has posted a .292 average with 42 home runs and 108 RBIs. Those are numbers that could be comparable to a full season and he has more than proven the New York spotlight is not too big for him. We will all be riding Cespedes’ coattails down the stretch with the hopes of playing in October. We also will be hoping that the Mets are able to make sure Cespedes is a part of the future of the team come this winter as well.
Final Recap: Mets 7 – Cardinals 4
The New York Mets (63-62) defeated the St. Louis Cardinals (66-58) tonight in their series opener by the final score of 7-4. For a full boxscore recap follow the link below…
Game Notes:
- Jon Niese only lasted 0.1 of an inning before departing with a knee injury. He allowed 3 runs on 1 hit with 2 walks.
- Robert Gsellman picked up his first career win while relieving Niese by pitching 3.2 scoreless innings of relief while allowing only 2 hits and 2 strikeouts with 3 walks.
- Wilmer Flores was 1-3 with a 3-run HR.
- Justin Ruggiano was 1-3 with a mammoth 461 ft. solo HR (The longest Mets HR in the Statcast era).
- Asdrubal Cabrera was 3-5 with an RBI double.
- Jose Reyes was 3-4 with a walk, a stolen base, and an RBI single.
What a difference in swagger the Mets have played with since the return of Yoenis Cespedes. The team is 3-1 in the four games he’s played in since returning from the disabled list, and it’s evident that this team relies on his presence for success. While Cespedes bat had been carrying the Mets over the last couple of games, his glove was the highlight tonight as he made an outstanding catch to rob Stephen Piscotty of a home run in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Mets understand that this is their biggest series of the season to this point, and they came out tonight playing the way we haven’t seen in some time. With tonight’s victory the Mets now sit 3.5 games behind the Cardinals for the final Wild Card spot. There is still plenty of work to do over the next two days, but the offense looks totally revitalized with the presence of their team leader in Cespedes.
There is not much to say on the Jon Niese front as he appeared to come into tonight’s start injured and didn’t last more than a third of an inning after looking shaky early. Regardless whether the knee injury had any affect on his performance tonight, I’d rather the Mets put Niese back into the bullpen, as he has just not cut it as a starter this season for either the Pirates or the Mets. Robert Gsellman came into tonight in his MLB debut and despite allowing Niese’s inherited runners to score, he shut the Cardinals down to set the tone for the Mets for the rest of the game. Gsellman’s effort was part of the Mets bullpen having a huge night and throwing 8.2 innings of one-run ball the rest of the way. It is appears from Terry Collins postgame comments that Gsellman will get the start in Philadelphia on Sunday which is well deserved after the way he pitched tonight. I would also expect Niese to hit the disabled list at this point as he’s been dealing with knee discomfort for sometime now, and it doesn’t make sense to play shorthanded in the bullpen, especially after the Mets used six pitchers in relief tonight.
- The newly energized Mets will take on the St. Louis Cardinals in the second game of their three game series tomorrow night with first pitch scheduled for 8:15 pm et. You can catch tomorrow’s game on SNY.
- Jacob deGrom (7-6, 2.73 ERA) will look to bounce back from his last start and toe the rubber against Cardinals ace Carlos Martinez (11-7, 3.24 ERA).
Lineups: Mets vs. Cardinals 8:15 pm et
New York Mets (62-62):
1. Jose Reyes (S) 3B
2. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
3. Yoenis Cespedes (R) LF
4. Wilmer Flores (R) 1B
5. Jay Bruce (L) RF
6. T.J. Rivera (R) 2B
7. Justin Ruggiano (R) CF
8. Travis d’Arnaud (R) C
9. Jonathon Niese (L) P
SP: Jonathon Niese LHP (8-7, 5.30 ERA)
St. Louis Cardinals (66-57):
1. Tommy Pham (R) LF
2. Stephen Piscotty (R) RF
3. Matt Carpenter (L) 2B
4. Brandon Moss (L) 1B
5. Yadier Molina (R) C
6. Jhonny Peralta (R) 3B
7. Jedd Gyorko (R) SS
8. Randal Grichuk (R) CF
9. Jaime Garcia (L) P
SP: Jaime Garcia LHP (10-8, 4.11 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY.
Things to Know: Mets vs. Cardinals
The New York Mets will open a critical three-game set in St. Louis tonight to face the Cardinals in a battle that will certainly have ramifications on the Wild Card race, as well as the Mets season. Here are a few things to know ahead of tonight’s game. Continue reading
Neil Walker to paternity leave
The Mets have placed second baseman Neil Walker on paternity leave, as he has left the team to be with his wife back in Pittsburgh for the birth of their first child. He is expected to be out for the entirety of the series in St. Louis. Walker will rejoin the team in New York on Friday when they take on the Philadelphia Phillies. Walker has been red hot over the past month as he has hit .379 with five home runs and nine RBIs in August. Congratulations are in order for the Walker family on the birth of their first child!
The Mets will promote recently demoted infielder T.J. Rivera from Triple-A Las Vegas to take Walker’s spot on the roster for the next three games. The leading hitter in the Pacific Coast League, Rivera will return to a .355 batting line with the Mets in 31 plate appearances.
Matz likely headed to DL
There has been a report today by MLB insider Jon Heyman that Steven Matz was diagnosed with a mild shoulder strain and rotator cuff irritation after meeting with team doctors in New York today. This surely means that Matz will not make his next scheduled start on Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals in a critical series with postseason implications.
The most likely scenario at this point is that Matz is sent to the 15-day DL as he already would have missed two starts due to his shoulder woes. Seth Lugo is on the odds on favorite to get the start Thursday night for the Mets. The 26-year old Lugo threw 6.2 innings of three run ball despite taking the loss against the San Francisco Giants on Friday night.
Matz who is already pitching with a bone spur in his left elbow, took a no-hitter into the eighth inning, on 105 pitches against the San Diego Padres in his last start on August 14th. The 25-year old left-hander has always been labeled with injury concerns, and it is a disappointing development for both him and the Mets, as the Mets can’t seem to shake injuries to their roster this season. There is no timetable as to how long Matz will be out, but at the minimum we shouldn’t expect to see him for a couple of turns through the rotation.
Matz had posted a 9-8 record with a 3.40 and 129 strikeouts in 132.1 innings this season.
*(UPDATE: 4:00 PM CT)*: MLB Insider Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the New York Mets will recall right-handed pitcher Robert Gsellman in a corresponding move. According to Rosenthal the plan is for Gsellman to pitch out of the bullpen for the Mets initially. The 23-year old pitcher was scratched from his start in Las Vegas today which suggested he may be heading to St. Louis to join the big league club.
Gsellman is ranked 14th by MLB.com in the Mets farm system and he has posted a combined 4-9 record with a 3.99 ERA and a 88/31 K/BB split in 20 combined starts between Double-A and Triple-A.
Lineups: Mets vs. Giants 8:05 pm et.
New York Mets (61-62):
1. Jose Reyes (S) 3B
2. Curtis Granderson (L) CF
3. Yoenis Cespedes (R) LF
4. Jay Bruce (L) RF
5. Neil Walker (S) 2B
6. James Loney (L) 1B
7. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
8. Rene Rivera (R) C
9. Noah Syndergaard (L) P
SP: Noah Syndergaard RHP (10-7, 2.76 ERA)
San Francisco Giants (68-55):
1. Denard Span (L) CF
2. Eduardo Nunez (R) 3B
3. Brandon Belt (L) 1B
4. Brandon Crawford (L) SS
5. Hunter Pence (R) RF
6. Joe Panik (L) 2B
7. Gregor Blanco (L) LF
8. Trevor Brown (R) C
9. Jeff Samardzija (R) P
SP: Jeff Samardzija RHP (10-8, 4.24 ERA)
Tonight’s game can be seen on ESPN.
Jim Henderson activated off DL
The Mets have made a roster move prior to this afternoon’s game against the Giants by activating reliever Jim Henderson off of the disabled list, and optioning reliever Erik Goeddel back down to Triple-A Las Vegas.
Henderson has been on the disabled list since June 19 due to a right shoulder impingement. While on the disabled list the 33-year old reliever suffered a setback during his first rehab assignment by suffering a hamstring injury last month. Manager Terry Collins also wanted to make sure Henderson’s velocity returned to form upon his return to the big league club. Henderson will return to his normal seventh inning role with a 4.26 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 25.1 innings pitched for the Mets this season.
The 27-year old Goeddel will return to Triple-A after pitching in 28 innings for the Mets so far this season. Goeddel posted a 4.18 ERA with 27 strikeouts but had posted a 9.00 ERA over his last five innings pitched. Goeddel will hope to rejoin the club in September when rosters expand.
Lineups: Mets vs. Giants 4:15 pm et.
New York Mets (60-62):
1. Jose Reyes (S) 3B
2. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
3. Yoenis Cespedes (R) LF
4. Neil Walker (S) 2B
5. Wilmer Flores (R) 1B
6. Travis d’Arnaud (R) C
7. Justin Ruggiano (R) CF
8. Alejandro De Aza (L) RF
9. Bartolo Colon (R) P
SP: Bartolo Colon RHP (10-7, 3.38 ERA)
San Francisco Giants (68-54):
1. Denard Span (L) CF
2. Angel Pagan (S) LF
3. Brandon Belt (L) 1B
4. Buster Posey (R) C
5. Brandon Crawford (L) SS
6. Hunter Pence (R) RF
7. Eduardo Nunez (R) 3B
8. Joe Panik (L) 2B
9. Matt Moore (L) P
SP: Matt Moore LHP (7-9, 4.14 ERA)
Today’s game can be seen on SNY and Fox Sports 1.
Where are you Jay Bruce?
Since Jay Bruce has joined the Mets lineup on August 2nd, the Mets are 6-11 in the 17 games he has played. Bruce is only hitting .176 (12-75) with only two home runs and six RBIs, while whiffing 16 times. Now many baseball people said the trade wasn’t a good fit for either side and it seemed like a desperation heave by Sandy Alderson and company. I however believed it was a good trade as Bruce was the top run producer in the National League, while also being one of the the most clutch hitters with runners in scoring position something the Mets lacked. I get it Bruce wasn’t going to come over and have an impact such as Cespedes did last year because they are two totally different players. To me Jay Bruce is almost the same kind of player that Lucas Duda is offensively, high power numbers without hitting for a high average.
But we have hardly seen the numbers Bruce was producing with the Reds prior to coming over to the Mets. Granted the Mets have struggled to put a healthy lineup filled with regulars around him, but Bruce has turned into what the Mets were prior to acquiring him. A lowly .293 slugging percentage isn’t what the Mets signed up for when they gave up highly touted minor leaguer Dilson Herrera for Bruce. Bruce will receive a day off today after failing to come up big in last night’s contest, where for the first time he was surrounded by a regular lineup with the return of Asdrubal Cabrera and Yoenis Cespedes. The frustration on Bruce’s face in the dugout last night said it all.
While his objective is to help the Mets reach the postseason over the next couple of weeks, the way things have gone recently Bruce may be soon playing for a spot on the team for 2017. Bruce has an affordable $13 million team option that the Mets will surely pick up unless they plan to cut ties altogether and buy him out for $1 million (which would be highly unlikely). But if he can’t turn it around the Mets may simply deal him if they are able to retain Cespedes which should be their top priority heading into the offseason.
Will the real Jay Bruce please stand up.
Above The Mendoza 