Tagged: Spring Training
Mets vs. Nationals Lineups 1:05 pm et
Mets:
- Alejandro De Aza (R) LF
- Juan Lagares (L) CF
- Wilmer Flores (R) 3B
- Dominic Smith (L) DH
- Travis d’Arnaud (R) C
- Marc Krauss (L) 1B
- Dilson Herrera (R) 2B
- Roger Bernadina (L) RF
- Ruben Tejada (R) SS
SP: Steven Matz LHP
Nationals:
- Ben Revere (L) CF
- Anthony Rendon (R) 3B
- Bryce Harper (L) RF
- Daniel Murphy (L) 2B
- Jayson Werth (R) LF
- Clint Robinson (L) DH
- Tyler Moore (R) 1B
- Wilson Ramos (R) C
- Danny Espinosa (S) SS
SP: Stephen Strasburg RHP
Today’s game will not be televised but can be heard through the Washington Nationals Radio Network if you have MLB.tv Premium.
Game Notes:
Today’s available pitchers for both squads:
METS: LHP Steven Matz, LHP Sean Gilmartin, RHP Logan Verrett, RHP Zack Thornton.
NATIONALS: RHP Stephen Strasburg, RHP A.J. Cole, LHP Oliver Perez, LHP Nick Lee, LHP Felipe Rivero
VS. NATIONALS: Today’s game is the second of six matchups with the Nationals and second of three in Viera…The Mets fell in their Grapefruit League opener in Viera on March 3, 9-4…Washington visits Port St. Lucie on March 18, 27 and 30.
LHP STEVEN MATZ: Will make his second start of the Spring today and his first against the Nationals… Made his Grapefruit League debut on March 7 at St. Louis…He allowed one run on one hit in three innings… In that outing, Matz struck out the side in the second inning before allowing his only run of the game in the third…
ALEJANDRO DE AZA: Is in today’s starting lineup…Was 2-3 with a double and two runs scored on Thursday vs. St. Louis…Is batting .462 (6-13) with two doubles and five runs scored in six games this Spring…
WILMER FLORES: Is in today’s starting lineup…Was 2-3 on Thursday and is batting .500 (7-14) with one double and one RBI in six games played this Spring…Each of Flores’ five starts this Spring have come at third base.
Jenrry Mejia Announcement
It has been reported this afternoon, that Jenrry Mejia is expected to make a big announcement tomorrow afternoon from his attorney’s office in New York. One can only assume that Mejia and his representatives will be pursuing some sort of legal action against Major League Baseball, and possibly the Player’s Association. Mejia had been banned from baseball last month after testing positive for PED’s for a third time. Mejia has been adamant that there has been a conspiracy against him from Major League Baseball, regarding his last two failed drug tests. Mejia also cited a lack of support from the MLBPA in regards to his last two failed drug tests. According to the NY Daily News, a press release from Mejia’s camp includes a witness willing to come forward and testify against Major League Baseball, “claiming that the league offered to pay him in return for steroid related testimony against a player.” Mejia is the first player ever to receive a lifetime ban for PED’s from Major League Baseball, and he apparently won’t go down without a fight.
Final: Mets 7 – Cardinals 2
The New York Mets defeated the St. Louis Cardinals by the final score of 7-2 this afternoon at Tradition Field.
For a full box score recap follow the link below…
Game Notes:
- Noah Syndergaard pitched 3 innings allowing 1 hit, no runs, and 2 strikeouts.
- Jeurys Familia pitched a scoreless inning of relief this afternoon.
- Asdrubal Cabrera left today’s contest early with a sore knee.
- Ruben Tejada was 1-2 with a 2-run home run and a run scored.
- Travis Taijeron hit a 3-run home run in the bottom of the 7th.
- Wilmer Flores had a 2-3 afternoon, and is now batting .500 this Spring.
Ruben Tejada’s home run to left-center field this afternoon was one of the highlights of the game. With much speculation surrounding Tejada’s roster spot, including being a trade candidate to the St. Louis Cardinals, he came on for an injured Asdrubal Cabrera and provided a bang in his first at bat. Tejada also received a nice ovation by the Tradition Field crowd when he replaced an injured Cabrera on the bases in the bottom of the first. You can’t help but feel good for Tejada in his return from that gruesome leg injury, and with the speculation that is surrounding him. Asdrubal Cabrera is scheduled to undergo an MRI tonight to see if there is any ligament damage to the left knee. As of right now, he has been diagnosed with a sore knee, and the MRI results will determine if it is more than that. Noah Syndergaard looked to be in midseason form already in his Grapefruit League debut this afternoon. Syndergaard’s fastball was hitting 98 mph, and he was mowing through the Cardinals lineup before allowing a hard hit ball to Matt Hazelbaker, with 2 outs in the bottom of the third, that was just out of reach of the glove of Wilmer Flores. Michael Conforto went 0-2 against Cardinals lefty Jaime Garcia this afternoon including a strikeout. Terry Collins will be judged on how often he allows Conforto to face lefties, and Conforto will be relied upon to show growth against southpaws when he is in the lineup this season. Expect Collins to have Conforto in the lineup this spring whenever the Mets face a left-handed pitcher. The legend of Travis Taijeron continues this spring, as he had a 3-run home run in the bottom of the 7th to put the game out of reach for the St. Louis Cardinals. Taijeron is hitting an astounding .389 so far this spring, but needs to cut down on the strikeouts as he has 6 in 18 at bats thus far. He will be traveling to Viera with the team tomorrow.
- The Mets travel to Viera, to take on the Washington Nationals for a 1:05 pm start. The game will not be televised, but can be streamed through Washington Nationals radio network if you subscribe to MLB.tv Premium.
- Steven Matz will make his second start of the spring against Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg. Also expected to take the mound for the Mets include, LHP Sean Gilmartin, LHP Duane Below, RHP Logan Verrett, RHP Zach Thornton, RHP Akeel Morris, RHP Paul Sewald, and RHP Seth Lugo.
Asdrubal Cabrera leaves game with injury
Mets starting shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera left Thursday afternoon’s tilt against the Cardinals with a lower left leg injury. Cabrera was tagging up from first base to second base when the injury occured. Cabrera was wincing and grabbing the leg, prompting Manager Terry Collins to pull Cabrera out of the game. Cabrera slightly limped off the field and was replaced by Ruben Tejada.
SNY reported during the third inning that Cabrera is dealing with a sore left knee.
You have to imagine the Mets will take it easy with Cabrera the next few days, and with Matt Reynolds reportedly dealing with a nagging hamstring, Tejada should be getting the bulk of the starts the next few days at short…
Cardinals vs. Mets Lineups 1:10 pm et
Cardinals:
1. Kolten Wong (L) 2B
2. Stephen Piscotty (R) RF
3. Brandon Moss (L) LF
4. Matt Adams (L) 1B
5. Brayan Pena (S) C
6. Tommy Pham (R) CF
7. Greg Garcia (L) 3B
8. Aledmys Diaz (R) SS
9. Jeremy Hazelbaker (L) DH
SP: Jaime Garcia LHP
Mets:
1. Curtis Granderson (L) RF
2. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
3. Yoenis Cespedes (R) CF
4. Lucas Duda (L) 1B
5. Neil Walker (S) 2B
6. Michael Conforto (L) LF
7. Wilmer Flores (R) 3B
8. Kevin Plawecki (R) C
9. Dilson Herrera (R) DH
SP: Noah Syndergaard RHP
Today’s first pitch is at 1:10 pm et and can be seen on SNY or MLB.tv.
Game Notes:
Today’s available Pitchers for both squads:
Cardinals: RHP Mitch Harris, RHP Jeremy Hefner, RHP Miguel Socolovich, RHP Jordan Walden
Mets: RHP Buddy Carlyle, RHP Jeurys Familia, RHP, RHP Rafael Montero, RHP Hansel Robles, RHP Robert Gsellman
Final: Yankees 4 – Mets 4 (10 innings)
The Yankees and Mets played to a 4-4 tie in 10 innings this afternoon. For a full box score recap follow the link below…
Game Notes:
- In Jacob deGrom’s first start of the spring he went 3 innings, while allowing 5 hits on 1 ER and 2 K’s.
- Curtis Granderson made his spring debut as well, and had a nice day at the plate going 2-3 with a run scored.
- Yoenis Cespedes started his first game in CF, and had a 2-3 day at the plate with an RBI.
- Kevin Plawecki was 2-4 with a run scored.
- Addison Reed and Jim Henderson each pitched a perfect frame.
- Antonio Bastardo blew the save in the 9th allowing, two home runs to two Yankees Minor Leaguers.
- Former Mets prospect Cesar Puello who is now with the Yankees, went 0-3 with a strikeout.
deGrom struggled with his control for the most part this afternoon, as he threw 46 pitches in 3 innings and his velocity hovered between 91-93 mph. But for his first start of the spring, health means more than results at this point, and I would put my money on deGrom having his best stuff come Opening Night. The return of Jim Henderson continues as he had another clean inning of work and is making his case to make the 25-man roster out of spring. You can’t help but root for Henderson as besides for his latest rash of injuries, has a very good track record from his time with Milwaukee. The 9th inning ought to leave a bad taste in Bastardo’s mouth after allowing two home runs to a pair of minor leaguers to tie the game. Hopefully Bastardo can right the ship and move on quickly after this one, as he is expected to be a major piece to the Mets bullpen this season.
- The Mets will stay at Tradition Field for tomorrow’s afternoon tilt against the St. Louis Cardinals. Noah Syndergaard will make his spring debut for the Mets, and face Cardinals southpaw Jaime Garcia. First pitch is at 1:10 pm et and can be seen on SNY or MLB.tv.
Mets vs. Yankees lineups 1:10 pm et
Yankees:
1. Didi Gregorius (L) SS
2. Aaron Hicks (S) LF
3. Chase Headley (S) 3B
4. Dustin Ackley (L) 2B
5. Gary Sanchez (R) C
6. Chris Parmelee (L) DH
7. Deibinson Romero (R) 1B
8. Cesar Puello (R) RF
9. Dustin Fowler (L) CF
SP: Ivan Nova RHP
Mets:
1. Curtis Granderson (L) RF
2. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
3. Yoenis Cespedes (R) CF
4. Lucas Duda (L) 1B
5. Neil Walker (S) 2B
6. Travis d’Arnaud (R) C
7. Alejandro De Aza (L) LF
8. Kevin Plawecki (R) DH
9. Luis Rivera (R) 3B
SP: Jacob deGrom RHP
Today’s game can be seen on SNY, MLB Network, and MLB.tv. The game can also be heard on WOR 710 AM.
A Deeper Look into Mets Killers…
There are certain players that I have not grown fond of the Mets facing over the past several seasons, and I tend to call them Mets killers. These individual players are always having success against the Mets no matter how their individual season is going. What is even more frustrating is for the life of me I can’t figure out ways to get them out sometimes or I know the inevitable is about to happen in a high leverage situation. I listed some notable Mets killers on the season schedule this season that the Mets will be facing. I have provided stats for each player against the Mets and how those statistics translate to other teams in the league. To qualify for the list each player has to have played in at least 20 games against the Mets, and some teams have multiple players included on the list. Pictured is the all-time Met killer Chipper Jones, because nobody would be more appropriate to headline this article, right? Continue reading
Final Braves 5- Mets-4
Matt Harvey #33 of the New York Mets throws a pitch during the first inning of a spring training game against the Atlanta Braves at Champion Stadium on March 8, 2016 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Photo Credit: Getty Images / Stacy Revere
The Atlanta Braves rallied and defeated the New York Mets by the final score of 5-4 at Champion Stadium this afternoon. For a full box score recap follow the link below…
Game Notes:
- In Matt Harvey’s spring debut, he threw 3 innings allowing 3 hits on 1 ER with 2 walks and 1 K.
- In Juan Lagares return to the Mets lineup, he went 2-2 with 2 RBI’s.
- Wilmer Flores had a day at the plate going 3-3 with an RBI. He also committed an error in the field.
- Michael Conforto was 1-2 with a run scored.
- Travis Taijeron was 1-2 with a strikeout. Taijeron is still hitting a scorching .429 this spring.
- Ruben Tejada had a rough day at the plate going 0-3 with 2 K’s. He is batting a lowly .100 so far this spring.
- Rafael Montero pitched a inning of relief allowing 2 hits and an ER.
Happy Harvey Day everyone! Matt’s first start on the mound was good not great. Harvey breezed through the first inning with only 7 pitches thrown, and then found himself in a jam due to a Flores throwing error in the second. Harvey escaped the second inning jam with a 4-6-3 double play. He was soon in another jam, after loading the bases with a pair of singles and a walk, with one out in the third. Nick Markakis drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and a nice throw by Roger Bernadina nailed the runner advancing to third to get out of the inning. Harvey’s velocity constantly sat around 95-96 MPH this afternoon for his first start. A major contrast to his debut last season where he was throwing 99 MPH, which was extremely nerve wrecking for his first start back off a major operation. All in all can’t wait for Harvey Day’s to start counting in the standings, as I expect a big season out of Matt this year, especially with the further development of his nasty slider.
Lagares & Flores each had great days at the plate. It seems the Wilmer Flores chant is making its way around different Florida parks all spring as Mets fans were very enthusiastic to see him today, and he delivered when literally called upon.
Emilio Bonifacio capped off a 2-run, 9th inning rally by the Braves with an RBI single to come back, and defeat the Mets this afternoon. A known Mets killer, Bonifacio has 5 hits in 7 at-bats against the Mets this spring.
- The Mets return to Port St. Lucie to face the New York Yankees at 1:10 pm et. The game can be seen on SNY, MLB Network, and MLB.tv. The game can also be heard on WOR 710 AM.
- RHP Jacob deGrom will make his spring debut against Yankees RHP Ivan Nova.
Who is Travis Taijeron?
Who is Travis Taijeron? Many of you might ask that question to yourself recently when reading Mets box scores, or watching Spring Training action so far. Taijeron has done nothing but mash early in Grapefruit League action, to a batting average of .417. Continue reading
Above The Mendoza 