Series Thread: NY Mets @ Cin. Reds (9/24-27)

[Used 2 B Hu]

There went the shutout

 

[Used 2 B Hu]

Holy shit, they ARE going to pull off the miracle comeback.

One damn out, Parnell???

Fuck!

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

It's all about Mookie....

T-Minus 1

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Rapid Reaction: New York Mets 12, Cincinnati Reds 5 - Mets Blog - ESPN

Lucas Duda breaking out of funk, will start vs. lefty on Saturday - Mets Blog - ESPN

Rookie Noah Syndergaard maturing into dominant starter - Mets Blog - ESPN

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

CINCINNATI -- On a night the New York Mets reduced their magic number to one to clinch their first division title since 2006, the team lost a significant contributor.

Infielder Juan Uribe aggravated a previous chest injury and should be sidelined for several days.

Uribe originally suffered an injury to his chest while diving for a groundball at second base on Sunday. He pinch hit in the eighth inning of Friday’s 12-5 win against the Cincinnati Reds as manager Terry Collins cleared the bench. Midway through the at-bat, Uribe tried to swing and then clutched at his chest. He departed the game with the count 2-and-2. Eric Campbell completed the at-bat.

A team spokesman said X-rays were negative. Collins said the injury, initially labeled a deep chest bruise, is cartilage-related.

With the postseason opener exactly two weeks away, the priority is resting Uribe now to try to get him healed by the Division Series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Collins said he hopes Uribe might resume swinging in a few days, but that may be overly optimistic.

“It is not good news,” Collins said. “He’s going to miss some time. He took BP, felt fine. He was hitting in the cage. He was good and warm. But we’re going to have to give him some time to rest that.”

 

[Used 2 B Hu]

I am so ready to pop a Brooklyn Octoberfest in celebration.

Not sure what we'll get w/ Harvey and the bullpen, but washington looks like they've given up for the year.

Please let today be the day

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Bryce knows our magic number....

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Morning Briefing: Party on!



CINCINNATI --(9/26)

FIRST PITCH: Get ready for a celebration.

A New York Mets win against the Cincinnati Reds or a Washington Nationalsloss against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday officially will secure the Amazin’s first postseason berth since 2006.

The Mets send Matt Harvey (12-7, 2.80 ERA) to the mound for an abbreviated start opposite left-hander John Lamb (1-3, 4.60) at 4:10 p.m. ET.

Five minutes earlier, Stephen Strasburg and Aaron Nola square off in D.C.

“We’ve got our horse going,” manager Terry Collins said after the Mets beat the Reds, 12-5, on Friday. “If you said in spring training, ‘Hey, we’ve got a chance to clinch, who would you want on the mound,’ Matt Harvey’s name most likely would be the name you mentioned.”

Said Noah Syndergaard after Friday’s win: “The magic number is one now. We’ve got horse, Harvey, on the mound. I have a pretty good feeling after that we’re going to be celebrating. So it’s an unbelievable feeling.”

Collins declined to say how long Harvey will pitch in what is expected to be another abbreviated start.

The Mets already have clinched at least a tie for the division title, but Collins said he could not enjoy it until the race officially is over.

“I can’t do it,” the manager said. “That’s just not my makeup. When it’s said and done, I’ll be the happiest guy in the room. Right now I’ve got to figure out who to play, and go out there and grind it out. I don’t look too far ahead.”

Collins did pledge to deviate from his normal righty-heavy lineup when facing a left-hander. Lucas Duda is due to start on Saturday against Lamb. Presumably,Daniel Murphy and Curtis Granderson will be in the lineup too.


SATURDAY’S NEWS REPORTS:

• Syndergaard took a scoreless effort into the eighth inning and retired 16 straight batters before surrendering a two-out homer to Brennan Bosch in theMets’ 12-5 win. Lucas Duda had a pair of three-run homers and finished with a career-high six RBIs. The Mets built a dozen-run lead before a combination of Eric O'Flaherty, Bobby Parnell and Tim Stauffer allowed things to get mildly interesting. Hansel Robles had to enter to record the final out. Afterward, Collins was unapologetic about using pitchers unlikely to be on the Division Series roster in the late innings. “I got to rest some pitching tonight. It got ugly at the end of the game. I understand that,” Collins said. “We won. That’s all I give a s--- about. We won the game. We’ve got rested pitchers.” Read game recaps in the Post, Daily News, Times, Newsday, Record and atMLB.com.
  
  
• Juan Uribe aggravated a cartilage injury in his chest and was forced to depart midway through an eighth-inning pinch-hit at-bat. Read more at MLB.com.
  
  
• Read more on Collins being mum about Harvey’s Saturday workload in thePost and Newsday.
  
  
• Ruben Tejada started over Wilmer Flores for a third straight game on Friday. Collins said Flores is “out of gas.” Read more in the Daily News.
  
  
• Columnist Mike Vaccaro in the Post says Mets fans deserve this moment after all the years of agita.
  
  
• Jon Heyman at CBSSports.com writes about the Mets’ postseason rotation plans: “The Mets are planning for now to employ their four kid pitchers -- Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz -- as their playoff rotation, but they understand that Harvey may not go the distance should they make it to the final (or semifinal) round. They think they are in decent shape on the others in terms of innings, and Bartolo Colon and Jon Niese give them decent fill-ins. As far as the rotation, they'd like to get Noah Syndergaard at home, as he's been much better at Citi Field.”
  
  
• Columnist Anthony Rieber in Newsday looks ahead to the clinching celebration.
  
  
• Victor Mather in the Times and Jared Diamond in the Journal discuss whether there is a correlation between finishing the regular season strongly and having postseason success. Writes Diamond in disputing the necessity for a hot finish to the regular season: “Since 1995, the teams that wound up winning the World Series had a combined winning percentage of .578 in their last 20 regular-season games; World Series losers had a .611 winning percentage; League Championship Series losers had a .606 winning percentage; and Division Series and wild-card losers had a .598 winning percentage.”
  
  
• From the bloggers … Faith and Fear is ready to get giddy. … Mets Reportwelcomes Duda’s revival.
  

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

CINCINNATI -- Terry Collins spoke cautiously because he had not yet briefed his players, but the manager acknowledged he may use Bartolo Colon and Jonathon Niese in relief roles rather than as starters in Philadelphia during the next series to get them acclimated to the bullpen.

The New York Mets appear most likely to use Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz as starting pitchers in the Division Series, which leaves the other six-man rotation members -- Colon and Niese -- needing to contribute in relief in the opening round, assuming Niese makes the roster cut.

“It’s very possible that could happen,” Collins said about using Colon and Niese in the bullpen in Philly. “Until we get there, I haven’t talked to those guys. I don’t need them to go to their phones and see that they’re going to the bullpen, because I haven’t talked to them yet. I’m just going to let it ride, but there’s a possibility we might alter some things.”

Collins also confirmed that Harvey and deGrom will start against theWashington Nationals during the final series of the regular season, regardless of whether the Mets clinch this weekend in Cincinnati. Their outings against the Nats may be abbreviated, though.

“We’re not going to ride them hard, but I think it’s important that we keep them in line and make sure that everybody’s pitching,” Collins said.

Collins said that trying to secure home-field advantage for the NLDS is important, too. The Mets (87-67) trail the Los Angeles Dodgers (87-66) by a half-game for the right to host Game 1. The Amazin’s have the tiebreaker if the teams finish even by virtue of winning the season series.


• New York Mets' NLDS roster projection 1.0 - Mets Blog - ESPN

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

CINCINNATI -- With the magic number down to one, here are the lineups for Saturday's 4:10 p.m. ET game between the New York Mets and Cincinnati Redsat Great American Ball Park.

* In preparation for the playoffs, manager Terry Collins uses his left-handed bats against southpaw John Lamb.

Mets

Curtis Granderson, RF

David Wright, 3B

Yoenis Cespedes, CF

Daniel Murphy, 2B

Travis d'Arnaud, C

Lucas Duda, 1B

Michael Cuddyer, LF

Wilmer Flores, SS

Matt Harvey, RHP



Reds

Jason Bourgeois, CF

Joey Votto, 1B

Brandon Phillips, 2B

Jay Bruce, RF

Todd Frazier, 3B

Ivan De Jesus Jr., SS

Adam Duvall, LF

Tucker Barnhart, C

Lamb, LHP

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

THE DUDA ABIDES!!!!

GRAND SLAM!!

4-0 METS...top 1st.

(he pulled that blast over the RF wall off a lefty)
* (that's also his 1st career slam)


WOW!!

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Grandy!!!!

2 out solo shot....

5-0.

LGM!!!

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Cincy gave Harvey some trouble in the 2nd....he allowed 2 runs on 4 hits..
(the reds used a PH for the starting P, but he struck out)

5-2...heading to the 3rd.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Mets get those 2 runs back, on Cuddyer's 2 out 2 rbi double....

7-2 mid 3rd.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Harvey tosses a blazing fast 1-2-3, 4th inning...on just 6 pitches...(inc. a 3 pitch K to start it)


LGM!!!

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Sweet 6-4-3 DP turned by Flores & Murphy to end the 5th...

7-2 Mets.

Harvey should go just 1 more inning...he's at 70 pitches thru 5.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Nats up 1-0, come on Phillies.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Harvey gets the K to finish the 6th...he's now @ 182.2 IP on the season...and yes, his arm is still attached....lol

Mets 7 - Reds 2..heading to the 7th.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Nats up 1-0, come on Phillies.

Nats are....

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Harvey takes the mound for the 7th.......wow.....now I'm cornfused...