Series Thread: Atl. Braves @ NY Mets (9/19-21)

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

• Morning Briefing: How's the view down there?


NEW YORK -- Look who’s alone atop the National League wild-card standings.

With a sweep of the Twins, coupled with the Giants and Cardinals splitting a four-game series, the New York Mets (80-69) lead San Francisco (79-70) by a game and St. Louis (78-71) by two games. The top two teams will meet in the wild-card game for the right to face the Chicago Cubs in a division series. Thirteen games remain in the regular season.

It was exactly one month ago that the Mets dropped a second straight game in San Francisco to fall two games under .500. Since then, the Mets are 20-7 and have moved a season-high 11 games over .500.

The Mets now continue hosting MLB’s dregs as the Atlanta Braves arrive at Citi Field. Noah Syndergaard (13-8, 2.43 ERA) opposes right-handerAaron Blair (0-6, 8.23) in Monday’s 7:10 p.m. ET opener.

The magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 12.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

T.J. RIVERA OVER JAY BRUCE?
Rivera has a .365 batting average in the 13 games that he has started for New York, and in those starts he has produced a four-hit game, two three-hit games and three two-hit games. Rivera has more multiple-hit games for the Mets (six) than Bruce (five in 38 games), the Elias Sports Bureau notes.

Terry Collins compared what is now a two-day break for Jay Bruce to when he sat Neil Walker for a couple of days to clear his head and Walker took off upon returning. "It's the same thing we did with Neil Walker," Collins said.

NEIL WALKER LEAVING HIS OPTIONS OPEN
Despite a season-ending injury, Walker is still thinking about where he will be playing next year. "We're looking at several different options. Like I said, this is a good fit and this looks good, but we don't know what else is out there," Walker said. New York Daily News

Terry Collins may ask Steven Matz to throw Wednesday's bullpen session in New York rather than Port St. Lucie so Dan Warthen can keep an eye on him. Assuming all goes well, Matz could enter the rotation Friday, avoiding the need to give another start to Gabriel Ynoa. Still, Collins said it's no guarantee Matz gets that start because Matz may be limited to 40-50 pitches and it may not be worthwhile until he builds up more stamina. "He's not ready to go real far," Collins said.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

NY Mets lineup for Monday's 7:10 p.m. ET series opener against the Atl. Braves at Citi Field.
Yoenis Cespedes returns after departing Sunday experiencing nausea.

Jose Reyes - 3B
Asdrubal Cabrera - SS
Cespedes - LF
Curtis Granderson - CF
T.J. Rivera - 2B
Michael Conforto - RF
James Loney - 1B
Rene Rivera - C
Noah Syndergaard - RHP

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Thor, Mets let down their guard...lose to the woeful braves.

Blair's 1st win in 13 starts leads Braves over Mets 7-3

Go Dodgers...Go Rockies.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

At least we got a little help from the Doyers..including old friend Justin Turner, in their walk off win against SF.



Wild Card Watch.....9/20

WC #1
Mets +1

WC #2
Cardinals (tied)
Giants (tied)

Marlins -4.0
Pirates - 4.5
Rockies -7.0

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

• Morning Briefing: Will Julio Teheran again torment Mets?


NEW YORK -- And now the New York Mets face one of their tormenters.

Atlanta Braves right-hander Julio Teheran is 6-3 with a 2.44 ERA in 14 career appearances (13 starts) against the Mets.

Teheran (5-10, 3.18 ERA) opposes Robert Gsellman (2-1, 3.08) on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. ET at Citi Field.

Teheran's scoreless streak against the Mets reached 29 innings before he finally surrendered a two-run homer to Curtis Granderson back on Sept. 9 at Turner Field.

The Mets now lead the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals by a game in the wild-card standings. San Francisco could have pulled back even with the Mets, but it blew a lead in the bottom of the ninth at Dodger Stadium and fell, 2-1. The Giants suffered their 30th blown save of the season.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

• Mets' Matz (shoulder) could rejoin rotation Fri.


PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Steven Matz is heading back to New York, with plans of getting into the Mets' postseason chase by the weekend.

The left-hander, who hasn't pitched for the Mets since Aug. 14 because of tightness in his throwing shoulder, went through a long-toss workout at the team's facility Tuesday. He planned to leave for New York later in the day, with expectations of throwing a bullpen session at Citi Field on Wednesday.

If all goes well there, the Mets could start him Friday against thePhiladelphia Phillies.

"Feeling good and I'm ready to go," Matz said.

Matz is 9-8 with a 3.40 ERA this season for New York, which entered Tuesday one game ahead of San Francisco and St. Louis in the National League wild-card race.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Jacob deGrom will undergo surgery later this week to address the ulnar nerve issue in his pitching elbow. Doctors will move the nerve, which is not considered a major procedure -- although any surgery should not be minimized. DeGrom has estimated a three-month recovery time. He spoke with John Smoltz, who also once underwent that surgery. The Mets will presumably have deGrom, Matt Harvey (thoracic outlet syndrome) and Steven Matz (bone spur) coming off surgeries in spring training, while Zack Wheeler still is trying to work back from Tommy John surgery performed in March 2015.

Terry Collins reiterated that Steven Matz is not a lock for Friday's start against the Phillies. The report was that Matz's secondary pitches were not sharp in his last bullpen session in Port St. Lucie. Matz will have another chance to demonstrate his readiness when he throws for Mets staff at Citi Field on Wednesday. There's also a question of how worthwhile it is for Matz to start if he is capped at 50 pitches. "We've got to win games," Collins said. If Matz does start, Collins said Gabriel Ynoa would piggyback him and handle the middle innings.

Wilmer Flores received another cortisone injection Monday. He has not yet resumed attempting to swing a bat since being unable to do so Sunday because of right wrist difficultly. "Maybe tomorrow," Flores said

Eric Campbell, (paternity leave) has rejoined the Mets on Tuesday. His wife Kristin gave birth to daughter Ella Kathryn on Saturday.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Mets lineup for Tuesday's 7:10 p.m. ET game against the Braves at Citi Field.
Struggling Jay Bruce returns after a two-day absence from the starting lineup.

Reyes, 3B
Cabrera, SS
Cespedes, LF
Granderson, CF
TJ Rivera, 2B
Bruce, RF
Loney, 1B
D'Arnaud, C
Gsellman, RHP

 

[Used 2 B Hu]

Jay Bruce, thank you for your participation, please take a seat, we have some lovely parting gifts for you

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Jay Bruce, thank you for your participation, please take a seat, we have some lovely parting gifts for you

Travis d'Arnaud can go ride the pine with him too as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Getting stepped on and stomped by the division door mat while trying to stay alive in the wild card race ain't gonna cut the muster.
TC better pull his head out of his ass right quick...but I'm not gonna be holding my breath on that.

There's now a three-way tie for the two wild-card spots in the National League. The Mets, Cardinals and Giants are all 80-71 with 11 games remaining.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

• NL wild-card race gets tighter as Mets drop second straight to Braves

• Teheran stops contending Mets again, Braves win 4th in row

Two days out of the starting lineup has not solved Jay Bruce's issues. After grounding out to first base in the sixth inning Tuesday against Julio Teheran, Bruce dropped to 0-for-3 on the night and heard serious jeers. He is now hitless in his last 13 at-bats and 3-for-his-last-38. Bruce is hitting .176 since joining the Mets.

 

[Used 2 B Hu]

It's like nobody wants the chance to face the Cubs in the LDS.

They might get one of those spots, but even if they do this is going to be a much shorter playoff run than last year. No pitching depth and every day another guy leaves the lineup with no definite timetable on when he'll be back.

Imagine if we could have had the entire lineup and pitching staff for the whole season...sigh

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Steven Matz threw a full bullpen session Wednesday afternoon at Citi Field. We'll have to wait for Terry Collins' pronouncement about whether Matz will start Friday against the Phillies with a 50-pitch limit. Matz has been out since mid-August with a shoulder impingement.

The Mets are under consideration to play in London next season, BBC sports correspondent Richard Conway reports. London Mayor Sadiq Khan was quoted as saying: "The owner of the New York Mets was very receptive. We're in discussions with MLB and we want MLB to come to London." The game(s) reportedly would be played at Olympic Stadium next summer. Khan was at Citi Field last weekend.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Here's the Mets lineup for Wednesday's 7:10pm EST Braves series finale @ Citifield:

Jay Bruce is out of the starting lineup. He is hitless is his last 13 at-bats and 3-for-his-last-38.


Jose Reyes, 3B
Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
Yoenis Cespedes, LF
Curtis Granderson, RF
T.J. Rivera, 2B
Alejandro De Aza, CF
James Loney, 1B
Rene Rivera, C
Bartolo Colon, RHP

 

[tabascojet]

 

[tabascojet]

if they dont make the playoffs.... they have to fire tc right?

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

if they dont make the playoffs.... they have to fire tc right?

Is that rhetorical??



ftr: I wanted him gone months ago...so did many other mets fans.

TC = Total Clusterfuck.

 

[tabascojet]

If gets to hide behind this year's injuries....it's going to be a long offseason