Is Anyone Alive Out There: Ongoing Mets Thread

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Let's Go Matz!!!

DENVER --(8/21)-- New York Mets rookie left-hander Steven Matz allowed one run on four hits and a walk in 2 2/3 innings in a rehab start for Class A St. Lucie on Thursday night at Palm Beach.

Matz tossed 41 pitches (25 strikes) in his second minor league game since returning from a strained lat muscle.

He is expected to make his third and final rehab start with Double-A Binghamton on Tuesday. Matz then is expected to rejoin the Mets once rosters expand Sept. 1. He will enter the rotation, which will increase to six pitchers.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Mets play shortest baseball games in major leagues

Amazing what good pitching will do for you.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Wilmer Flores sticks around, comes up with big hits - Stats & Info - ESPN

Oh, how Wilmer Flores' baseball fortunes have turned.

The New York Mets infielder was this close to being traded to the Brewers in a deal that would have netted the Mets Carlos Gomez. But since Flores cried on the field in a 7-3 loss to the Padres, he has been a different player, for the better.

Flores was among a major-league record 10 players who hit a home run between the two teams in a 16-7 win for the Mets over the Philadelphia Phillies. He was the only player to hit two home runs in the game.


All part of a big night....

This was an attention-grabbing game for a number of reasons:

The teams combined for a National League record-tying 11 home runs, one shy of the major-league record (done by the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox in 1995 and 2002). It was the first NL game to feature 11 home runs since a Chicago Cubs-Philadelphia Phillies game on May 17, 1979 (won by the Phillies 23-22 in 10 innings)

The Mets set team single-game records with eight home runs and 15 extra-base hits.

The Mets trailed by five but won by nine, which the Elias Sports Bureau notes is the team's biggest margin of victory in a game in which they trailed by at least five runs.

The Mets tied their franchise record for home runs in August with 38, matching the mark set by the 40-120 1962 Mets. Their record for home runs in any month is 40, set in June of 2006.



David Wright returned to the lineup with a home run in his first at-bat since April 14. Wright also homered in a 2005 win against the Phillies in which the Mets set a then-franchise record with seven home runs.



How Flores has done it....

Since the non-trade, the Mets are 16-6 and Flores is hitting .343 with a .993 OPS, with four home runs in 20 games. That includes a walk-off home run in the first game within that stretch against the Washington Nationals, whom the Mets were chasing in the standings at the time.

They’ve gained 8½ games on the Nationals going from three games behind to 5½ games ahead.

During this hot stretch, Flores has excelled against pitches in the bottom half of the strike zone or below the knees. He was hitting .255 against those pitches prior to the non-trade, but is hitting .409 against them since then. Eighteen of his 24 hits since July 31 have come versus pitches to that area, including a home run and a double on Monday night.

They’ve been big hits....

Flores’ three-run home run put the Mets ahead for good.

It was his fifth go-ahead hit since July 31, moving him one ahead of Curtis Granderson for the team lead.

Defense too....

Flores has mostly played second base since the non-trade and has handled the position adequately. He entered Monday with zero defensive runs saved in 31 games there. He cost the Mets six runs with his play at shortstop in 2015.

Flores did make a nifty play in a defensive shift, smothering a line drive and throwing out Ryan Howard, who thought Flores had caught the ball.

The best deals may be ones you don’t make....

The Mets may have done well to not get Gomez, who was subsequently traded to the Astros (who also netted no-hitter-throwing Mike Fiers). Gomez is hitting .181 with a .459 OPS in 83 at-bats since joining the Astros.

The hitter the Mets got instead of Gomez was Yoenis Cespedes, who is hitting .312 with a .923 OPS since joining the Mets.

Cespedes' ninth-inning home run was calculated at 425 feet, his second of at least 425 feet in his last 18 at-bats. Cespedes hit two such home runs in his previous 478 at-bats this season.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Phillies announcer Larry Andersen takes shot at 'obnoxious' Mets fans

Mets fans have traveled well all season.

 

[Chef99]

The non-trade looks like it was the perfect wakeup call for Wilmer.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

The non-trade looks like it was the perfect wakeup call for Wilmer.

Not only that....but have you seen Gomez' numbers since he's been w/ the Astros?

They're horrible.

We dodged a bullet, thank goodness.

Plus we wouldn't have landed Cespedes had the Gomez deal gone through.....

I'm even shedding a few tears of joy in Flores' honor as a reminder.

 

[Chef99]

Well, I said awhile back that I would have no problem eating crow if Sandy proves me wrong...

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Well, I said awhile back that I would have no problem eating crow if Sandy proves me wrong...

Ha.....I've been eating some humble pie lately, and I have no problem admitting it.

 

[omarsrevenge]

Phillies announcer Larry Andersen takes shot at 'obnoxious' Mets fans

Mets fans have traveled well all season.

Because philly fans are so classy

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Because philly fans are so classy

View attachment 24143

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

NEW YORK -- With one series in the books after a four-month absence, New York Mets captain David Wright suggested he is headed to Citi Field with his back in good shape.

“Physically I feel good,” Wright said after the Mets won their seventh straight game with a 9-5 extra-inning victory against the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday. “Each at-bat and each play in the field, you just get more and more comfortable. Now it’s just all about baseball. I feel like I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things. I feel like I’m having some good at-bats, some productive at-bats, and hopefully that continues.”

Wright went 2-for-6 with a walk and two runs scored in the 13-inning win. He also looked a lot less rusty in the field. He committed two errors in Monday’s return and had an issue transferring the baseball to his throwing hand the following day before getting Wednesday's game off.

“I’d like to think I’m a good defender over there, so I expect to make the plays,” Wright said. “I’ve worked the last couple of days with [infield coach Tim] Teuf[el] -- reactionary stuff, just trying to get comfortable over there. I think, slowly but surely, I’m feeling more confident, more sure-handed. The more innings I get, the more reps I get, I feel I’m able to exhale a little bit and relax and play my game.”

Because the Mets want to ease Wright back into action, manager Terry Collins tried to get Wright to depart Thursday’s game rather than play all 13 innings. Wright declined.

“I said, ‘If it’s strategy, then yeah. But if you’re worried about me, don’t bother,’” Wright said. “He allowed me to make the decision. And I’m glad he did.”

Said Collins: “I went to him five times tonight to try to talk to him about coming out. He said, ‘Absolutely not. Not tonight.’”

Collins said Wright will proceed as previously planned with starting on Friday -- the captain’s first game at Citi Field since April 14. Wright originally was scripted to start Saturday too. He now may have that day off and start Sunday instead, when the Red Sox are throwing left-hander Wade Miley.

“With playing the long game today, I’m not sure what Terry is going to decide to do,” Wright said.

Manager Terry Collins tried to get David Wright to depart Thursday's game rather than play all 13 innings, but Wright would have none of it.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Mets will host the Phillies for 3 starting tomorrow (8/31)...while the Nats head to St. Louis for 3 w/ the Cards on Monday.

We could put some more distance between us & them by taking advantage of those schlubs from philly, and not taking them lightly....as they will be in spoiler mode....and hopefully the Cards TCOB at Busch.

Call ups on Tuesday should help.

YGB!!!!

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

NEW YORK (8/31)-- The New York Mets announced that catcher Kevin Plawecki, infielder Eric Campbell and outfielders Eric Young Jr. and Kirk Nieuwenhuis will join the team on Tuesday from Triple-A Las Vegas when major league rosters expand.

Plawecki was demoted on Aug. 12 when it was determined that Travis d'Arnaud had enough time back after a DL stint to be capable of playing regularly.

The ex-Met Young was reacquired from the Atlanta Braves on Aug. 22 for cash. He primarily will serve as a pinch runner. He was playing at Triple-A Gwinnett at the time of his acquisition.

Campbell is hitting .179 with three homers and 19 RBIs in 156 at-bats at the major league level this season.

Nieuwenhuis officially was on a rehab assignment with Las Vegas for a pinched nerve in his upper back.

The Mets also have Steven Matz, Bobby Parnell, Erik Goeddel and Lucas Duda on the DL. All of those players, with the exception of Duda, are expected to be activated as soon as Tuesday.
Duda (back) has yet to resume swinging a bat.

Left-handed reliever Dario Alvarez also figures to rejoin the Mets soon. However, he will not be eligible to be promoted until Thursday because he has not spent the required 10 days in the minors since a demotion. Freshly demoted Logan Verrett also must wait 10 days to return.

The addition of Young and the return of Goeddel from the 60-day DL will require opening a pair of spots on the 40-man roster.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

NEW YORK -- The New York Mets demoted Logan Verrett to Triple-A Las Vegas after Sunday's 5-4 win against the Boston Red Sox to clear the roster spot for the addition of right-handed reliever Addison Reed from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Verrett had an excellent spot start in place of Matt Harvey last Sunday in Denver, limiting the Colorado Rockies to one run in eight innings. He did allow three runs, including a pair of homers, to the Boston Red Sox on Friday in an inning in relief of Harvey.

Verrett will need to remain in the minors for 10 days before being recalled, despite rosters expanding on Tuesday.

Since the Mets have indicated that Verrett likely will get a spot start for Noah Syndergaard, it's logical that Verrett will start one game while with the Pacific Coast League club before rejoining the Mets.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Here's a very nice look at Howie Rose.....
(Put It In The Books)

Put It In The Books: WOR's Legendary Mets Announcer Howie Rose | New York Mets on WOR 710

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Lucas Duda went 1-for-3 with a walk and RBI and played a full game at first base on Sunday in his second rehab game with Double-A Binghamton. Duda, who went on the 15 day DL on Aug.22 with a herniated disk in his back, is now due to rejoin the New York Mets, B-Mets manager Pedro Lopez told the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin. Duda said he feels good, and is looking forward to rejoining the big club in Washington.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Christina Kahrl writes about MLB for ESPN.

(Sept.6,2015)

After a week of hysteria over Matt Harvey's workload, we’re finally going from standoff to stand down.

With Harvey’s much-discussed limit of 180 innings just two turns away, and after having made it clear that the decision to go beyond this frontier was Harvey’s to make, and having heard his agent, Scott Boras, sound off about how inadvisable it might be, we saw what was inevitable from a pro athlete put on the spot: Harvey says he’s going to pitch in the postseason should the Mets make it there.

The timing couldn’t be better, or more necessary. The Mets are heading into a series with the Nationals, with a chance to put the NL East race away. This is supposed to be their moment of triumph, not tabloid trouble. It’s supposed to be when great players make news, not great agents.

The irony of this situation is in the contrast between how carefully Harvey has been managed by the Mets this season and how this clumsily public showdown played out. The upshot is that Harvey wound up being presented as someone more concerned about future paydays at the expense of winning now. There’s probably also no easier way to distinguish between the dissatisfactions of the present and the glories of the past for this franchise. What traditions the Mets have are perhaps most simply reduced to this: Young guns in their glory delivering greatness, whether you’re talking Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman in 1969 or Dwight Gooden and Ron Darling in 1986. Winning -- winning it all -- brings lasting fame. Fame that Paul Wilson and the rest of Generation K didn’t earn.

You can consider this the understandable reaction to the still-controversial decision the Nationals made with Stephen Strasburg in 2012, shutting him down Sept. 7 after 28 turns, all the better to preserve his arm after coming back from 2010 Tommy John surgery, and in full confidence they had a rotation they could win with. But the Nats didn’t win, and Strasburg nevertheless landed on the DL twice in 2013, and then two more times this year. Whether you choose wins, ERA+ or FIP, he has yet to pitch as well as he did in 2012.

Maybe the 2012 Nationals would have won with Strasburg, or maybe his career would have been ruined to no point. But avoiding the risks then haven’t paid off with any obvious benefits since, even though the Nationals are publicly, predictably and more than a little pathetically defending the decision to this day. But the opportunity cost -- not using your best pitcher when you could win everything -- is perhaps a harder sale now more than ever. As Shaun Marcum put it, "Me, personally, I would sacrifice the long-term to try to get to the World Series.”

And that’s what you expect a player to say, as well as a fan, perhaps especially when that quote's coming from a guy like Marcum, someone who has already banked the bulk of his career and doesn’t have a ring. But most of all, because flags fly forever.

Maybe Harvey gave in to the demands that go with being a staff leader. Demands from who, though? From management, perhaps. From teammates who want a starter who wants the ball and a shot at winning, not in the abstract, but now? Maybe. And from fans who want to see the Mets’ best starter pitching in the postseason, with a pennant at stake and the chance to win the first Mets World Series title since 1986? Sure, maybe. And maybe some of it's coming from Harvey himself. I doubt we’ll know which factored in to what extent, or that we need to know, just that he’s committed to pitch.

Does that put him in danger? Yes and no. Pitching always puts a pitcher at risk. But an arm is not a gas tank, so let’s remember that he isn’t gassed or running on empty. For that, you should credit the Mets for the care they have exercised in managing his workload this season. The Mets haven’t had him pitch on four days’ rest in consecutive turns since May. While he's slightly better than the MLB average in pitches per batter faced (3.73 vs. 3.79), he’s averaging less than 100 pitches per start on the year, and exactly 100 per start since the break. That care has paid off: He’s easily been the Mets’ best starter since the break, with a staff-best 1.67 ERA in eight starts.

That care seems to have created very little trust about what might happen going forward. Of course, on the team’s side of things, there’s an easy fix: Their shot at winning it all being so valuable, why not make Harvey an offer before he has to go through the unpleasantness of arbitration for the first time this winter? Just offer to buy out his arbitration years at the very least, perhaps more, Boras willing. Put enough money in Harvey’s pocket to protect against the risk to instead encourage him to embrace the possibilities of the present. Harvey’s already 26 years old, and he won’t reach free agency until after the 2018 season. His big shot at major money in the market is so far off that he’s reasonably concerned. Management’s responsibility to him? Allay those concerns.

The shame is that this could have played out behind closed doors. My guess is that Boras and Harvey and the Mets probably tried that, and couldn’t come to an easy understanding about how September and October were supposed to play out. But having fought it out publicly, there are results bad and good. The bad is that fans and even teammates might think less of Harvey whatever happens. But the good is a commitment to pitch, to not make this the new Strasburg moment, to try to win with and not without Harvey. Winning creates its own chemistry, and if the Mets win something, even everything, there will be plenty of opportunity to share that moment’s spoils, instead of spoiling the moment.

 

[Chef99]

It's unfortunate that Harvey comes out looking like a punk from this.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

It's unfortunate that Harvey comes out looking like a punk from this.

I wouldn't go that far.....dude wants to pitch....and he wants this team to reach the postseason...