The team captain hasn't played in a game for the Mets in over a week.

Earler this week we learned that David Wright would be joining the Mets in New York tonight after resting his bruised shoulder while the team played in Atlanta.

Now it is Friday, but tonight's lineup has no Wright in it. Hopefully this is just Wright getting some extra rest against what is a tough matchup with Texas ace Yu Darvish. If it turns out to be something worse than that, we'll be sure to let you know.

After getting off to a slow start this season, Wright hit .320/.360/.461 in May before slowing down again in June, when was reportedly dealing with pain in his shoulder. He's already missed six games with what was diagnosed as a bruised rotator cuff before tonight. If Wright is out any longer, the Mets will look foolish for not putting him on the disabled list and playing with 24 men all week.

In relief of Wright, Eric Campbell has picked up at least one hit in every game he's played at third base.

On America's birthday, you're free to eat grilled meat, drink booze, light sparkly things on fire, and watch things that are not the Rangers

It only took like five hours but the Rangers are now officially worse than the New York Mets. Yu Darvish couldn't even stop the bleeding and now the Rangers have lost six straight baseball games.

Player of the Game: Adrian Beltre is an American hero for hitting a home run to celebrate freedom.

Catch up on all of yesterday’s minor league action from around the Mets farm system!

*All results from games played on Friday, July 4th, 2014

Triple A - Las Vegas 51s (51-37)______________________________________

ALBUQUERQUE 7, LAS VEGAS 6 (10 innings) (Box)

The 51s sent three bombs bursting through the air during their Independence Day match with the Albuquerque Isotopes but, unlike American troops at Fort McHenry on the night the Star Spangled Banner was written, the team couldn't outlast the enemy. Wilmer Flores opened the scoring barrage with a three-run shot in the fourth inning, though the Topes countered by scoring two in the bottom of the frame and three more in the seventh. Albuquerque brought that lead into the ninth, only to see it slip away when closer Jose Dominguez gave up his first long ball of the year, a pinch hit, game-tying, two-run shot off the bat of Daniel Muno.

The see-saw affair tilted back toward the 51s in extras, as Wilmer Flores connected for his second homer of the game. It also would have been an two-run blast had pinch runner Anthony Seratelli not been caught trying to steal second during Flores's at-bat. That insurance run might have helped swing the outcome, too. As it was, relievers Chase Bradford and Buddy Carlyle loaded the bases in the the bottom of the tenth on a pair of singles and a walk. A fielding error and another walk later, the meltdown was complete and the Isotopes were winners.

• CF Matt den Dekker: 0-5, K
• 2B Matt Reynolds: 2-5, R, 2B (That's now six multi-hit games in his last ten for Reynolds)
• 1B Allan Dykstra: 2-3, R, BB, HBP
• PR-LF Anthony Seratelli: CS
• 3B Wilmer Flores: 2-5, 2 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI
• LF-1B Brandon Allen: 1-4, BB
• RF Andrew Brown: 0-5, 3 K
• SS Omar Quintanilla: 1-3, BB, K, HBP
• C Juan Centeno: 1-5, R
• PH Josh Satin: 0-1, K
• PH Daniel Muno: 1-1, R, HR, 2 RBI
• LHP Darin Gorski: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, BB, 7 K, HR

Double-A - Binghamton Mets (50-35)______________________________________

ERIE 9, BINGHAMTON 6 (16 innings) (Box)

First the good news: Brandon Nimmo picked up two extra-base hits (his first at the Double-A level), including a homer. The bad news is Gabriel Ynoa's B-Mets debut didn't go as well as hoped. The right-hander issued as many free passes in this game (two) as he'd allowed in his last eight starts for Savannah and was rather hittable. Of the nine base knocks the SeaWolves picked up against Ynoa, four went for more than one base.

The aforementioned Nimmo helped keep Ynoa from being the pitcher of record, however, by clearing the bags with a sixth inning double (against a lefty, no less). Brian Burgamy's RBI single one frame later tied the game and it stayed knotted until the tenth. It also remained an even affair after the tenth, as Steven Moya cracked a solo homer and Dustin Lawley countered with one of his own in the Binghamton half. Erie eventually scored three unanswered runs in the top of the 16th to cinch one of the longest (but not the longest) Independence Day games in the history of the Mets organization.

• DH Kyle Johnson: 1-8, 2 K
• 2B Dilson Herrera: 1-6, R, 2 BB, 3 K, SB
• 3B Brian Burgamy: 1-6, RBI, 2 BB, 3 K
• LF Dustin Lawley: 1-6. 2 R, HR, RBI, 2 BB, K
• 1B Jayce Boyd: 2-8, R, 2B, RBI, K
• CF Brandon Nimmo: 2-6, R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, K
• SS T.J. Rivera: 1-5, 2 BB
• RF Travis Taijeron: 0-6, BB, 4 K
• C Xorge Carrillo: 1-3, R, K, HBP
• C Kai Gronauer: 0-2, BB, K
• RHP Gabriel Ynoa: 5.1 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, HR
• LHP Jack Leathersich: 1.2 IP, BB, K
• LHP Adam Kolarek: 2 IP, 2 H
• RHP Jon Velasquez: 3 IP, H, ER, BB, 3 K, HR
• RHP Randy Fontanez: 3 IP, H, BB, 3 K
• RHP Ryan Fraser: 1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, K, HR

High-A - St. Lucie Mets (51-32)______________________________________

ST. LUCIE 2, JUPITER 1 (Box)

It was a nail biter, but St. Lucie managed to eke out a one-run victory and also had the decency to win in regulation. Domingo Tapia hurled his best game since late May, walking just one batter and getting grounders. That said, the 23-year old Dominican with a heavy fastball did have his outfielders running around more than usual, as he actually recorded more outs via the air (eight) than the ground (five).

• CF Gilbert Gomez: 1-4, K
• 2B Phillip Evans: 0-3, RBI
• DH L.J. Mazzilli: 1-4, K
• C Cam Maron: 1-3, K
• 1B Aderlin Rodriguez: 0-3, 2 K
• SS Gavin Cecchini: 0-3, K
• 3B Jeff McNeil: 0-3
• LF Maikis De La Cruz: 2-3, 2 R, HR, RBI
• RF Eudy Pina: 1-2, BB, K
• RHP Domingo Tapia: 6.2 IP, 6 H, ER, BB, 3 K
• RHP Beck Wheeler: 1.1 IP, BB, 2 K

Low-A - Savannah Sand Gnats (56-26)______________________________________

SAVANNAH 9, HICKORY 7 (Box)

The Sand Gnats led 8-1 halfway through this game, thanks in no small part to another monster day at the plate by Matt Oberste. The 2013 seventh-rounder now has a seven-game hitting streak during which he's twice racked up four-hit games. He's smashed all three of his home runs this season during that span as well. Champ Stuart is also starting to come alive. He's working on a six-game streak with at least one hit and he's connected safely more than once in all but one contest during his hot week.

By the eighth inning, shaky relief work by Dawrin Frias and Bret Mitchell allowed Hickory to pull within a run, but an RBI single by Victor Cruzado gave Akeel Morris a bit of breathing room and the youngster from the U.S. Virgin Islands retired the last four batters of the game with typical ease.

• LF Patrick Biondi: 1-5, R, 2 K, SB
• CF Champ Stuart: 2-5, 2 R, 2 K, SB
• 1B Dominic Smith: 1-5, 2 R, RBI
• DH Matt Oberste: 4-5, 3 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI
• 3B Cole Frenzel: 1-4, BB
• RF Victor Cruzado: 2-4, R, RBI, BB, SB
• SS Yeixon Ruiz: 1-5, 2 K
• C Jeff Glenn: 0-3, RBI, 2 BB
• 2B Jonathan Johnson: 0-4, BB, 2 K
• RHP Ricky Knapp: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 2 HR
• RHP Akeel Morris: 1.1 IP, 2 K

Short Season-A - Brooklyn Cyclones (11-8)____________________________________

ABERDEEN 3, BROOKLYN 2 (Box)

Cyclones alum Dillon Gee returned to Coney Island for his second rehab start and pitched like a guy with a decade's worth of experience on his competition. Offensively, Jhoan Urena paced the attack with three hits and a pair of doubles. He even turned his lone single into a two-bagger of sorts by swiping second base.

• CF Tucker Tharp: 2-4, K
• SS Amed Rosario: 1-4, K
• 3B Jhoan Urena: 3-4, 2 2B, RBI, SB
• 1B Michael Katz: 0-3, BB, K
• RF Michael Bernal: 1-4, R, 2 K
• DH Tyler Moore: 0-3, K
• PH-DH Jeff Diehl: 1-1, 2B
• C Tomas Nido: 0-4, RBi, 2 K
• LF Joe Tuschak: 0-4, K
• 2B William Fulmer: 0-2, R, BB, 2 K
• RHP Dillon Gee: 6 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 10 K
• RHP Josh Prevost: 2 IP, 2 H, ER, K

Rookie - Kingsport Mets (6-9)______________________________________

GREENVILLE 14, KINGSPORT 1 (Box)

Greenville scored six times in the first inning. Kingsport had a total of five hits in the game.

• SS Luis Guillorme: 0-3, K
• 3B Jean Rodriguez: 1-5, 2 K
• 1B Zach Mathieu: 1-3, R, BB, 2 K
• C Luis Ortega: 2-3, 2B, BB
• CF Ivan Wilson: 0-3, BB, 2 K
• RF Jose Figuera: 1-4, RBI
• 2B Branden Kaupe: 0-4, 2 K
• LHP Yoan Gonzalez: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, BB, 2 K

Rookie - Gulf Coast Mets (6-5)______________________________________

GCL METS 5, GCL MARLINS 1 (Box)

• RF John Mora: 1-4, R
• 2B Dale Burdick: 2-3, R, BB, 2 SB
• DH Jared King: 2-4, 2 R, 3B, RBI, SB
• 1B Dash Winningham: 0-3, BB, CS
• SS Milton Ramos: 0-3, RBI
• C Natanael Ramos: 1-3, BB
• 3B Alvin Maracaro: 3-4, K
• CF Raphael Ramirez: 1-3, R, BB, K
• RHP Audry German: 5 IP, 6 H, ER, 2 K

As for Dominican Summer League action, Mets1 beat the DSL Nationals7-2. Catcher Ali Sanchez, who the Mets signed as a 16-year old during the 2013 international signing period, homered and his hitting .327/.421/.459 through his first 100 at-bats. Mets2, meanwhile, lost 6-2.

Star of the Night
There are several good candidates, but let's award the star to Wilmer Flores. He's raking right now and hopefully getting the same kind of confidence boost that Travis d'Arnaud got during his Las Vegas stint.

Goat of the Night
Everyone who threw a pitch for Kingsport.

TRENTON, NEW JERSEY – Throughout his career, Sean Coyle has had the benefit of one person’s wisdom.

When he began his time with the Salem Red Sox, hitting coach Rich Gedman was there to guide him. Now, both are with the Red Sox Double-A affiliate Portland Sea Dogs, with Gedman again as his hitting coach. That bond has been instrumental in Coyle’s development.

"He’s been a huge influence," Coyle said Wednesday before a game in Trenton against the Thunder. "The way he talks about preparing every day, taking care of your swing, and he gets to know every hitter. He wants to work on what you want to. He puts in the work and the guys respect everything he has to say."

Former Red Sox catcher Gedman was behind the plate in the 1986 World Series against the New York Mets. His contributions to the system have kept him connected to the Red Sox, not to mention his native Massachusetts, for many years. He’d managed the Independent League Worcester Tornadoes, where the players spoke almost in awe of his guidance and wisdom. His efforts with Coyle have been about simplifying approach, with a heavy dose of baseball intelligence.

"[The main thing we work on is] daily routine and keeping it the same," Gedman said. "Working on effort level…learning and understanding his swing and being consistent with it daily. And listen to what’s happening, rather than trying to produce results force results let swing work and things happen sometimes a player might say ‘I can hit a home run here." Well, the situation might call for it, but that’s not how we do things. What we do is have a confident approach in our swing, so the bat stays in the strike zone a long time; now you can be early, on time, a little late and still be productive. So when it’s going well you can hit to all fields and not try to create power. If you have decent timing you can hit any pitch. If you say to yourself, ‘I’m going to pull on this fastball’, now you become one-dimensional. I respect that he has talent, but he listens when I come to him. We have a great relationship."

The 2010 third rounder is hitting .347 for Portland, with 67 hits, 40 RBI, 10 homers,, a .181 wRC+ & .452 wOBA in 223 at-bats, with 13 hits in his last ten games. He’s taking that stretch of success in stride. Coyle’s excellent first half has led to the second baseman being chosen to participate in the Futures Game in Minnesota.

"I think the season overall, these are extracurricular things…things I’ll remember. I’m honored to be a part of it," Coyle said.

The Chalfont, Pennsylvania native began the learning process around Little League age, receiving instruction at the well-known Pennsylvania facility All-Star Baseball Academy in Hatsboro. Without the ability to play baseball outdoors in winter months, the ASBA became a place Coyle could grow as a young player.

"It was awesome. Back then, you don’t think about it as work. It’s kind of like extra recess time. It develops the work habit," he said.

Through the past few years, and particularly now, Gedman’s instruction, combined with Coyle’s self-motivation have led to obvious improvement. After last season’s difficulties brought on by general injuries and soreness, he’s emerged again as a solid hitting prospect in the Red Sox system.

"I’m learning myself as a hitter and sticking to my approach, taking care of my swing every day, being able to make the right adjustments. This off-season I spent a lot of time in the cage, working on the rhythm and direction of my swing. I try to find my timing every day, that’s the biggest thing to work on to stay consistent."

"All of it stems from timing, we talk about that a lot," Gedman said.

Coyle ended 2013 with the league title with the Salem Red Sox and was named the Carolina League Championship Series MVP after hitting two two-run doubles in the series. Due to injury, he didn’t play in the Division Series, but drove in seven runs in three games of the Championship. He’d spent that season level jumping, first from the GCL, then to the South Atlantic League, for a combined twelve games, finishing with Salem, where he played 48 games. In 2011 he was named a MiLB Organizational All-Star, repeating that honor in 2012.

"I stay away from statistics, knowing I did my part to succeed. I can control my effort level and preparation, not what happens when the ball leaves the bat," Coyle said.

That kind of thinking has benefitted the 22-year-old this season, keeping him from any slumps to slow his pace. But the value of struggling is as meaningful to the overall learning process, according to Gedman.

"He’s gone through a period of success this year. When you’re hitting .340, .350, you have a tendency to expect that. He hasn’t hit a dry spell. There’ll be ups and downs. He hasn’t varied his approach and he’s handled himself like a man. It’s easy to ride the wave. He may try to create more results. It’s normal. But we’ll see then, where he’s at. So far [in Double-A] the road’s been pretty clear for him."

To Gedman’s eyes, Coyle appears to have his success in his own hands.

"He’s a very good student of the game. He’s become his best hitting coach."

With this trade, the Cubs have the number one farm system in baseball.

You've no doubt heard by now that the Cubs traded both Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to Oakland for Addison Russell, Billy McKinney and Dan Straily. There appears to be a player to be named later involved as well, although that's not been officially confirmed.

This is a gutsy deal from the two most famous executives in the game. Athletics general manager Billy Beane bet it all on black with this move, trading the only elite prospect he had and then tossing in the second-best prospect in the system for good measure. But the move makes perfect sense for Oakland. Beane knows that he only has a short time with the players he currently has before they get too expensive and he has to deal them and start over. The A's have the best record in baseball, but his rotation had two massive holes blown into it in spring training when Jarrod Parker and A.J. Griffin both underwent Tommy John surgery.

This deal makes more sense for Oakland than a deal with Tampa Bay for David Price would. For one, Price makes a lot more money than Samardzija and Tampa Bay is not in the habit of eating salary to trade a player. Oakland might not be able to afford Price next year, but might be able to swing Samardzija's salary. But also, the Cubs could offer Jason Hammel, thus filling the two holes in the rotation instead of one.

The cost of this deal was extremely high, but it's one they had to make. If Oakland wins the World Series this year (and you have to say they're the favorites), then it's all worth it.

In Russell, the Cubs are getting the type of player that I just love: a guy with a broad range of skills who does everything well. He's got a quick bat that can drive the ball to all fields. He's not a power hitter, but he'll hit the ball hard and on the line and enough of those will go over the fence. He likes to go deep into counts and while that leads to a fair number of strikeouts, it also leads to a lot of walks too. He's got very good speed and he stole 21 bases in 24 attempts last season.

Defensively, Russell is smooth and sure-handed. Of all the Cubs' shortstops, Russell is likely the strongest defensively. If you ask me which player should be the Cubs starting shortstop in 2016, I'd say it should be Russell. Starlin Castro and Javier Baez should have to move.

From all accounts, Russell is a good, hardworking kid, mature well beyond his age of 20. If I had to use one word to describe Russell, I'd say he's smart. He's a guy who keeps himself under control, knows what he can and can't do and almost always knows where he's supposed to be. Honestly, he reminds me a bit like Ryne Sandberg in that sense. (I'm not hanging a Sandberg comp on Russell, but the more I think about it, there are a lot of similarities.)

Russell has missed most of this season with a hamstring injury, but he's been back playing for about a month now. He was promoted to Double-A on June 17, and at only 20 years old, Russell has gone 16 for 48 with eight walks and a home run for Midland.

As others have mentioned, he was a teammate of Kris Bryant and Albert Almora (among others) in the Arizona Fall League last year. He's already Tweeted out how happy he is to be a teammate of Bryant's once again.

The outfielder the Cubs got in the deal is Billy McKinney, who was the A's first round pick last year and a solid prospect. He was the number two prospect in the Athletics system last year, although he doesn't make my Cubs Top Ten list. That's not a knock on McKinney. That's a statement of how strong the Cubs system is right now.

McKinney's not a tools monster, but he's not just a guy who gets by on baseball instincts and hustle either. (Although he does that too.) Once again, they draft smart baseball players in the A's system, and McKinney is another one. He's not going to hit 30 home runs or bat .300, but he has excellent plate discipline that should keep his OBP high and he should be able to reach the seats around 20 times a season. He's left-handed, so that's a plus when you consider how many right-handed bats there are in our system.

Oakland challenged McKinney this season by having him skip the Midwest League and go straight to the High-A California League. At just 19, he's found High-A to be challenging, although he's managed to hold his own. In 75 games for Stockton, McKinney has hit .241/.330/.400 with 10 home runs. Baseball America compared him to Mark Kotsay in their pre-season guide, and that sounds about right. Kotsay was a pretty solid ballplayer in his prime and that's the word I'd use to describe McKinney. Solid.

Dan Straily was a 24th-round draft pick in 2009 who came out of nowhere in 2012 and pitched his way into the A's rotation by the end of the year. In 2013 he was a bright spot in Oakland's starting rotation and he finished 4th in AL Rookie of the Year balloting. This year, he lost about 3 MPH on his fastball for some reason and he now sits at 88 MPH instead of 91. That's led to a lot of home runs and a demotion to Triple-A Sacramento. The strikeout and walk numbers are still good (although his walks are up a tad) and the batting average against is fine. He just needs to keep the ball in the ballpark, and maybe figure out what happened to those three miles an hour.

So where does this leave us? For one, it leaves the Cubs with the best farm system in baseball. Baseball America is coming out with their mid-season Top 50 prospects on Thursday, but in their writeup of this deal, they said that Addison Russell will be ranked as the No. 5 prospect in all of baseball. You simply can't turn something like that down for Samardzija, even if shortstop was not a position of need for the Cubs.

In case you were wondering, Kris Bryant will be the No. 2 prospect and Javier Baez will be No. 7. Yep, the Cubs got someone they ranked higher than Javy Baez for Jeff Samardzija.

As far as the logjam in the infield goes, that's going to be a question for another time. Baez will continue to play shortstop for Iowa and Bryant will continue to play third. Russell will play shortstop for Tennessee. Even though the three of them are all Top Ten prospects, the odds are against all three of them becoming major league stars. But assuming that they all do, the Cubs will make room. Russell could play shortstop, Baez could move to third, Castro to second, Bryant to right and Arismendy Alcantara can move to center field. Or come up with your own moves based on your own preferences.

Of course, the other option is to make a deal. There's already speculation (from, among others, Jon Heyman no less) that the Cubs deal one infielder to the Mets for Noah Syndergaard, which would give the Cubs the frontline starter they need and the Mets the shortstop they haven't been able to find since Jose Reyes left town. At this point, this is all speculation. The Cubs could even trade Starlin Castro, who is under a team-friendly contract that would make him very attractive to several teams.

I can't think of a single pitching prospect in the game that I'd trade Addison Russell for, however. A pair of top pitching prospects? Maybe.

With this trade and half a season under our belts, I'll give you my new top ten prospects in the Cubs system.

1. Kris Bryant
2. Javier Baez
3. Addison Russell
4. Arismendy Alcantara
5. Albert Almora
6. Kyle Schwarber
7. Jorge Soler
8. C.J. Edwards
9. Eloy Jimenez
10. Pierce Johnson

McKinney checks in at number 11 for me. That's pretty sick. He was legitimately the No. 2 prospect in the A's system.

I'm sticking with Baez over Russell for now, simply because I've seen a different Javy Baez over the past three weeks at the plate. If he is able to keep that swing of his under control, there is no prospect in baseball with a higher ceiling than Baez, and that includes Bryant. But I love Russell and if you want to let me rank them both in a tie for second, I'd do that. But if I have to choose, I'd take Baez today. Ask me again tomorrow and you might get a different answer.

This is how good the Cubs system is. There are at least 26 other teams that would have Addison Russell as their number one prospect.

I've made no secret of the fact that I still strongly believe in Almora and I will take his broad-based skill set over Schwarber's considerable ability with a bat in his hands. That's not a knock on Schwarber, but rather a statement of how I feel about Almora. If Schwarber does what he's doing at Kane County this year in Tennessee next season, I'm likely to change my mind.

The reports on Jimenez out of Arizona have been extremely encouraging. I may have him ranked too low.

Yes, if all these players turn out to be as good as we hope, there are going to be some tough roster decisions in the years ahead. There will be tough decisions even if they don't all turn out. But when you have this much talent and this many highly-regarded prospects, it's nearly impossible that at least two or three of them won't turn into stars. It's not out of the question that more than that will succeed.

See you in the 2017 World Series, Houston. The Cubs will be defending their title.

Your Saturday dose of New York Mets news, notes, and links.

Meet the Mets

Choose Your Recap:Amazin' Avenue, MLB.com, ESPN NY, Daily News, New York Times, Star-Ledger, NY Post, Newsday

Sandy Alderson spoke to the media about a number of important Mets topics.

Reliever Vic Black thinks long toss is key to his success.

The line drive that hit Jon Niese may ending up hurtingDaisuke Matsuzaka more than it hurt Niese. Niese has been excellent this season and is not going anywhere.

First base coach Tom Goodwin is back with the Mets.

David Wright was still out yesterday but it sounds like he's expected back today. Dillon Geetossed six strong innings for the Cyclones yesterday. Meanwhile, Jeremy Hefnerfaced his first live batters since Tommy John surgery.

The Mets revealed the Frank Cashen patch that they'll wear on their uniforms yesterday.

Yesterday At AA

Will the Mets make the playoffs? James K analyzes.

Matthew Callan continues his look back at the 1999 Mets.

Aaron Yorke previewed the series between the Mets and Rangers.

Around the NL East

The Marlinsfell to the Cardinals, the Phillieslost to the Pirates, the Braveswon their eighth straight game, and the Nationalsfell to the Cubs.

Around the Majors

The A's made a huge move acquiring starters Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel in exchange for shortstop prospect Addison Russell, outfielder Billy McKinney, and pitcher Dan Straily. With Russell in their system, the Cubs now have an unbelievable group of position player prospects.

The Angels also made a move, grabbing lefty reliever Joe Thatcher and outfielder Tony Campana from the Diamondbacks in exchange for a couple of prospects.

Mike Trout's walkoff home run last night was pretty ridiculous.

Dirk Hayhurstwrote about marijuana usage in the Majors.

Johnny Damon is in shape and says he can outhit half the league. Okay.

CC Sabathia may need microfracture surgery and is likely done for the year.

If you read an article or find a link that you think would be a great addition to a future edition of Mets Morning News, please forward it to our tips email address tips@grission.com and we'll try to add it in.

The Rangers avoided their 50th loss of the season which didn't come last season until August 3

The Rangers got a big three-run home run from Robinson Chirinos with two outs to cap off a four-run 1st inning. Ultimately, that would be all Colby Lewis and the bullpen would need.

This was also the first time the Rangers won a road game since June 16.

Reminder: Tomorrow's game begins at 12:10 CT.

Player of the Game: Lewis now has three consecutive starts without allowing a walk. During that span, he's struck out 21 hitters. Colby is quietly starting to have a nice season for a guy with a cyborg hip.

The Miami Marlins optioned top pitching prospect Andrew Heaney and outfielder Jake Marisnick to Triple-A New Orleans after Saturday's 6-5 victory over St. Louis.

The Miami Marlins are not messing around.

Miami thought Andrew Heaney was ready, but the organization's top pitching prospect may need a bit more time to develop.

Following the Marlins' 6-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday afternoon, Miami optioned Heaney to Triple-A New Orleans, where he will work on improving his control.

#Marlins option heaney and marisnick to NOLA

— clarkspencer (@clarkspencer) July 5, 2014

Heaney struggled in his first four major league starts, posting a 5.29 ERA and 4.70 FIP in 17 innings pitched. The lefty also had difficulty keeping the ball down in the strike zone and in the ballpark, and gave up another pair of home runs to Allen Craig and Jhonny Peralta on Saturday.

Following a 3-0 start and 2.74 ERA at Triple-A, the Marlins felt Heaney was prepared to join the major league rotation. The organization has handled the situation well by setting a pitch limit, and continued to do so by demoting Heaney before he lost his confidence.

Heaney's best start was his major league debut, during which he went six innings and allowed just a run to the Mets. That run, though, was a solo home run off the bat of David Wright.

The Marlins weren't in a rush to get Heaney to the major league level, although he was expected to contribute as the team hoped to remain competitive within the division.

Miami doesn't have a shortage of arms, with Brad Penny starting in the minor league system and Brian Flynn, Anthony DeSclafani, and Jacob Turner all having experience starting games. An off day on Thursday will allow the Marlins to head into the All-Star break with a four man rotation.

Henderson Alvarez will start on Sunday against the Cardinals. For the series at Arizona, the Marlins will go with Koehler (Monday), Brad Hand (Tuesday) and Nathan Eovaldi (Wednesday).

After Thursday's off-day, the final series before the break will begin at Citi Field against the Mets on Friday. Miami is planning on going with Alvarez (Friday), Koehler (Saturday) and Hand (Sunday).

Miami also optioned outfielder Jake Marisnick to Triple-A, and in the corresponding roster moves activated Adeiny Hechavarria from the disabled list and Tom Koehler from the paternity list.

Marisnick also optioned to NOLA. Hechavarria coming of DL and expected to start Sunday in St. Louis. #Marlins.

— Tom D'Angelo (@tomdangelo44) July 5, 2014

Texas took advantage of Bartolo Colon early, and the Mets lost.

The Texas Rangers beat the Mets on Saturday night, and they started the game with a bang. An Alex Rios double scored a run in the top of the first, and shortly thereafter Robinson Chirinos hit a three-run home run. Texas had a 4-0 lead after the top of the first inning. And Adrian Beltre hit a solo home run in the third against Colon to put the Mets in a five-run hole.

To Colon's credit, he completed seven innings in the start, at least giving the bullpen some rest and keeping the Mets in the game. The Mets' big threat came in the third inning, as Curtis Granderson doubled to score the team's first run of the game and move Colon, who had reached on an error, to third base. A Daniel Murphy single loaded the bases, but David Wright struck out before Bobby Abreu singled to score the Mets' second run. With the bases still loaded, Lucas Duda struck out and Juan Lagares grounded out to end the inning.

A leadoff home run by Travis d'Arnaud pulled the Mets within two runs, and Josh Edgin and Gonzalez Germen kept Texas off the board, but the Mets did not score again—not even in the eighth after drawing back-to-back walks to begin the inning.

The Mets' best starting pitcher this season is still dealing with a shoulder issue.

The Mets are considering the possibility of a disabled list stint for Jon Niese, who has been dealing with a nagging shoulder issue. Manager Terry Collins said this is not related to the side contusion Niese suffered in his previous start against the Rangers, as he was struck by an Alex Rios line drive and forced to leave the game after just 12 pitches.

Collins insists that Niese's shoulder has been acting up throughout the season, as evidenced by his diminished fastball velocity (90-91 mph past three seasons, 88.6 mph so far in 2014). Even with decline in velocity, Niese has been the Mets' most consistent starter this season, leading the staff with a 2.96 ERA and 3.61 FIP. Couple that with his team-friendly contract, Niese is by far the most valuable trade chip Sandy Alderson has to play with as the trade deadline approaches.

If Jason Hammel and Jeff Samardzija could net a bona-fide top prospect in Addison Russell, one could only imagine how good a return Niese, a younger and arguably better pitcher, can fetch. So the timing of this possible DL stint is rather unfortunate. Should Niese land on the DL, Dillon Gee should take his spot in the rotation as he is scheduled to return next week to pitch against the Braves. Daisuke Matsuzaka will remain in the rotation for the foreseeable future.

The Rangers lose the series against the Mets and have now lost their 50th game of the season

The Mets scored five runs with two outs in the first inning and in 2014, that's way too much for the Rangers to overcome. Nick Tepesch ended up going six innings while only allowing one more run but not being able to get that final out in the first really cost him.

Player of the Game: Robinson Chirinos hit another home run and continues to be pretty much the success story of the 2014 season.

The Mets scored five runs with two outs against Rangers hurler Nick Tepesch in the first inning and never looked back, en route to an 8-4 victory and a rare home series win.

The Mets jumped on Rangers starter Nick Tepesch for five runs in the bottom of the first, all of them scoring on two-out hits. A leadoff walk by Curtis Granderson was cashed in when Lucas Duda doubled into the left field corner. After Kirk Nieuwenhuis walked, Juan Lagares knocked in Duda with a single up the middle. Anthony Recker capped things off nicely with a three-run shot into the Left Field Landing.

Zack Wheeler turned in a solid outing to keep the Rangers in check, scattering six hits over 6 1/3 innings of work while striking out four. The only mark against him came on a Robinson Chirinos solo-shot against Zack Wheeler in the top of the fourth. Wheeler departed with men on the corners and one out in the top of the seventh, but Dana Eveland and Vic Black combined to freeze both runners.

The Mets expanded their lead on a leadoff homer by Niewenhuis in the bottom of the sixth and a Daniel Murphy RBI double in the seventh. Those runs proved crucial when Gonzalez Germen entered the game in the top of the eighth and promptly allowed a leadoff homer to Alex Rios and a long two-run shot to Leonys Martin. Jeurys Familia restored order before the Mets tacked on another run with a two-out RBI single from Rubjen Tejada. Jennry Mejia set down Texas in order in the ninth to give the Mets an actual home series win. Snap a pic; these are as rare as a Bigfoot sighting.

GameThread Roll Call

Nice job by MetsFan4Decades; your effort in the GameThread embiggens us all.

The NL All-Star team is #With28, as Daniel Murphy will represent the Mets next week for the 2014 All-Star game at Target Field in Minnesota

The MLB All-Star game rosters were announced this evening on ESPN and it was revealed that the Mets will be represented in Minnesota by second baseman Daniel Murphy. No Mets position players were voted in this year as starters, so Murphy will be available on the bench for Mike Matheny's squad. It's the second baseman's first MLB All-Star selection.

A year ago, David Wright started at third base and Matt Harvey was the starting pitcher for the National League at last year's All-Star game at Citi Field. With Harvey out due to his recovery from Tommy John surgery and Wright in the midst of a disappointing season, the Mets representative had to come from a little further down the roster. Regardless, it's a great accomplishment for Murphy, who has had a great season in spite of the team's struggles. Through 86 games, Murphy has been the team's most consistent offensive performer, hitting .294/.344/.414 with 7 home runs and 20 doubles. Among qualified National League second basemen, Murphy is tied for second with Chase Utley at 2.5 Fangraphs WAR. By the wRC+ metric, Murphy's 116 mark ranks fourth behind the Brewers' Scooter Gennett, the Dodgers' Dee Gordon, and the Pirates' Neil Walker.

Jon Niese was the only snub for the Mets, as the lefty has tossed 103.1 innings with a 2.96 ERA. Even if selected, the southpaw would've been unable to participate in the game after he was placed on the disabled list earlier today. The MLB All-Star game takes place at Target Field this year and is set for Tuesday, July 15th at 8:00 PM.

A review of the Mets' position players over the last seven days.

The Mets’ lineup was mediocre over the last seven days, totaling a .237/.302/.397 slash line that translated to an average-ish 96 wRC+. With better production, perhaps they could have avoided a sweep at the hands of the Braves in Atlanta last week or turned a winning series against the Rangers at Citi Field into a full-blown sweep of their own over the weekend. As usual, the individual performances were a bit of a mixed bag, with the bad outweighing the good.

Player	Last Week	This Week	Comment
Bobby Abreu, OF			It wasn’t a good week for the veteran outfielder, who has now put up just a .605 OPS since June 1.
Eric Campbell, 1B/3B			He won’t win any gold gloves at third base, but Campbell was easily the Mets’ best hitter this week, posting a video game-like line of .467/.529/.533 despite not hitting any home runs.
Travis d’Arnaud, C			d’Arnaud only got on base at a .300 clip for the week, but he slugged .500 thanks to a couple of doubles and a home run. He’s been hitting well since coming back from Las Vegas.
Lucas Duda, 1B			Despite a .211 batting average, Duda managed a respectable .769 OPS on the week. That’s not elite or anything, but it’s good enough to keep this arrow green.
Curtis Granderson, OF			Even when things weren’t going well the week before this one, Granderson was making good contact. He got right back to being excellent with a couple of home runs and a .318/.385/.682 line for the week.
Juan Lagares, CF			With a .263 batting average, no walks, and no extra-base hits, Lagares didn’t hit very well. He just hasn’t hit much since his return from the disabled list on June 26.
Daniel Murphy, 2B			A deserving selection to the National League All-Star team, Murphy didn’t have an All-Star week, as he hit .208/.240/.375.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis, OF			Nieuwenhuis only got eight plate appearances this week, but he pulled of a 1.500 OPS in them. Perhaps that’ll get him a bit more of a look this week as the Mets need to go on a run against a pair of division rivals.
Anthony Recker, C			With d’Arnaud back, Recker had just one start this week, and he hit a big three-run home run in it yesterday afternoon. That’ll do.
Ruben Tejada, SS			It was a pretty weak week at the plate for Tejada, even by the standards of shortstops in 2014.
David Wright, 3B			I’ll take not-good David Wright over no David Wright any day. And it’s tough to get too down about his lack of hitting since he only played in two games thanks to a balky left shoulder.
Chris Young, OF			What a disappointing year for Young, who’s not hitting for much power or playing above-average defense in the outfield.
Eric Young Jr., OF			Take Juan Lagares’s slash line, subtract .063 from it, and you have Eric Young Jr.’s week: .200/.200/.200.

Ray offers some starting pitcher options that you should consider streaming on Tuesday, including Tyler Skaggs and Jacob deGrom.

The Streamer Report provides you with daily startng pitcher streaming selections for owners who prefer to stream starting pitchers on a daily basis. This report identifies starting pitchers who are owned in less than 50% of ESPN leagues, and who either has a decent track record vs their opponent, has pitched well of late, or has a decent matchup.

Tuesday's Streamers

Jacob deGrom, Mets vs Braves

Tyler Skaggs, Angels vs Blue Jays

Weekly Streamer Performance

I will be providing a status of how my picks have performed over the course of the season, and below you can find how my picks fared this week.

Fantasy Rundown

If you are looking for more fantasy advice, make sure you check out Fantasy Rundown for all your fantasy baseball and football needs.

A review of the Mets' pitchers over the last seven days.

On the whole, the Mets’ pitching staff had a not-great week, posting a 3.88 ERA and giving up a handful of unearned runs as the team went 2-4 against the Braves and Rangers. This is going to sound a little strange, but don’t blame the bullpen, which put together a nice 2.57 ERA for the week as a group and continues to be one of the better bullpens in all of baseball. On to the meter!

Player	Last Week	This Week	Comment
Vic Black, RHP			In four outings, Black struck out four and only walked one over 2.2 innings. And he didn’t give up any runs.
Bartolo Colon, P			Bad Bart showed up for the second game in a row, though he was at least able to throw six mostly-good innings after giving up four runs in the first inning of his start.
Jacob deGrom, RHP			Like Colon, deGrom had a rough first inning in his lone start, as he gave up three runs to the Braves on a bases-clearing double that Eric Campbell couldn’t handle at third base. He got through the fifth without giving up more, though, and had eight strikeouts to just two walks.
Josh Edgin, LHP			Just another very good week for Edgin, who allowed three hits and no runs in 2.2 innings. Repeat after me: Josh Edgin has a 1.23 ERA on the season. Josh Edgin has a 1.23 ERA on the season.
Dana Eveland, LHP			With a couple of brief scoreless outings, Eveland continued his strong season in the big leagues.
Jeurys Familia, RHP			It was a bit of an odd week for Familia, who was on the mound for the meltdown in Atlanta during which the Braves scored four runs and gave up one run against Texas on Friday. Four of the five runs were unearned, for what it’s worth, though Familia’s error in Atlanta contributed to that. His other two outings were scoreless.
Dillon Gee, RHP			Gee last pitched on May 10, but he’s set to return on Wednesday night against the Braves at Citi Field. Before his lat injury, Gee had managed a 2.73 ERA in eight starts to begin the year.
Gonzalez Germen, RHP			Germen only made two one-out appearances this week. Unfortunately, he gave up three runs in one of them. Fortunately, that was when the Mets had a big lead yesterday and didn’t cost the team the game.
Daisuke Matsuzaka, RHP			With another poor start—five runs on seven hits in five innings this time—Matsuzaka now has a 3.72 ERA and 3.97 FIP on the season.
Jenrry Mejia, RHP			In three outings, Mejia allowed one unearned run but nothing else.
Jon Niese, LHP			Nailed by a line drive in his start on Friday, Niese was taken out of the game in the first inning, but he’s on the disabled list now because of his shoulder, not the line drive.
Carlos Torres, RHP			With two good long relief appearances, Torres was incredibly valuable to the Mets this week. He struck out eight and walked one in seven-and-two-thirds innings. As a Mets relief pitcher, Torres now has a 2.45 ERA and 3.22 FIP in 92 innings, dating back to the beginning of last year.
Zack Wheeler, RHP			The peripherals weren’t pretty—eight strikeouts and seven walks in 12.2 innings—but Wheeler allowed only two runs in total in two starts this week. While not quite as encouraging as his shutout against the Marlins, the results were still a positive.

Lots of interesting, funny, idiotic, and insightful things were said by the Mets—and about them—recently. Here are some of our favorites.

Oh good, another wins goal.

"We’re hanging in there. As I told the guys the other day, ‘Listen, we’ve just got to push through the All-Star break, go into the break on a positive note. … We have like 15 games before the break. Let’s go 10-5. Let’s not get crazy. Hopefully you get really hot, but let’s just go 10-5, go into the break close and then, coming out of the break, everybody will be rested. We’ll be healthy, Dillon [Gee] will be back and now let’s take off after that.’" —Terry Collins [ESPN]

Never change who you are, BartYOLO.

"I just think that because I've already gone against them once, they probably prepared. They knew what I was coming with. ... I'm trying not to look too much into it. I just had a bad inning. Now, I'm just going to have to prep for the next one. I'm not going to change anything up in terms of what I do." —Bartolo Colon [ESPN]

Alright, except maybe this.

"[Colon] just left a few pitches over the middle of the plate. They were putting good swings on it and they were finding holes." —Travis d’Arnaud [ESPN]

No one show Niese any FanGraphs articles related to when pitcher’s velocities tend to stabilize.

"I think my velocity is not where I want it to be. But I think that will come. I think that the All-Star break and with rest, that will come. I’ve been able to have a lot more control than in years’ past and been able to put it where I want it a lot more." —Jon Niese [ESPN]

David Wright: Habitual Reformed Liar

"First of all, I absolutely salute [Wright] for coming in and saying something today. That's not David Wright, as you know, with what he did with the back a couple of years ago, with what he did last year with the leg, when he just plays through stuff. … He said, 'I don't want to do what I did with the leg, but can I try it anyway?' And I said, 'I don't think so.'" —Terry Collins [ESPN]

Personally, I think Dice-K could’ve cared a bit more and is being way too easy on himself.

"I didn't have my best stuff today, but I just wanted to fight through and just give it my all today. Regarding that pitch, I actually shook off d'Arnaud. It ended up being a big mistake. I need to apologize to him about it. ... The result ended up being the worst possible result. It's really regretful." —Daisuke Matsuzaka [ESPN]

The problem with this team is shortstops. We have too many shortstops.

"This is a good chance for Ruben to realize he's the guy. Now take it and run with it." Terry Collins [ESPN]

"We all like Wilmer a lot and he proved he can play shortstop in the major leagues here. For him to be the kind of player we all expect him to be, he's got to play. He's got to be in the lineup. And he's not getting a chance to be in the lineup. His bat, which everybody says is going to be the thing that's going to make him special, he's got to get at-bats to stay consistent." —Terry Collins [ESPN]

He added, ‘just not as good as Duda.’

"It's totally different [playing the Mets again.] Obviously I'm a Pirate now. It's not new. Now it's just playing them again. I've had some good weeks and some bad weeks. Overall, I'm playing all right." —Ike Davis [ESPN]

Well, he’s 0-for-1 so far, so it’s going to be close.

"I'm hoping that last start gets [Wheeler] going to where four out of five can be like that." —Terry Collins [ESPN]

Snark aside, hope she actually learned something and that we never hear from her again.

"Everything is great. I’m happy with the simplest things. I bought a flower today at the grocery store– an orchid– and it’s so pretty and I appreciate it so much, because I remember being in jail and not having anything–nothing that smelled good, no music, no nothing–and I’m just thrilled to be in this small apartment, living a normal life…I’m shopping at regular stores like Target, Macy’s and Marshall’s. And you know what? I’m happy. I’m really happy. I didn’t need all of that shit. All of that stuff was just a facade. That was not me." —Anna Benson [Fox News]

AA Quotes of the Week

"Chris Young watched the first season of The Wire said, 'It’s OK I guess.'" —Manic McReynolds

"Chris Young Thinks Dickey is a terrible pitcher!" —LSUtoast

"Chris Young casts 50 ASG votes for Pablo Sandoval every summer." —Manic McReynolds

"Chris Young used a red lazer pointer on Luis Castillo to make him drop that ball" —allhailharvey

"Chris Young's favorite thing about World Cup soccer is the flopping." —Manic McReynolds

"Chris Young prefers Domino's Pizza to Di Fara" —Russ

"Chris Young is rooting for Germany right now" —Sitebot'sGrisson

"Chris Young made his Sim go into the pool and then took the ladder away" —Steve Sypa

"Chris Young cheers for the Philies, and loves Jimmy Rollins' playful antics" —Jeffrey Litt

"Chris Young Liked Mumford and Sons older stuff – during his bachelor days." —Afro_Tom

These guys again.

The Braves have had made a charge up the standings over the past two weeks by beating up on the bottom of the MLB table but now will face a real challenge as they begin their next road trip.

*checks schedule*

Oh wait, no, it’s the Mets again.

The Braves had their nine-game winning streak ended on Sunday by the Diamondbacks but there is little reason that they shouldn’t start a new one with four games against the Mets and three against the Cubs. The series starts with a classic matchup between everything that is good in the world (Mike Minor) and the most annoying but not actually good pitcher possible (Daisuke Matsuzaka). Matsuzaka is a notoriously slow worker who has had some success since returning to the Mets' rotation this year. Matsuzaka primarily relies on his splitter and fastball but throws six different pitches in total. His control has been utterly atrocious this year, walking nearly six batters per nine innings. The Braves should wait Matsuzaka out and let him get himself in trouble. Matsuzaka has lucked his way to a 3.72 ERA via a low BABIP (.250) and unsustainable home run rate (3.7 percent). I believe his 4.72 xFIP gives a better indicator of what kind of pitcher he is and I expect the Braves to make him pay in game one of the series.

In game two, the Braves match-up first-time ALL-STAR Julio Teheran (that is a fun sentence) against Mets rookie Jacob deGrom. DeGrom was a ninth round pick of the Mets, who missed the entire 2011 season following Tommy John surgery. DeGrom came into 2014 ranked as the Mets' 10^th best prospect by Baseball America and since making his major league debut has posted an identical 3.77 ERA and FIP. DeGrom has walked batters at a much higher rate in the majors than he did in the minors at nearly four per nine innings. Amazin’ Avenue described deGrom’s control as one of his best assets when he debuted so this is potentially concerning or a sign that he will be even more effective once he cuts down on that. DeGrom is a groundball pitcher whose best pitch is his sinker, though his four-seam fastball has been by far his most used pitch in the majors. DeGrom is a second-tier prospect who has had a solid start to his big league career but the Braves should have a major advantage with Teheran on the mound.

Game three features Dillon Gee making his return from the disabled list to face off against Ervin Santana. At the time of his injury, Gee had been the Mets' most effective starter though there is strong evidence Gee’s good start to 2014 was highly unsustainable. Gee has a 2.73 ERA in 2014 but has gotten there via an 85 percent left on base rate and a .226 babip. Gee is a career 3.78 ERA pitcher who has a career-worst strikeout rate in 2014. Gee had a 3.62 ERA in 2013 and this year has lowered his strikeout rate, lowered his grounball rate and raised his walk rate. Apparently fewer strikeout, more line drives, and more walks is the key to a career year. That or Gee will come off the disabled list and go right back to being the guy he has been most of his career. Gee is primarily a sinkerball, fastball, changeup pitcher and looks to induce groundballs at a high rate.

The final game of the series will be an intense matchup of the two pitchers in baseball who make the strongest argument for expansion of the designated hitter in Bartolo Colon and Aaron Harang. Colon is a 41-year-old starter who looks hilarious swinging at major league pitching but he has been decent this season mostly by not walking anyone. Colon is an innings eater who will throw strikes and not beat himself. Colon pitches to contact primarily by way of his sinker and fastball. He makes use of the occasional slider and even more rare changeup. I am excited for the game recap because a Colon-Harang pitching matchup has incredible upside in terms of possible pictures for the Talking Chop front page.

Daniel Murphy has randomly been the Mets most valuable position player according to Fangraphs. Murphy leads the NL in hits and was named to his first All-Star game on Sunday as the Mets sole representative. David Wright has had a very poor season at the plate by his standards with career lows in on base percentage and isolated power. Wright has been a league average offensive player which is a big blow to a Mets lineup not exactly stacked with ringers. Lucas Duda and Curtis Granderson have been the only Mets to provide power this year and Juan Lagares is a defensive stud who has been decent at the plate.

Overall, the Braves are clearly a better team than the Mets. How this difference will play out in the series is unpredictable but considering the way the Braves have been plowing through similar teams of late (including sweeping the Mets last week), I am pretty optimistic. The Nats don’t seem very interested in losing these days so it would be great to see the Braves continue to take care of business.

The Amazins need some wins before the All-Star break, but those pesky Braves aren't going to let anything come easily.

What's going on with the Braves?

No, they haven't been playing the toughest schedule as of late, but yes, the Bravos have been getting some work done. After sweeping four games in Philly and taking three in a row from the Mets in Atlanta, Fredi Gonzalez's squad moved its win streak to nine games with a pair of wins over Arizona before finally falling to the Snakes on Sunday.

The Atlanta offense still strikes out too much to be consistently effective, but a deep rotation and bullpen has helped the team stay even with Washington through 88 games. With series against the Mets and Cubs coming up for the Braves before the All-Star break, you know the club has thoughts of moving into first place before the "second half" begins.

Speaking of the All-Star break, Atlanta is sending closer Craig Kimbrel, starter Julio Teheran, and stud first baseman/Met killer Freddie Freeman to the midsummer classic. Fans can also vote for (or against) outfielder Justin Upton into the game if they feel so inclined. What really piqued my interest, though, was when Talking Chop called Jason Heyward an "All-Star snub."

Heyward is still only 24 years old, but it's been disappointing that he hasn't yet turned into an all-world hitter the way it looked like he could when he was one of baseball's top prospects. Still, Heyward is a versatile player who brings more to the table than just a bat. Mets fans know he is one of the best defensive outfielders in the league, and if you look at his strikeout (16.1 percent) and walk (11.5 percent) rates, you begin to see a player who still has the potential to be an MVP candidate in his mid-twenties.

Who are these guys?

The best part about Jordan Walden might be the SNY booth talking about his "illegal" delivery when he pitches against the Mets. If you're paying attention this week, you might just get a few sips ahead of your friends while playing the GKR Drinking Game. While watching Walden launch himself off the hill may be a thrill in and of itself, Walden's 34-percent strikeout rate is what really brings home the bacon for the right-handed reliever. He's also had some trouble with his control this season, but with seven strikeouts and just one walk against the Mets this year, New York hasn't seen that side of him yet.

For a guy with a 1.73 WHIP, David Carpenter is a pretty good relief pitcher. He was thrown in with manager John Farrell when the Blue Jays shipped their skipper to Boston in exchange for Mike Aviles in October 2012. Carpenter was then claimed on waivers by Atlanta just over a month later, and the Braves appeared to unlock the right-hander's potential in 2013. After muddling in mediocrity for much of his career, Carpenter pitched to a 0.99 WHIP in 65.2 innings last year, making him one of the league's most valuable relievers. This year's high WHIP is mostly due to a .452 BABIP against him, as he's actually doing a better job on a strikeouts and walks basis than he was during his 2013 breakout.

Who's on the mound?

Monday: Mike Minor vs. Daisuke Matsuzaka

Last week we talked about how Minor wasn't pitching up to his strikeout-to-walk ratio, and he didn't do anything to change that notion against the Mets last Tuesday. Even though he struck out five batters and walked just one in 4.1 innings, Minor gave up four runs on 101 pitches, mostly due to a pair of left-handed home runs hit off of him by Curtis Granderson and Daniel Murphy. In fact, home runs have been a pretty big problem for Minor in 2014. He's given up 13 in just 70.1 innings, and he's got to find a way to lower his 17-percent home-run-to-fly-ball ratio in order to reclaim the success he had in 2013.

Also having trouble reclaiming past glory is Matsuzaka, whose 10 runs and seven walks allowed in his past two outings had him hanging by a thread as far as a rotation spot is concerned. This might have been his last start in a while if Jon Niese didn't just land on the disabled list with a shoulder injury, but now it appears that Gee will take Niese's spot and Matsuzaka will continue to force Mets fans to cover their eyes and cross their fingers for a couple of more passes through the rotation.

Tuesday: Julio Teheran vs. Jacob deGrom

Teheran did nothing to hurt his All-Star candidacy when he pitched against the Mets last Wednesday. The Amazins showed good patience to walk three times off of the young right-hander, but Teheran otherwise shut down the Mets with one run and four hits allowed over seven innings. Teheran still doesn't have the fame or name recognition that other young starters like Jose Fernandez or Matt Harvey have, but he's been just as impressive, and more importantly, he's stayed healthy so far in his big league career.

Maybe someday deGrom will be able to strike out a lot of batters while also working deep into games, but for now we'll take an outing like last week's when he struck out eight Braves but needed 110 pitches to get through five innings. deGrom's last three starts have been solid, but he's gong to have to improve on his 2:1 strikeout-to-walk rate and 1.41 WHIP if he's going to lay claim to a rotation spot when Noah Syndergaard is eventually called up.

Wednesday: Ervin Santana vs. Dillon Gee

Santana's foray into the National League has gone about as well as fans of the veteran right-hander could have hoped. He's striking out more batters than he has in years, and his walk rate is nearly as low as the one that made him so successful with the Royals last season. The Mets were fortunate enough to miss Santana the last time they faced the Braves, because he's made four straight quality starts, and in his last three outings, he's allowed zero home runs and three walks total.

Gee's return to the rotation from a strained lat comes at a welcome time for the Mets. They just sent Niese to the DL, and could at least replace the lefty's production with Gee, who was pitching pretty splendidly before he suffered the injury. Although Gee's strikeout rate has been alarmingly low when compared to his last two seasons, he's still managed to pitch quality starts in six of eight outings in 2014. If he can start punching out opponents again now that he's healthy, Gee could be a big improvement over Matsuzaka in the second half of the season.

Thursday: Aaron Harang vs. Bartolo Colon

We knew Harang wasn't going to keep up his Cy Young-like pace from the first month of the season, but while he's fallen off a good deal, he's still pitching well enough to be considered an effective fifth starter. Harang's strikeouts have gone down and his walks have gone up since May ended, but the off-the-street pickup by Atlanta is still looking like a solid one thanks to his ability to eat up innings while the Braves have so many valuable pieces on the DL. Harang dominated the Mets twice back in April, but the Amazins should find him much more inviting now that he's a mere mortal again.

One could be forgiven for mistaking Colon for an immortal being with the way he's pitched for stretches in 2014, but his last two starts have been humbling. Colon gave up five runs in six innings to the Pirates on June 29 before surrendering five runs in seven frames to Texas over the weekend. Over those two starts, he's allowed three home runs while striking out just five batters. When Colon is on, he can boost his stirkeout rate with his mystifying two-seam fastball. His two previous outings versus the Braves in 2014 have been quite solid, so hopefully he can get back on track down south.

Prediction: Sure, a split here seems optimistic, but it's not crazy to think that the Mets can beat up on Minor and Harang.

What about some GIFs?

Jason Heyward made another sweet sliding catch during the first game of the Mets' series in Atlanta last week.

The next day, Daisuke Matsuzaka got some revenge by sawing off some of Heyward's lumber.

Of course, Mets fans can't be too impressed with Heyward when they get to watch Juan Lagares almost every day.

Flores has been red-hot since being sent down to Triple-A Las Vegas on June 25.

After a stellar week at the plate, Mets infield prospect Wilmer Flores has been selected as Pacific Coast League Player of the Week. The 22-year-old was 13-for-35 with five home runs and 16 RBI on the week. Flores, who had a slash line of just .225/.253/.300 in the majors, has been hitting the ball exceptionally well since his June 25 demotion, batting .365 and recording a hit in 11 of his 12 games. He was sent down to the 51s to make room for the returning Juan Lagares.

The Mets have been carrying six outfielders and only five infielders since Flores's demotion. They haven't encountered any major issues from this roster configuration, but it seems like only a matter of time until they return to the standard five outfielders and five infielders. If Flores continues to swing the bat like this, the team may be forced to make that change sooner rather than later.