LOS ANGELES -- Zack Greinke said he felt strong again on the mound on Saturday after pitching seven innings in a win over the Mets at Dodger Stadium. Greinke and Dodgers manager Don Mattingly downplayed the elbow discomfort that pushed Greinke's start back two days.
"He threw the ball well," Mattingly said. "I thought he was sharp. His breaking ball was good. If we didn't know anything about what's going on and pushing him back two days, nobody would even mention anything."
Greinke did allow four runs and two home runs in his seven innings, though the three-run home run by Juan Lagares in the fourth inning was on a changeup thrown exactly where Greinke wanted it.
"I looked back over his career. It's strange, when you throw him a good changeup he hits it," Greinke said. "Over his career, he has been better at changeups down in the zone rather than over the plate."
Mattingly said Greinke's situation is the opposite of Josh Beckett, whose MRI showed a hip impingement that he tried to pitch through. Greinke's MRI two weeks ago was clean and showed no structural damage in the elbow, and Mattingly trusts Greinke to tell him if he felt anything out of the ordinary.
"You guys aren't going to believe me because I got pushed back a few days, but it really doesn't bother me when the game is on the line and it doesn't affect any of my pitches," Greinke said. "I don't have any desire to give up 10 runs, or hurt myself more. But it's not really an issue right now."
Both Greinke and Mattingly agreed that the bigger issue will be how Greinke feels on Sunday, the day after his start, if there is any discomfort at all in his right elbow, a feeling that Greinke said comes and goes.
"Tomorrow is the bigger day. We didn't have any doubt he was going to feel good tonight," Mattingly said. "Hopefully tomorrow he wakes up, comes in here and feels good."
With Monday's off day and getting pushed back two days, Greinke on Saturday pitched on seven days rest. His next start will be on similarly long rest, with off days Monday and Thursday and Roberto Hernandez and Clayton Kershaw slated to pitch the two games in Arizona.
"I felt great again today," Greinke said. "Hopefully that's how it stays."
Up next
The Dodgers go for the sweep on Sunday afternoon, with Kevin Correia on the mound, and likely Hanley Ramirez at shortstop. Unless something changes by Sunday morning the Dodgers will activate Ramirez from the disabled list on his first day eligible to return from a strained right oblique.
"If he's good to go, I plan on playing him," Mattingly said Saturday afternoon.
The Mets took an early lead but could not hold it.
The Mets were beaten by the Dodgers for the second time in as many nights on Saturday. Neither Zack Greinke nor Jacob deGrom gave up a run through three innings, but Greinke cracked first and gave up a three-run home run to Juan Lagares in the fourth inning.
But deGrom, too, got into trouble in the fourth, and he wound up allowing two runs to score in that inning. Adrian Gonzalez singled in the first, and Erisbel Arruebarrena hit a long sacrifice fly to Juan Lagares to score the second. And after Greinke put up a zero in the top of the fifth, deGrom gave up a three-run home run to Gonzalez in the bottom half, and the Mets trailed 5-3.
Lucas Duda cut the Mets’ deficit to one with a solo home run in the sixth, but Vic Black, Josh Edgin, and some terrible Mets defense allowed two runs to score in the bottom of the seventh, the last runs of the game as the Mets eventually lost 7-4.
GameThread Roll Call
Nice job by MetsFan4Decades; her effort in the GameThread embiggens us all.
LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers will try for a series sweep and a winning homestand when they take on the Mets on Sunday afternoon. The Dodgers have swept seven series in 2014, two at home. The Dodgers swept their 2013 home series against Mets and have won six straight at home against the Mets.
Kevin Correia will be making his third start for the Dodgers. Correia last faced the Mets when he pitched for the Pirates on September 27, 2012. Two of the batters Correia could face today will think back to those times, David Wright is 13 for 17 (.765) against Correia with three doubles and three home runs and Daniel Murphy is 6 for 15 (.400).
Mets starter Bartolo Colon last faced the Dodgers in 2006. Carl Crawford has had the most experience (37 plate appearances) with a .167/.189/.222 line. Adrian Gonzalez is 6 for 18 with 2 home runs.
The Dodgers surpassed the three million home attendance mark on Saturday night for the 18th time in the last 19 seasons.
Hanley Ramirez returns on his first eligible day back from disabled list, Ethier starts again, this time in left field
LOS ANGELES -- No Sunday lineup for the Dodgers as Hanley Ramirez returns after missing the last 14 games while on the disabled list. Andre Ethier is starting in back to back games, this time in left field.
Starting Lineups
Mets
Dodgers
RF
Granderson (L)
2B
Gordon (L)
2B
Murphy (L)
CF
Puig
3B
Wright
1B
Gonzalez (L)
1B
Duda (L)
RF
Kemp
C
d'Arnaud
SS
Ramirez
CF
Lagares
LF
Ethier (L)
SS
Tejada
3B
Turner
LF
Young (S)
C
Ellis
P
Colon
P
Correia
Location: Dodger Stadium Time: 1:10 p.m. PT TV: SportsNet LA
The Dodgers announced that Erisbel Arruebarruena was optioned to Rancho Cucamonga as the corresponding move to activating Hanley Ramirez. Arruebarruena had started four of the previous five games.
"It will be good to have [Ramirez] back out there," said Don Mattingly, "it lengthens the lineup and makes it harder to navigate through it."
Carl Crawford is getting a day off, he should be back in the lineup against Arizona on Tuesday.
Injury updates:
Hyun-Jin Ryu will throw a bullpen on Tuesday. Mattingly noted that Ryu could be back when he is eligible next weekend though the team has not set their rotation past the Arizona series.
Juan Uribe has not had any setbacks and has done some baseball-related activities and running. Mattingly has not given a specific date for Uribe's return but the team is encouraged by Uribe's progress.
Zack Greinke felt good this morning, Greinke's next start has not been set but that has more to do with the number of off days this week.
Mattingly said the decision between optioning Erisbel Arruebarruena and Miguel Rojas came down to who the team felt more comfortable with playing at third base. Rojas has played more third base than Arruebarruena so that is why the move was made.
The captain, trying to play through a sore shoulder, gets another setback to his health.
David Wright's struggles this year have been well documented. In the midst of those struggles has been a chronically sore shoulder, which he continued to insist was fine, to both Terry Collins and the media.
However, in today's game against the Dodgers, Wright had to exit, the reasons of which weren't clear at first.
David Wright just left the game. No clue what happened. Grabbed bats and is back inside #Mets
Eric Campbell took the third baseman's place in the lineup.
We aren't sure of the causes of those spasms, and won't know for certain until he has had a chance to be examined by team doctors. Hopefully this latest development in his ongoing health isn't serious and can possibly uncover the reasons that his production has dipped so dramatically in 2014, giving him the opportunity to finally get healed up and as close to 100% as he can be for the 2015 season.
With New York up 7-2 in the bottom of the 6th, the Dodgers looked to have a no-out threat going with Yasiel Puig on second and Dee Gordon on first, as noted Mets killer Matt Kemp stepped up to the plate. But Kemp grounded to Eric Campbell at third base, who threw to second to start the routine 5-4-3 double play. Two outs with Puig at third and Hanley Ramirez up next, right?
Right, if Puig would have stopped. But he didn't. He kept on running. Take it away, Gary Cohen.
It was the first triple play by the Mets since 2010 (against the Nationals), and the 11th in team history. All brought to you by everyone's favorite Cuban-born outfielder.
Thanks, Yasiel Puig, for helping the Mets achieve some history in what has turned out to be a dismal second half of baseball.
Kevin Correia has made three starts for the Dodgers. The first was surprisingly good. The second start was a struggle but that game was nothing like Correia't third start as the Mets hit three home runs off him to beat the Dodgers 11 -3.
Correia got out of the first unscathed and he took a 1-0 lead to the top of the second. After one out, Travis d`Arnaud hit a solo home run to tie the game. Juan Lagares followed with a single and then with two out, Eric Young had ground ball triple to right center field that made the score 2 - 1.
The third inning was a particularly ugly one for the Dodgers as poor defense and bad pitches produced five runs for the Mets.
With one out, Daniel Murphy singled. David Wright scorched a ball to the right of Hanley Ramirez. Ramirez got his glove on it but it went past him for a single. Lucas Duda followed with a mammoth shot that went deep into the right field stands to make it 5 - 1.
Hanley Ramirez short-armed a throw that Gonzalez couldn't save with two out to extend the inning. Ruben Tejada made the Dodgers pay with a two-run home run, the third off Correia, to make it 7 - 1.
28 - Dodgers' magic number to clinch the NL West. Any combination of LA wins and SF losses totaling 28 clinches the division for the Dodgers.
Carlos Frias had three scoreless innings until he gave up three runs in seventh inning. Frias was taken out with one out, Pedro Baez allowed one inherited runner to score but then got out of the inning.
Jamey Wright finished up the game and gave up Duda's second home run of the game.
The Dodgers offense scored first for only the second time on this homestand (last time was on August 15th).
Adrian Gonzalez doubled with two out and Matt Kemp singled Gonzalez home without a throw to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.
Bartolo Colon made his first start since returning from bereavement leave. Colon kept the ball around the plate and wasn't ever really in any trouble until the bottom of the sixth.
Dee Gordon led off the bottom of the sixth with a single, After a Yaseil Puig, Gonzalez continued his hot hitting with an RBI single and the Dodgers had a look at the game.
That look ended once Kemp hit a ground ball to third. A 5-4-3 double play became a 5-4-3-2 triple play when Puig was tagged out trying to score standing up.
Colon pitched six innings, he was followed by Buddy Carlye. In the bottom of the eighth, Scott Van Slyke led off with a single, Gordon drove in Van Slyke with his major league leading 12th triple of the year. That is most triples by a Dodger since Kenny Lofton had 12 in 2006.
Carlye pitched 2 innings and gave up one run. Carlos Torres finished up the game for the Mets.
Sunday particulars
Home runs: Travis d'Arnaud (12), Lucas Duda (25 and 26), Ruben Tejada (3)
The Mets beat the Dodgers with ease this afternoon.
The Mets blew out the Dodgers 11-3 to take one game from this weekend. Lucas Duda hit two home runs, his twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth of the season, and Bartolo Colon gave up just two runs in six innings of work. Colon's counterpart, Kevin Correia, gave up seven runs to the Mets—two in the second on a Travis d'Arnaud home run and an Eric Young Jr. triple and five in the fifth on Duda's three-run home run and a two-run home run by Ruben Tejada.
From there, the game went into cruise control. The Mets scored three times in the seventh and Duda's second home run, a solo shot, came in the ninth. On the downside, David Wright left the game with neck soreness, and Daniel Murphy left with calf soreness.
GameThread Roll Call
Nice job by MetsFan4Decades; her effort in the GameThread embiggens us all.
The second baseman joined David Wright as an early departure.
The Mets' infield got a little banged up during their blowout win over the Dodgers. After David Wright left in the 3rd with neck spasms, Daniel Murphy had to leave in the 9th with an injury of his own.
The Mets are off tomorrow as they head back home after their west coast road swing, so that gives the second baseman a little time to heal up and possibly be ready to go on Tuesday. Wilmer Flores took Murphy's place at second for the bottom half of the inning.
It wasn't exactly specified when and how Murphy suffered the injury, but from the sounds of it, it sounds like simple wear and tear. Nonetheless, the Mets will want to make sure it's nothing serious before trotting him out for sure as they get set to welcome the Braves and kick off a six-game homestand at Citi Field.
The Dodgers saw their three-game winning streak snapped on Sunday when the Mets hit four home runs, three off Kevin Correia in a blowout win in the series finale at Dodger Stadium.
LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers will try for a series sweep and a winning homestand when they take on the Mets on Sunday afternoon. The Dodgers have swept seven series in 2014, two at home. The Dodgers swept their 2013 home series against Mets and have won six straight at home against the Mets.
Kevin Correia will be making his third start for the Dodgers. Correia last faced the Mets when he pitched for the Pirates on September 27, 2012. Two of the batters Correia could face today will think back to those times, David Wright is 13 for 17 (.765) against Correia with three doubles and three home runs and Daniel Murphy is 6 for 15 (.400).
Mets starter Bartolo Colon last faced the Dodgers in 2006. Carl Crawford has had the most experience (37 plate appearances) with a .167/.189/.222 line. Adrian Gonzalez is 6 for 18 with 2 home runs.
The Dodgers surpassed the three million home attendance mark on Saturday night for the 18th time in the last 19 seasons.
New Orleans took on Salt Lake City Sunday night as Brian Flynn took on our old friend Randy Wolf. Flynn went 6 2/3 innings allowing four runs on nine hits, while striking out three. Wolf matched Flynn's effort, going seven innings and also allowing four runs.The Zephyrs scored two in the first inning on a Kiké Hernandez RBI double, and a Justin Bour RBI single. In the third a Brian Bogusevic sac fly scored Austin Wates, then in sixth Rob Brantly singled home Bour. The game was tied 4-4 in the top of the 8th when a two RBI triple by Danny Black would give New Orleans a 6-4 lead. Two more runs would score in the inning leading to an eventual 8-6 victory for New Orleans.
The Jacksonville Suns defeated the Smokies Sunday by a final score of 9-7. A six run fifth inning proved to be the difference. Recently signed pitcher Jon Link got the start, giving up three runs and striking out four over six innings. The versatile Austin Barnes reached base twice scoring two runs, and J.T. Realmuto added a double, a single, and also scored two runs.
Advanced Class A: Jupiter Hammerheads L 2-3 @ St. Lucie Mets
Blake Barber, 2B: 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB Juan Avila, 3B: 1-4, 1 RBI Jesus Solorzano, RF: 1-4, 1 R
Scott Lyman: SP, 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 7 SO, 3 BB
Jupiter fell to the St. Lucie Mets by a score of 3-2. Five hammerheads recorded a hit, but none for extra bases. Scott Lyman pitched well, striking out seven and only allowing two runs. Blake Barber hit an RBI single, scored a run, and also drew a walk.
The Grasshoppers beat the Lakewood BlueClaws on Sunday 4-1. Kyle Fischer got the start, going five innings and allowing only one run. Brian Anderson had three singles and Carlos Lopez set the franchise's single season record for hits by getting his 153rd hit of the season. The record he broke was originally set by Austin Barnes. Avery Romero provided a single and Chris Hoo reached base in every at-bat, with three hits and a walk.
The Muckdogs fell to the Scrappers in a close game Sunday afternoon. Michael Mader did not put forth his sharpest effort, allowing six hits and walking two, but he limited the damage to three runs keeping Batavia in the game. K.J. Woods had a pair of hits and scored a run. Mason Davis provided a two RBI single and Aaron Blanton contributed three singles.
Even though the Mets hit four home runs in Los Angeles yesterday, the most exciting play of the game may have been the 5-4-3-2 triple play that our boys turned with the help of Yasiel Puig and his aggressive running style.
South Korea defeated Chicago's Jackie Robinson West to win the Little League World Series. Despite the loss, I'm sure that Curtis Granderson is still very proud of his hometown squad.
Lucas Duda led the way, and the Mets actually had a few good hitting performances this week.
The Mets' lineup has become something of a running joke this season, but thanks to an eight-run outburst against the A's and an eleven-run performance against the Dodgers, the team averaged a very respectable 4.67 runs per game in the six they played over the last seven days. While neither David Wright nor Curtis Granderson had a good week, the rest of the team's lineup mostly took care of business.
In his typical part-time role, Campbell hit a home run and batted a cool .400/.500/.700. Not too shabby.
Travis d’Arnaud, C
On the whole, d’Arnaud wasn’t spectacular this week—see his 88 wRC+—but he did hit a couple of home runs and has been doing that pretty regularly since coming back to the Mets in late June. That’s encouraging as the team looks ahead to 2015.
Matt den Dekker, OF
He got 16 plate appeareances this week, but den Dekker hardly hit in them.
Last week, Daniel Murphy wore the "my wRC+ matches my uniform number" badge. This week, Flores accomplished the feat, though his number is quite a bit lower than 28.
Curtis Granderson, OF
Granderson’s mid-season success continues to look more and more like the exception this season. At least he hit his first home run in a while in Los Angeles.
You know the drill: If Lagares can hit, he might be a really special player. This week, he did, knocking a three-run home run and posting a respectable 118 wRC+ for the week.
Daniel Murphy, 2B
Murphy was significantly better this week than last, hitting .381/.435/.429.
There were a lot of red-arrow-worthy performances, but a couple pitchers shined.
When it came to pitching over the last week, there wasn't a whole lot for the Mets to get excited about. On the upside, Bartolo Colon had a good start just as he was out there on revocable trade waivers. On the downside, many of his teammates struggled. Here's how each of them did over the last seven days.
In three outings totaling two innings, Black was not as good as he has been for most of this season, allowing two runs and walking three while striking out just one.
Carlyle allowed two runs in four innings of work—a pair of two-inning outings—but struck out six and walked one in the process.
Bartolo Colon, P
Back from the bereavement list, Colon tossed six innings and allowed just two runs yesterday. He struck out five and walked one, and there’s a chance he could be dealt to another team soon.
Jacob deGrom, RHP
deGrom’s first start back from the disabled list was going well until it didn’t, as he looked very good against the Dodgers early and wound up giving up five runs in six innings. He did strike out seven and walk two, at least.
Believe it or not, Familia only made one appearance, a scoreless one-and-two-thirds innings outing with a couple of strikeouts, a walk, and only one hit allowed.
Gee gave up four runs on eight hits in five-and-two-thirds innings in his start this week. He has a 5.06 ERA in eight starts since coming back from the disabled list in early July.
Called up briefly to bolster the bullpen was Bartolo Colon was away, Germen gave up a couple of runs in his only inning of work. Very early this season, he looked promising, but he has spent most of the year in Vegas and has a 5.27 ERA and 5.88 FIP in his time with the Mets this year.
Montero’s only appearance came in relief, a role he hadn’t played since he was in rookie ball in 2011, and he gave up a run and notched just one out. He’ll get back to his usual starting role now that he’s back with Las Vegas.
Sure, three of the five runs Niese allowed were unearned thanks to shoddy Mets defense, but he gave up eight hits, struck out four, and walked three in six-and-two-thirds innings of work. Like Gee, he’s struggled since coming back from the disabled list (4.63 ERA).
In a spot start in Bartolo Colon’s place and two relief appearance, Torres was outstanding. He allowed no runs, struck out eight, walked three, and surrendered just five hits in six-and-one-third innings.
In his start, Wheeler allowed four runs—two unearned—on four hits and walked just three while walking three as the A’s rolled out an all-left-handed-hitting lineup against him.
As the fourth and final installment of this series looking at the different perceptions baseball fans have of the Mets, we break down the information further and share more of what fans had to say about the team’s players and personnel. Though the responses from fans varied, Mets fans tended to be more positive, as evidenced by their comments and ratings. Of the eight players and personnel surveyed, on average, Mets fans gave a higher rating for six of them, with only Bartolo Colon and Noah Syndergaard getting higher ratings from non-Mets fans.
The overall average ratings came in at 6.71 from Mets fans and 6.42 from non-Mets fans. The majority of this difference comes from Mets fans giving more rankings in the nine-to-ten range, as 12.6 percent of Mets fans' ratings were in that range, compared to just 5.8 percent of the non-Mets fans' ratings.
Rating
Mets Fans
Non-Mets Fans
9-10
12.6%
5.8%
7-8
47.2%
47.6%
5-6
33.1%
37.9%
3-4
6.3%
7.8%
0-2
0.8%
1%
It is also interesting to see how each group of fans perceived the players and personnel in contrast to each other. While David Wright sits atop both Mets and non-Mets fans lists and Terry Collins is firmly entrenched at the bottom, those in between the top and bottom are very different in the two lists.
Mets Fans
Rating
Wright
8.25
Alderson
7.19
Murphy
7.09
Wheeler
6.84
Lagares
6.75
Syndergaard
6.67
Colon
5.81
Collins
5.06
Non-Mets Fans
Rating
Wright
7.50
Murphy
7.04
Syndergaard
6.78
Wheeler
6.71
Colon
6.41
Alderson
6.17
Lagares
5.96
Collins
5.02
The differences in the chart above is predicated on the disparities in how each player was rated from the different fan bases. Half of the players and personnel had fairly negligible differences, having a difference no more than .14 either way. However, four players and personnel had significant differences in opinions.
Largest disparities
Alderson
1.0144
Lagares
0.79
Wright
0.75
Colon
-0.5949
Wheeler
0.132211
Syndergaard
-0.1134
Murphy
0.05528
Collins
0.0425
Finally, the ratings are broken down by league. For every player surveyed, the American League fans gave higher rankings.
Player/Personnel
AL Fan Average Rating
NL Fan Average Rating
Alderson
6.6
5.3
Collins
5
4.8
Wright
7.8
6.8
Murphy
7.1
6.9
Lagares
6.4
5.1
Wheeler
6.8
6.5
Colon
6.6
5.9
Syndergaard
7
6.3
Bonus Quotes
Sandy Alderson
"Who the hell are you and what have you done with the Sandy Alderson who turned Billy Beane into some kind of 'genius'?" —Eric Hainline (Halos heaven)
"Experienced yet forward thinking." —Aaron Finkel (Viva El Birdos)
"It's not his fault the Yankees are more popular than the Mets, and it's not his fault that the team was owned by crooks; a great GM would probably have gotten the team more turned around than Alderson has, but a bad one probably wouldn't have rebuilt the farm system as well." —Jason Lukehart (Lets Go Tribe)
"He certainly hasn't been perfect, but Alderson has been consistent and steady in his approach to building a winning Mets team—an approach I really hope works." —Chris McShane (Amazin’ Avenue)
"If payroll is a limitation from management, he's a master. If it isn't, he's mediocre." —Greg Karam (Amazin Avenue)
Terry Collins
"Still can't manage his resources and still can't motivate or control his players, but since his days as Angels manager he sure has mellowed into a chill dude." —Eric Hainline (Halos Heaven)
"Respectable baseball man, tasked with managing a team that's not ready to win." —Daniel Russell (DRaysBay)
"Caucasian Jerry Manuel when it comes to in-game decisions, namely below-average bullpen management and obsession with bunting." —Huy Nguyen (Amazin’ Avenue)
"I am completely finished with him and am desperately hoping he does not return next year. I would need a full couple of paragraphs to accurately put into words how bad I think he is at his job, so I will just let the zero speak for itself." —Adam Walsh (Amazin’ Avenue)
"Players seem to like him, and he's a good motivator, but his in-game management could use some work." —Aaron Yorke (Amazin’ Avenue)
David Wright
"When fully healthy he's one of the best in the business." —Nico Pemantle (Athletics Nation)
"Even great players have bad seasons sometimes." —Patrick Dubuque (Lookout Landing)
"On the wrong side of 30 and still owed a ton of money. If I were grading the Wright that will be against his contract, I'd probably give him a two. But Wright was so good for so long, I gave him a five. Did I mention how awful his contract is?" —Ben Humphrey (Vivos El Birdos)
"It's impossible for me to answer this objectively, as I imagine it is for many Mets fans. I like him because I like the Mets, I care about him because I care about the Mets, and his transference with the team and my feelings about the team is more or less total. All of which is to say that, while I know he will decline and suspect that his extension -- while clearly the right thing to do, and something I was happy to see happen -- may not be worth it in a bottom-line sense, I feel more sad about it than I do anxious. Mostly, I am glad, still, that I get to watch him play for a team I care about." —David Roth (SB Nation)
"Vastly underrated, quite possibly because of ownership's own comments" —Chris Strohmaier (Amazin’ Avenue)
"In the year that I've finally stopped mixing him up with David Murphy, Daniel seems to have become a very god player." —Jason Lukehart (Lets Go Tribe)
"Not a star, but always solid... was disappointed Cincinnati didn't get him at the —Brandon Kraeling (Red Reporter)
"Kinda wish the Orioles had traded for him, though not for Dylan Bundy." —Mark Brown (Camden Chat)
"Murphy has turned into a very nice player to have if you're a contender and the Mets should trade him this offseason since he's getting a bit long in the tooth and his value is at its highest point." —Ben Humphrey (Vivos El Birdos)
"I underrate him because of unintentional pushback from too many others overrating him" —Steve Sypa (Amazin’ Avenue)
"I am aware that he is a good and useful player, and yet no Met so demonstrably good and useful has made me more nervous or left me more incredulous -- both at his bizarre florid fuck-ups or when he does awesome things -- as far as I can remember." —David Roth (SB Nation)
"Lagares is young and a tremendous defender, but man, it'd be much more exciting to watch him if he could take a page from Brett Gardner's book and figure out some semblance of plate discipline." —Andrew Mearns (Pinstripe Alley)
"Defensive wizard." —Jonah Keri (Grantland and Five Thirty Eight)
"Is it that difficult to take a walk?" —Charlie Drysdale (Purple Row and Minor League Ball)
"The defense speaks for itself but I have been very surprised by how well his bat has come along, but I am a little concerned about his ability to be a reliable 150+ games/year player with injuries cropping up for him." —Adam Walsh (Amazin’ Avenue)
"There isn't a Met who makes me happier than Lagares, and I don't think there has been a Mets position player who has since Carlos Beltran left town. It's not just that he is so astonishing and elegant in the field, or so reliably not-quite-disappointing at bat. There is all that, but mostly it's the surprise of it that makes me happy. It is nice to have a thing that wasn't supposed to happen go down in a way that's good for the Mets." — Roth (SB Nation)
"I don't care if he hits .200, just put him in center and leave him there for the next ten years." —Nic Tatano (Amazin’ Avenue)
"Looks like he should be better than he is but I'm not convinced of upside." —Larry (South Side Sox)
"His early numbers sort of remind me of A.J. Burnett, but Wheeler can probably be better than that." —Tyler Drenon (Royals Review)
"Could be a 9. Not yet, though. I MISS HIM." —Grant Brisbee (McCovey Chronicles)
"Future All Star and one of many stud arms in the Mets system." —Scott Cooke (Blue Bird Banter)
"Growing pains, but doing well and with upside; can't deny that I root for him to succeed in order to make Brian Sabean look dumb for throwing him away." —Alex Hall (Athletics Nation)
"Will be part of a zillion 'Who is better, Zack or Matt?' articles in 2015." —Micahel Donato (Amazin’ Avenue)
"Still developing, but has the potential to be an ace." —Chris Strohmaier (Amazin’ Avenue)
Bartolo Colon
"Colon’s comeback in the last few years has been amazing to watch, and his peripherals still look good despite the decline in ERA, making his age the number one concern with him." —Matt Collins (Over The Monster)
"How?" —Daniel Russell (DRaysBay)
"Good gamble. Not going to last forever." —Grant Brisbee (McCovey Chronicles)
"I'm so happy the Mets signed Colon; now we get video and photos of him trying to hit. He's also a fine pitcher for being over the proverbial hill." —Ben Humphrey (Vivos El Birdos)
"Innings-eater in every sense of the word." —Micahel Donato (Amazin’ Avenue)
"I thought it was a great signing of a very good player, and I wish he was as highly thought of with other baseball GMs, so his trade value was higher" —Steve Sypa (Amazin Avenue)
Noah Syndergaard
"If Harvey comes back strong and Syndergaard actualizes ... holy shit." —Tyler Drenon (Royals Review)
"Still a top prospect who I'm pretty sure I first heard about 17 years ago." —Nico Pemantle (Athletics Nation)
"He’s doing real well in Vegas. There’s a lot of speculation he could end up as a Cub for someone like Castro or Russell, so I’ve got my eye on him." —Josh Timmers (Bleed Cubbie Blue)
"Lucky bastards." —Charlie Drysdale (Purple Row and Minor League Ball)
"Two way avenue; Either a piece in the rotation or a trade chip for the future." —Ryan Gaydos (Amazin’ Avenue)
Ranking and tiering the two-start pitchers for Week 22, including Dillon Gee, Jorge De La Rosa and Rubby De La Rosa.
Last week, Trevor Bauer, Jason Vargas and Kyle Hendricks produced three wins in six starts (one start suspended due to rain and a tarp malfunction), a 3.03 ERA, 1.31 WHIP (meh) and 6.61 K//9 (double meh). This week, the best of the best two-starters are already owned in the majority of leagues, including breakout performers like Matt Shoemaker and Danny Duffy. I had to reach a little deeper this week, but, luckily, there were some matchups to exploit.
Gee hasn't been particularly sharp of late, recording five losses in his last seven starts, but I do feel like his Week 22 matchups are favorable. The Braves offense has been underperforming since the break (.302 wOBA, 24th worst in baseball), and they trail only the Cubs, Orioles and Marlins in team strikeout rate in the second half. Gee has dominated Atlanta in 13 starts, posting a 2.80 ERA and 1.11 WHIP, including one complete game. Philadelphia hasn't been much better with a .304 wOBA (23rd worst) in the second half. I'm very comfortable starting Gee against two familiar opponents in Citi Field, where he owns a career 3.28 ERA in 52 games. You should be too.
Jorge De La Rosa, Rockies 2014: 13-8, 149.2 IP, 6.33 K/9, 3.13 BB/9, 51.5 GB%, 4.21 ERA, 1.22 WHIP
De La Rosa has been the brightest spot in another lackluster Rockies rotation. The 33-year-old southpaw has won six out of his last 10 starts, including victories against the Dodgers, Brewers, Nationals and Royals, all current division leaders. Strangely enough, De La Rosa has been better at home than on the road, but he's enjoyed success against the Giants in his career, with nine wins in 20 starts (the most W's against any opponent). Yes, I know...wins. But that doesn't take away from the overall quality of his last 11 starts in the rotation, in which DLR has gone at least six innings while recording seven quality starts (and no start allowing more than four runs). Arizona, DLR's second opponent, has been brutal with a .280 wOBA in August. Fire away.
Rubby De La Rosa, Red Sox 2014: 4-5, 78 IP, 6.69 K/9, 3.35 BB/9, 47.5 GB%, 3.69 ERA, 1.42 WHIP
Boston's De La Rosa is catching the Blue Jays at the right time. In August, Toronto has the 29th worst wOBA (.279), trailing only the Mets (.268) in the category. The Rays have also struggled on offense in August with a .293 wOBA (23rd worst). That makes the Red Sox DLR a deep sleeper in mixed leagues, and a smart one-week addition in AL-only formats. He has shown the ability to pile up strikeouts in the past (he's struck out eight in two of his last three starts, both starts against the Angels), and his minor league strikeout numbers have been consistently higher than what we've seen so far.
The right-hander can be traded anywhere in the next week.
Mets' right-hander Bartolo Colon has cleared revocable trade waivers and is eligible to be traded to any team before August 31, as first reported by Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. The Mets placed Colon on waivers two days ago in order to gauge interest in him on the trade market.
Though Colon has pitched to a solid 12-10 record and 3.82 ERA in 25 starts with the Mets this season, teams likely passed on him due to the nearly $13 million that he is owed through the end of next year as a result of the two-year, $22 million deal he signed with the Mets before the season. Though many believed that the Mets would love to shed his salary by simply giving him away on a waiver claim, a report from Marc Carig of Newsday reveals that the team would not be willing to do that because they feel that they could receive a strong haul in a trade for him this winter. Over the next week, the Mets will surely listen to offers on the 41-year old in hopes of receiving a strong trade offer from a contending team looking for a starter, but will ultimately be content with holding onto him if they feel that they can get higher bids this winter.
Among the teams thought to be interested in Colon are the Angels and Dodgers, who have been scouring the waiver wire in hopes of adding some starting pitching for September and the playoffs. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com also speculated that the Pirates could make a run at Colon after missing on their rotation targets at the non-waiver trade deadline, and plenty of other teams looking to make a last push towards the playoffs could become involved as well.
Though David Wright makes no excuses about his struggles, many believe the bruised rotator cuff he suffered in June is still an issue, including hitting coach Lamar Johnson.
David Wright's numbers this year are not pretty. With a .266/.324/.368 batting line, eight home runs, and 56 RBI through 123 games, they are easily the worst of his distinguished career. Though he likely is still suffering from a bruised left rotator cuff suffered back in June, Wright continues to deny the shoulder is having any impact on his offensive struggles, recently telling reporters:
"The shoulder's not an excuse. Again, I expect to produce. I'm not thinking about my shoulder. I'm not thinking about bad habits. I'm thinking about going up there and trying to excel and do what I'm capable of doing, doing what I've proven I can do. When I don't do that, I'm as frustrated as anybody."
Fans and reporters have come to expect comments like this from Wright. But Mets hitting coach Lamar Johnson sees things differently. Johnson told MetsBlog's Robert Brender that he believes Wright's shoulder is a key reason for his struggles in 2014.
"We're trying to work on a consistent swing. When your shoulder is hurt, it’s really tough. It’s hurt in his left shoulder and that’s where your swing starts, with your left side, your left hand getting to the ball. It's been tough because he’s been trying to play through that. It’s just been a real tough haul because it’s hard to get a consistent swing when you’re in pain a little bit."
Manager Terry Collins, having to toe the line between defending his captain and making excuses for him, has a different take, deferring to Wright's claims that the shoulder is not the cause for his woes.
"In my time here, I've never seen him scuffle like he has this year. He's not hurt, he's healthy. I don't have an answer for why he's going through what he's going through."
Wright entered 2014 with a career batting line of .301/.382/.506, but his troubles this season have dragged those numbers down to .298/.377/.494. He originally suffered the bruise in June and received a cortisone shot over the All-Star break to alleviate the pain. Enduring the deepest slump of his career, the 31-year-old is batting a woeful .215/.269/.230 with no home runs, two extra-base hits, and just eight runs batted in through 35 second-half games.
Wright also left Sunday's game with the Los Angeles Dodgers due to muscle spasms in his neck, but it's not expected to keep him out of action.
Our beloved Mets decided to be lazy yesterday, and take a day off. Even still, there was some news out of Flushing in the past twenty-four hours:
Bartolo Coloncleared waivers, meaning that the Mets can now freely work out a trade with any team. There has been some speculation that the Angels and Dodgers may be interested.
Jeff Sullivan suggests that there might be some things that are not particularly quantifiable in regards to postseason races and their landscapes.
Yesterday at AA
Chris McShane rolled out the Play Performance Meters. Position players can be found here, and pitchers can be found here.
Daniel Stein-Sayles finished his series on how Mets personnel are perceived. Check out Part IV here.
If you see a link you think would be a great addition to Mets Morning News, send an email to our tips address, tips@grission.com, and we'll try to add it in.
