Tag Archives: Cardinals

Aug 25

Mets Should Not Hold Pat Hand At Deadline

Posted on by

Most reports indicate the Mets won’t make a deal by the August 31 deadline. However, after watching Seth Lugo’s first career victory cut short by a cramp in his right calf, they shouldn’t be so sure about that position.

All teams put players on waivers throughout the season to ascertain who might be interested in making a deal later. If nobody claims that player – the term is “clears waivers,” – then he could be available. You’d be surprised who might show up on the list.

LUGO: Solid before injury. (AP)

LUGO: Solid before injury. (AP)

We can assume most contenders are adding this time of season. We can also assume the teams sparring with for the Mets for a wild-card would also be interested in adding a pitcher, but since these things are done in reverse order, as of now that player would slip to the Mets before the Pirates, Marlins, Cardinals or Giants could block the deal.

There’s such fragility with starting pitchers as the Mets learned this season with Matt Harvey, Jon Niese and Zack Wheeler – neither will pitch again this year – and now Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz and possibly Noah Syndergaard are suspect. Matz is on the DL, deGrom’s next start will be pushed back, and everybody is waiting for the other shoe to fall on Syndergaard.

The Mets have been fortunate with Lugo, so far, but what will they get Sunday from Robert Gsellman, who’ll be making his first career start?

Also fragile are playoff opportunities. Prior to last season, 2006 was when the Mets were in the postseason. As we learned this year, injuries and bad luck happen. Will the Mets be in contention next year? Nobody can say.

However, everybody in the wild-card hunt has issues. Everybody.

The Mets are now 3.5 games behind for the second wild-card with 35 games remaining following Thursday’s 10-6 victory in St. Louis. Sometime in that span, the Mets might need somebody to step up and take the ball. Who are they going to give it to? Rafael Montero? Sean Gilmartin? Gabriel Ynoa? Surely, the Logan Verrett boat has sailed.

The Marlins are going after it. Reportedly, they are interested in the Braves’ Julio Teheran after a proposed deal for Arizona’s Shelby Miller fell through.

Meanwhile, the Mets seem they will go with a pat hand. And, it isn’t all that great a hand.

Please follow me on Twitter

Aug 24

Microcosm Of Mets’ Season Seen In This Series

Posted on by

The essence of the 2016 Mets could be seen in the first two games of this Cardinals series. On Tuesday the Mets produced one of the gutsiest performances of this season when starter Jon Niese left with a knee injury after getting just one out forcing the bullpen to work 8.2 innings.

After the game manager Terry Collins said how impressed he was with rookie Robert Gsellman. Great defense, timely hitting and superior relief pitching; it was the ultimate formula and something we haven’t often seen.

DE GROM: Off again. (AP)

DE GROM: Off again. (AP)

Unquestionably, the victory was one of the Mets’ most inspirational, and one they could build on. After all, it was their third straight victory, something they hadn’t done since before the All-Star break.

However, instead of building off that with Jacob deGrom, their best pitcher, the Mets responded with another egg in an 8-1 loss to the Cardinals.

It didn’t get off to a good start when Matt Carpenter lead off the St. Louis first with a homer off deGrom, one of five runs and 12 hits he gave up in his second straight bad start.

Offensively, the Mets had just four hits as they fell back to .500 and 4.5 games behind the Cardinals for the second wild-card berth.

Not only did they show no signs of life and have to be concerned with deGrom – who has given up 13 runs on 25 hits in his last two starts – but Jay Bruce left the game in the second inning with a cramp in his right calf. In addition to Bruce, Yoenis Cespedes still looks gimpy.

It is widely considered 87 victories could be enough for the wild card, but for that to happen, the Mets must go 24-12 in their remaining 36 games.

The math says it is possible. Logic says it is not.

Please follow me on Twitter

Aug 23

Mets’ Three Storylines: Niese Injured; Bullpen Picks Up Team

Posted on by

The Mets gambled and lost with Jon Niese, but somehow managed to win a game that easily could have gone the other way.

GM Sandy Alderson and manager Terry Collins knew Niese had a sore left knee, but started him anyway in hope of getting as much as they could.

GSELLMAN: Saves day. (AP)

GSELLMAN: Saves day. (AP)

They got one-third of an inning.

Niese worked to four hitters – with three reaching base and eventually scoring – before leaving the game.

“After [Niese] walked the first hitter, you could tell something was wrong with him,” Collins said.

With Steven Matz going on the disabled list and Collins not wanting to move Jacob deGrom up a day, the Mets pushed the envelope.

Collins said he doesn’t expect Niese to make his next start and will likely end up on the disabled list. That start could end up going to Robert Gsellman, who came up from Triple-A Las Vegas and pitched 3.2 innings in long relief in his major league debut and got the win in the Mets’ 7-4 victory over the Cardinals.

With the victory the Mets moved to within 3.5 games of St. Louis for second wild card. The victory gave the Mets their first three-game winning streak since the first week

The other two storylines were the bullpen and production from unexpected sources.

BULLPEN STELLAR: The Mets got 8.2 innings from the pen, which means deGrom needs to go deep Wednesday night.

“They told me to be ready and I was,” Gsellman told reporters.

In addition to Gsellman’s 3.2 scoreless innings, the Met got two innings from Josh Smoker; one-third of an inning from Jerry Blevins; two-thirds of an inning from Jim Henderson; and an inning each from Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia.

Henderson entered the game with two on and one out in the seventh, he got the final two outs, including striking out Jedd Gyorko to end the inning.

Reed also had two runners on against him in the eighth, but got Matt Carpenter on a fly to center.

THE UNEXPECTED: If the Mets are going to sneak in, they’ll need production from the unexpected, and that’s what they got.

It started with Wilmer Flores’ three-run homer in the first, and then Justin Ruggiano homered in the fourth.

Overall, the Mets collected 12 hits, with eight by their first three hitters, Jose Reyes (three hits, three runs scored); Asdrubal Cabrera (three hits) and Yoenis Cespedes (two hits).

The Mets also got a run-saving play from Cabrera to end the fourth, and a homer-robbing catch from Cespedes off Stephen Piscotty’s long fly in the sixth.

Please follow me on Twitter

Aug 19

Not Buying Cespedes Can Do It Alone

Posted on by

Yoenis Cespedes returns to the Mets tonight, but I’m not buying for a second his presence will make everything all right for the Mets. If he hits the way he’s supposed to, and starts doing it immediately and continues for the remainder of the season, he should make the Mets better.

But, he’s not enough to carry them to the finish line. The news Steven Matz is scratched from Saturday’s start because of a sore shoulder is just the latest. Neil Walker has tightness in his lower back. Plus, we don’t know just how stable Cespedes’ strained right quad and Asdrubal Cabrera‘s knee will be coming off the DL.

CESPEDES: Need more than him. (Getty)

CESPEDES: Need more than him. (Getty)

The Mets don’t hit with RISP and Curtis Granderson doesn’t hit period. Jay Bruce hasn’t hit since coming over from Cincinnati. The Mets said Michael Conforto won’t be brought up until Sept. 1 when the rosters are expanded, which makes no sense.

Noah Syndergaard hasn’t pitched well in the past six weeks. The bullpen has been erratic. Nobody can say how long Matz will be down.

The Mets are out of the NL East race and four games behind in the wild-card. They lost a crushing game Thursday night and this 10-game stretch against Arizona (they lost two of three); San Francisco (they blew a four-run lead and lost Thursday in the first of four against the Giants); and go to St. Louis to play three with the Cardinals.

Unquestionably, this is the Mets’ most important stretch of the season, and frankly, the return of Cespedes – even if he gets hot – isn’t enough.

Please follow me on Twitter

Aug 15

Mets Start Crucial Trip

Posted on by

Several times this season Mets manager Terry Collins said his team faced an important stretch. They start another one Monday night in Arizona.

They have three games with the Diamondbacks, who swept them last week at Citi Field; four with the NL West-leading Giants, and three in St. Louis. The Giants and Cardinals are direct competition for the wild card. {The Giants become a wild card threat if they are overtaken by the Dodgers.}

COLON: Goes tonight. (AP)

COLON: Goes tonight. (AP)

You hate to project numbers, but I’m thinking they need to go at least 7-4. A 6-5 t only puts them two games over .500, and that won’t cut it.

Bartolo Colon goes tonight, followed by Noah Syndergaard and Jon Niese. Of the three, right now I have the most confidence in Colon, who is coming off back-to-back strong starts against the Diamondbacks (a no-decision in a Mets’ loss) and a win over the Yankees. He gave up one run in each game.

However, before that he gave up a combined 11 runs in starts against Colorado and the Cubs.

So, is Colon due to get hit tonight?

As for Syndergaard, the Diamondbacks ran wild against him last week in a loss. He’s lost four straight decisions and five of six. Once 8-2 with Cy Young whispers, he’s now 9-7.

And Niese, well he’s done little since coming back from Pittsburgh.

ON DECK:  Have The Mets Turned It Around?

Please follow me on Twitter