Marlins Wipe the Floor with Mets

Wednesday, August 8^th, 2012

Final Score: Miami Marlins: 13 New York Mets: 0

Marlins Wipe Floor with Mets

It was an ugly night at Citi Field for the Mets as the Marlins jumped out early and often en route to a 13-0 beat down.  The Mets just cannot buy a win at home right now, losing their eighth straight game at Citi Field since the All-Star break and ninth overall.  The last win at home for the Mets came all the way back on July 7^th against the Chicago Cubs.  The current home losing streak is the longest for the Mets since 2004, Art Howe’s last season as manager.  The Mets now sit at 53-58, 15 games behind Washington in the NL East and 10.5 games behind Atlanta for the last wild card spot. 

Chris Young was hammered tonight coming off what was his best start of the season.  The Marlins jumped on Young early and often, teeing off on him, including three homeruns.  The third homerun is what chased him from the game. 

Jose Reyes launched his eighth homerun of the season in the first inning to get the scoring started for the Marlins.  Giancarlo Stanton would hit the next two off Young, a two run shot in the first inning and another two run shot in the fifth inning. 

Young lasted only 4 1/3 innings in the game, unable to build off his strong performance in San Francisco last week.  He finished the game with totals of seven hits, seven runs, three walks and four strikeouts. 

The Marlins did not stay quite for long, as they put up another four spot in the eighth inning and a two spot in the ninth.  Lefty Garrett Olson was making his Mets debut and fit in perfectly with the bullpen giving up four earned runs in 1/3 inning. 

Closer Frank Francisco came in for the ninth inning to get some work in and continued the woeful pitching surrendering a two-run homerun to Greg Dobbs.

The Mets were able to only muster five hits off the Marlins pitching staff.  They were not without opportunities to score though, as the Marlins walked six Mets, giving them opportunities to make things happen; the Mets just were unable to take advantage.

One positive for the Mets was that Ruben Tejada continued his hitting streak with a single in the third inning, putting the streak at 13 games.  Reyes also continued his streak for the Marlins, getting his up to 26 games.  The 26 game hitting streak for Reyes is a career high for him and a high in the majors this season. 

Next up is the finale of the three game series in a Thursday matinee at 12:10 P.M. ET.  R.A. Dickey (14-3, 2.82 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets as they try to salvage the last game of the series against the Marlins’ Josh Johnson (7-7 3.85 ERA). 

Hot Start Propels Mets to Victory

Thursday, August 2^nd 2012

Final Score: New York Mets: 9 San Francisco Giants: 1

Hot Start Propels Mets to Victory

A quick start propelled the Mets to a win tonight and their first series win of the second half of the season after defeating the Giants 9-1 this afternoon.  The Mets had struggled, going 0-5-1 in their last six series before defeating the Giants this week.  The last series win for the Mets was July 5^th when they beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the rubber game of that series. 

The Mets offense got off to a blistering start, resulting in a four-run first inning.   Jason Bay and Ronny Cedeno both had two-RBI hits; Bay a single and Cedeno a double. 

David Wright kept the pressure on, adding another run for the Mets in the second inning with an RBI single, giving the Mets a 5-0 lead.

Cedeno would add another RBI single in the 5^th inning and a two-RBI double in the 7^th inning to give him five RBI’s for the afternoon.  The five RBI’s tied a career high for Cedeno, who cleaned house against southpaws in the series, knocking in seven RBI’s in two games. 

Cedeno’s other five RBI game in his career came April 22, 2008 against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.  Cedeno launched a grand slam in that game off Jorge Sosa. 

Daniel Murphy also had a strong performance at the plate, going 2 for 3 with an RBI and two runs scored. 

The Mets stacked Chris Young with a big lead and he delivered with his best performance of the season.  Young shut down the Giants offense, giving up only one run in seven innings.  The seven inning pitched matched a season high for Young, who only surrendered four hits and struck out for Giants.  It was a nice bounce back performance for Young, who struggled in his last start in Arizona, giving up six runs in four innings.  This was Young’s first win since June 28^th.

Next up for the Mets is a series with the San Diego Padres that will get underway Friday night at Petco Park at 10:05 P.M. ET.  R.A. Dickey (14-2, 2.83 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets against Clayton Richard (7-11, 4.14 ERA).  The Mets are expected to get some help in the form of Frank Francisco, who is supposed to return from the DL. 

Johan Santana Lands on 15-Day DL

Johan Santana Lands on 15-day DL

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Mets starting pitcher Johan Santana was placed on the 15-day DL this morning with a sprained right ankle.

Santana suffered the injury July 6^th against the Chicago Cubs when he awkwardly fell while trying to cover first base on a groundball to first baseman Justin Turner.

People around the Mets believe that the ankle injury has messed up Santana’s delivery, as he has had to rely on his surgically repaired left arm more during his windup.  This in turn has caused fatigue in the arm, so in addition to healing up the ankle Santana needs rest to build back up arm strength in the arm.

“Ever since the ankle injury, basically he’s lost his command,” said Mets manager Terry Collins.  “We don’t think he can land properly … he is using all arm to pitch with, causing some fatigue in his shoulder, (but) no pain.  There’s just nothing there.  So we’re gonna disable him and get him some rest.  Let the ankle heal and rebuild the arm strength back a little bit.”

Replacing Santana will be a tough task for Collins and GM Sandy Alderson to decide upon.  With Dillon Gee already on the DL, the Mets were scrambling for starting pitching help.  Miguel Batista was making the start for Gee Saturday afternoon and Jeremy Hefner has been called up to replace Santana on the roster.  Hefner is tentatively scheduled to start in place of Santana Wednesday in Washington.  The addition to Santana to the DL will also add fuel to the fire of prospect Matt Harvey being called up to make his major league debut.

Since throwing the first no-hitter in Mets franchise history, Johan Santana has struggled mightily. 

He has given up five or more earned runs in three straight starts and has compiled an ERA of 6.54 in eight starts since the 134 pitch no hitter.  Those eight starts include surrendering 11 homeruns in only 42 2/3 innings.  

Mets Suffer Sweep at Hands of Braves

Sunday July 15, 2012

Final Score: New York Mets: 1 Atlanta Braves: 6

Mets Suffer Sweep at Hands of Braves to Start Second Half

The Mets start to an important stretch to start the second half of the season after the All-Star break did not get off to an aspiring start, as the Mets were swept in Atlanta against the rival Braves. The sweep was capped off with a 6-1 loss this afternoon.

Johan Santana was pitching well into the 5^th inning, when he suffered a meltdown aided by the umpires.  After an RBI single by Michael Bourn knocked in the first run of the game, pitching coach Dan Warthen was ejected for arguing the strike zone with umpire C.B. Buckner when he came out for a mound visit.  The Braves would go on to score five more runs in the inning off Santana, including a three-run homerun by Freddie Freeman.  Santana was also chirping at Buckner throughout the inning, as he was not pleased with the strike zone being called.

Santana’s final line for the game was five innings pitched, eight hits, two walks, six earned runs and three strikeouts.

This was the second consecutive start in which Santana surrendered six plus earned runs, as he allowed seven runs and 13 hits in his last start against the Chicago Cubs.  This is the first time he has allowed that many runs in back-to-back starts since April of 2000, which were the third and fourth appearances of his major league career.

Santana has struggled since throwing his no-hitter on June 1^st, as he is 3-4 with a 5.67 ERA in seven starts.

The Mets offense was unable to get anything going outside of a 7^th inning RBI single by Andres Torres.  They were shut down by Braves starter Ben Sheets, who was making his first start in the majors in two seasons.

Sheets finished the game throwing six shutout innings, surrendering only two hits and one walk while striking out five. 

With the loss the Mets dropped to 6 ½ games behind the first place Nationals with their record falling to 46-43.  The Braves are second in the division with a record of 49-39.

Next up for the Mets is another important series against the Washington Nationals starting Tuesday after an off day Monday.  Jon Niese (7-4, 3.73 ERA) will take the mound against lefty Ross Detwiler (4-3, 3.43 ERA).  The Mets could possibly be welcoming Jason Bay back to the lineup Tuesday, as he had a productive afternoon at triple-A Buffalo Sunday afternoon.

Mets End First Half on Down Note, Blasted By Cubs

Mets Blasted by Cubs, End First Half on Down Note

Final Score: Chicago Cubs: 7 New York Mets: 0

The Mets were not able to build off their strong performance Saturday afternoon, falling behind early and never recovered en route to a 7-0 shutout at the hands of the Chicago Cubs.  The Mets lost the season series to the Cubs 4-2.

Even with a disappointing end to the first half, it should still be pointed out that the Mets did have a strong half overall, going into the All-Star break with a 46-40 record.

This afternoon’s game though is one to forget.  Jon Niese gave up four runs in the first inning and the Mets were never able to build any momentum to get back into the game.  Niese would give up a three-run homerun in the 7^th inning to Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro, adding to the insult.  Niese’s final line was seven innings pitched, nine hits, seven earned runs, no walks and three strikeouts.

For the Cubs, Ryan Dempster returned from the disabled list and shut down the Mets.  Dempster threw five shutout innings and four Cubs relievers combined to complete the shut out. 

The Mets managed eight hits, but only one was of the extra-base variety.  They also struggled with runners in scoring position today, going 0-8 and leaving six runners on base. 

Sandy Alderson was in the booth for an inning and a half today, but did not say much in the way of planned roster moves for the Mets.  He was not explicit in the way of trades and would not mention by name which relievers were being looked at as call-ups after the All-Star break.

Next up for most of the Mets is a little break with the All-Star festivities starting Monday.  David Wright, R.A. Dickey and manager Terry Collins will be on their way to Kansas City to take part.  The next game for the Mets will be Friday, July 13^th as Johan Santana (6-5 3.24 ERA) will take the mound against the Atlanta Braves and Tim Hudson (7-4 3.65 ERA).  The Mets will finish the first half five games, at worst, behind the Washington Nationals depending on the outcome of their game. 

Mets Bounce Back Against Cubs Behind Gee

Final Score: Chicago Cubs: 1 New York Mets: 3

The Mets were able to build off of their momentum in the 9^th inning last night and translate that effort into a hard fought 3-1 victory this afternoon over the Cubs.

Dillon Gee pitched outstanding for the Mets this afternoon, tying his career high outing going eight innings.  The last time Gee went eight innings was against the Pittsburgh Pirates June 10th, 2011.

Gee took a scoreless outing into the sixth inning, where he surrendered his only run on a single by David DeJesus.  Gee’s stat line for the game was eight innings pitched, seven hits, no walks and four strikeouts.  Gee will get a lengthy rest, as he is not scheduled to start again until either July 15^th or July 17^th because of the All-Star game.

Gee’s effort did not go to waste as he was backed up by long balls from the Mets offense.

Jordany Valdespin knocked a homerun into right centerfield, almost the exact same spot as his homerun in Friday night’s game.   Valdespin has shown some power with the Mets this season, as he now has four homeruns in only 67 at bats and producing 14 RBI’s.  Since being called backup, his approach at the plate has also looked much better, as he is now earning more playing time and at-bats.

The other runs for the Mets were courtesy of a two-run homerun off the bat of Ike Davis.  It was Davis’s 12^th homerun of the season, tying him with Lucas Duda and Scott Hairston for the team lead. 

Every Met in the lineup today was able to get a hit except catcher Josh Thole and Gee.  

The Mets also made some history today, starting an all homegrown lineup for the 4^th time in franchise history and the second time this season.  The first two occurrences were in a September series in 1971 against Pittsburgh, and the one this season came with the same starting lineup, just with Jon Niese pitching on April 26^th. 

Next up for the Mets is the last game before the All-Star break against the Cubs.  Jon Niese (7-3 3.35 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets as they look to end the first half on a strong note against Cubs starting pitcher Ryan Dempster (3-3 2.11 ERA) who is making his return off the disabled list.  With a win tomorrow afternoon, the Mets can get a season-high eight games over .500.

Mets Comeback Falls Short, Lose to Cubs 7/6

Final Score: Chicago Cubs: 8 New York Mets: 7

The Mets mounted a valiant comeback tonight at Citi Field, but in the end were not able to finish it, falling to the lowly Cubs 8-7.

Starting pitcher Johan Santana had a rough outing, giving up seven earned runs on a career high tying 13 hits in only 4 2/3 innings.  He was able to strike out six Cubs without walking a batter.  Santana may have also suffered an ankle injury in the 5^th inning when he was unable to corral a toss from first baseman Justin Turner and was stepped on by Reed Johnson.

Three of the 13 hits that Santana surrendered were homeruns, giving up one to Cubs right fielder Reed Johnson to lead off the game then homeruns to Anthony Rizzo and Jeff Baker in the 5^th before being taken out of the game.  In Santana’s previous three starts he had allowed only two earned runs in 20 innings.

Reed Johnson and Anthony Rizzo each had four hits for the Cubs, leading the offensive push for the team. 

The bullpen again was able to pitch well for the Mets, giving up only one run in four innings.  They were able to keep the game within reach for the offense to mount almost mount an improbable comeback.

In the 9^th inning, the Mets were able to get things going against Cubs closer Carlos Marmol.  After striking out Kirk Nieuwenhuis to start the inning, Marmol surrendered a homerun to pinch hitter Jordany Valdespin.  He then would walk the next three batters in Ruben Tejada, Daniel Murphy and David Wright to load the bases.  Ike Davis pinch hit for Scott Hairston and was able to deliver a two-RBI single.  Lucas Duda was up next and ripped a hard line drive up the middle but it was snagged by Marmol who doubled Davis off first base, ending the Mets comeback.

Duda was able to get the Mets scoring started earlier in the game, blasting his 12^th homerun of the season in the 2^nd inning off Cubs starter Travis Wood. 

Justin Turner also hit the ball well for the Mets tonight, getting a career high tying four hits in the game, knocking in an RBI with a single in the 8^th inning. 

The Mets record this season against left-handed pitchers drops to 12-20 after Wells was able to get the quality start tonight.

The Mets and Cubs will get back at it tomorrow afternoon at 4:15 P.M. ET.  Dillon Gee (5-7 4.34 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Mets against former Notre Dame wide receiver and Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija (6-7 4.77 ERA).

Mets Win Series Against Phillies in Dramatic Fashion

Final Score: Philadelphia Phillies: 5 New York Mets: 6

In very dramatic fashion, the Mets were able to knock off the Phillies tonight 6-5 thanks to a David Wright walk off.  This was a win that even Yankee fans could smile at, as Jonathan Papelbon imploded in the 9^th inning blowing his second save of the season and suffering his third loss.

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 David Wright had a big night for the Mets, finishing it off with a walk off single in the 9^th inning.  Wright finished the night 3-5, including a two run homerun in the 5^th inning off Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels.  Wright had his first RBI on a single in the 3^rd inning and his fourth on the walk off.

Daniel Murphy continues to swing a hot bat, going 2-5 and knocking in the game tying RBI in the 9^th inning.

Ruben Tejada also continued his hot hitting at the plate, going 1-4 and scoring a run.

Scott Hairston also continues to slaughter left handed pitching.  Hairston knocked out his 12^th homerun of the year and ninth against a lefty.  It was his fifth career homerun against Cole Hamels.

R.A. Dickey did not have his best performance on the mound tonight, but the Mets offense was able to bail him out and take him off the hook.  Dickey finished the night tossing seven innings, giving up a career high tying 11 hits in the process and five earned runs.  He also struck out seven Phillies compared to one walk.  

Another bright spot for the Mets tonight was their bullpen.  After imploding Wednesday afternoon, they were able to hold the Phillies scoreless in the 8^th and 9^th innings. 

Next up for the Amazin’s is a series against the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field.  The first game of the series Friday night will pit the Mets Johan Santana (6-4 2.76) against the Cubs Travis Wood (3-3 3.05 ERA). 

New York Mets vs. Chicago Cubs Post Game Recap 6-27

Final Score: New York Mets: 17 Chicago Cubs: 1

Looking to avoid getting swept in Chicago for the first time since 2004, the Mets finally woke up delivering a 17-1 beat down of the Cubs in the series finale.

The Mets offense was clicking for what seems the first time in forever, delivering 17 runs and plenty of season highs as a team and personal bests for players.

Daniel Murphy ended his homer-less streak at 273 at-bats this season with a grand total of 352 at-bats dating back to last season.  Murphy enjoyed it so much the first time, he launched another homerun in his very next at-bat, giving him his first career multi-homerun game.

Scott Hairston added a homerun of his own, his 10^th of the season, launching a grand slam in the 6^th inning.  Hairston ended the game 2-5 with four RBI’s.

Ike Davis also hit a homerun for the Mets, also his 10^th of the season.  Davis finished the game 3-5 with four RBI and three runs.  The 3-5 effort put forth by Davis today got his batting average at .201, the first time he is over the Mendoza line this season.  After such a slow start to the season, Davis is finally starting to turn it around.  Davis delivering at the plate will only make the Mets that much more dangerous.

David Wright was the other Met to knock in runs in this afternoon’s game.  Wright went 2-3, knocking in five RBI’s and scoring two runs.  Wright gave the Mets four players with 4+ RBI’s, tying an MLB record.

Not to get lost in the shuffle is the performance of starting pitcher Jon Niese.  Niese got a ton of run support and was able to shut down the Cubs in response.  Niese gave up one run scattering eight hits and one walk across seven innings while striking out six players. 

Next up for the Mets is a trip out west to visit the Los Angeles Dodgers for a four game series.  Chris Young (1-1 3.42 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets in the opener against ex-Met Chris Capuano (9-2 2.60 ERA) at 10:10 P.M. ET on Thursday. 

New York Mets vs. Chicago Cubs Post Game Recap 6-26

Final Score: New York Mets: 3 Chicago Cubs: 5

Another lackluster performance for the Mets leads to another loss to the lowly Chicago Cubs.  The Mets had a few mental mistakes that led to costly errors and sloppy play.

Dillon Gee’s career high streak of seven straight quality starts was snapped as he labored through five innings giving up four earned runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out six. 

The tiebreaking hit was given up by Gee in the 4^th inning off the bat of top prospect and recently called up Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo.  Rizzo ripped a double to centerfield, knocking in his first RBI as a Cub. He would end the night 2-4.

The Cubs were able to add another run in the 8^th inning off a Reuben Tejada throwing error.  That error occurred because of a missed call by first base umpire Manny Gonzalez, who called Cubs catcher Steve Clevenger safe even after Ike Davis tagged him before reaching base.  Davis was subsequently thrown out of the game for placing his glove on Gonzalez.

In addition to Gee losing his consecutive quality starts streak, David Wright’s hitting streak ended at 15.  Wright ended the game 0-3, but was able to produce an RBI with a sac fly in the 4^th inning and drew a walk to lead off the 9^th. 

The Mets once again were able to do damage with two outs.  With an MLB leading 161 two-out runs entering the game, the Mets added to that total in the 2^nd inning thanks to four straight hits including RBI singles by catcher Josh Thole and Gee. 

The Mets were unable to keep up the offense, as they ended the game on an 0-13 streak with runners on base, one of the many problems the Mets encountered tonight.  After knocking out Cubs starting pitcher Randy Wells after three innings, the Mets were unable to capitalize off the Cubs bullpen, as they combined to pitch six shutout innings, allowing only four base runners total; two hits and two walks.

The Mets look to avoid getting swept at Wrigley Field for the first time since 2004 in a Wednesday matinee.  Jon Niese (5-3 3.75 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets and will be opposed by Cubs starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija (5-6, 4.34 ERA). 

New York Mets vs. Chicago Cubs Post Game Recap 6-25

Final Score: New York Mets:1 Chicago Cubs: 6

Mets manager Terry Collins let his players know how he felt about their play recently, calling it admirable because the Mets just ended a streak of eight straight series against teams with win.  What Collins feared most, a letdown by his team, may be starting to materialize after a very lackluster performance against the Chicago Cubs, owners of the worst record in the MLB.

The Mets were able to only muster six hits against the Cubs with shortstop Ronny Cedeno and Mike Nickeas each getting two apiece.  It took the Mets until the 9^th inning to even score their run as it came on Ike Davis’s 9^th homerun of the season. 

The Mets were also very sloppy in the field, committing three errors, all of which came in a disastrous 7^th inning when the wheels really fell off for the Mets.   

Johan Santana pitched admirably for the Mets, by once again was let down by a lack of offense.  Santana pitched six innings, giving up two earned runs on five hits and three walks while striking out six.

The big blow for the Cubs came in the 4^th inning when Joe Mather launched a 2-run homerun off Santana after he issued a two out walk to Cubs catcher Geovany Soto.

The Mets bullpen had a comeback and debut tonight.  The comeback was made by Ramon Ramirez, who was returning off the DL from a strained right hamstring, had a rough outing allowing both of his inherited runners to score in the 7^th inning.  The debut was made by Justin Hampson, who was called up from Triple-A Buffalo to be paired with Tim Byrdak as lefties in the Mets bullpen.  Hampson surrendered a two out triple to Reed Johnson, was able to get out of the inning unscathed, also recording a strikeout.

Travis Wood pitched seven innings of shutout ball for the Cubs, giving up five hits and only walking one batter while adding six strikeouts.

Up next for the Mets is the middle game of their series against the Cubs.  Dillon Gee (5-5 4.27 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets while right-hander Randy Wells (1-2 4.91 ERA) will take the mound for the Cubs.