Mets Take Series Opener Behind Davis and Dickey

Friday, August 31^st 2012

Final Score: New York Mets: 3 Miami Marlins: 0

Ike Davis and R.A. Dickey Power Mets to Victory

The good play of the Mets continued Friday night in their series opener against the Miami Marlins, as they took the opener 3-0.  Not much offense was provided by the Mets in the game tonight, but it was not needed as R.A. Dickey dominated the Marlins for his third shutout of the season.

The great performance by Dickey tonight gives him 17 on the season, tying him for the major league lead with Cincinnati Reds’ Johnny Cueto and Washington Nationals’ Gio Gonzalez, who also got his 17^th win tonight.

Dickey threw a complete game shutout tonight, giving him five complete games on the season; that is the most complete games in a season for a Mets pitcher since Dwight Gooden in 1993. 

                                                                                                                       

Dickey was helped out by a move made pre-game by manager Terry Collins, as he inserted Florida native Andres Torres into the starting lineup in centerfield for the game.  Collins cited the spacious outfield at Marlins Park for the move, and it paid off as Torres made a good play with a runner on first and no outs in the eighth inning as the Mets were trying to preserve the shutout and win for Dickey.

On the night, Dickey gave up five hits and three walks to go along with seven strikeouts.  Dickey improved his season totals to a 17-4 record with a 2.63 ERA.

Ike Davis provided all of the offensive fire power at the plate tonight for the Mets, accounting for all three of the RBI’s.  Davis got the Mets on the board in the 4^th inning, hitting a sacrifice fly that scored Ruben Tejada.  Tejada deserves as much credit as Davis for getting the run across the plate, as his aggressive and smart base running put him in position to score on something other than a base hit.

Davis would add the finishing touches in the 7^th inning, launching his 18^th road homerun of the season and 25^th overall on the season.  Davis planted the homerun in the upper-deck in right field.  His 18 road homers are the most in the National League and the 25 are just adding to his career high. 

Jose Reyes went hitless in the game tonight, something that Met fans will undoubtedly take pleasure in as there are still some hostile feelings towards Reyes after he left this past off-season. 

For all of the futility the Mets have faced recently, they have actually been pretty successful on the road.  They have accrued a 73-70 record on the road under Collins, something that should be built off of.  If the Mets can continue to play at or above .500 on the road and excel at home, success should follow soon after.

Next up for the Mets and Marlins is a Saturday night game at 7:10 P.M. ET.  Jeremy Hefner (2-5, 4.65 ERA) will take the mound against Josh Johnson (7-11, 4.00 ERA).

Ike Davis Blasts Mets to Win

Sunday, August 26^th 2012

Final Score: Houston Astros: 1 New York Mets: 2

Ike Davis Blasts Mets to Walk-Off Win

It was not a successful home stand by any means for the Mets, but they were able to end it on a high note winning 2-1 Sunday afternoon.  The win makes it two in a row for the Mets, who won only their second series since the All-Star break. 

Ike Davis supplied all the offense for the Mets today, launching two solo homeruns in the course of the game.  In the fourth inning, Davis hit is first homer to right field to give the Mets a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the ninth, Davis hit a walk off with another shot to right field.  Davis now has 24 homeruns and 70 RBI’s on the season, which offsets his woeful .223 batting average, .293 on-base percentage and .447 slugging percentage.  Davis may be underwhelming with the batting average and on-base percentage this season, but has more than respectable power given where he plays home games.  He will be a key part of the Mets future as they will need people to mash the ball and Davis is a good fielder.

Starting pitcher Jeremy Hefner should not be overlooked.  He had a strong performance, coming within three outs of a complete game shut out.  He was hurt by a dropped ball in leftfield by Lucas Duda, but nonetheless had a good performance. 

Hefner dominated the Astros through eight innings, giving up only three hits and striking out seven over that span.  During that same stretch, the Astros were only able to get one runner even into scoring position. 

Hefner’s final line was 8+ innings, five hits, one earned run, one walk and seven strikeouts. 

As mentioned, Duda made his return to the major league club and played a big role in his first game back.  He gave up a run unable to make a catch in the 9^th inning, but did not let that get to him as he saved the Mets later in the inning by throwing out Marwin Gonzalez at the plate and preserving the 1-1 tie. 

At the plate, Duda went 0 for 2 with a walk, making his first appearance in the majors since being sent down July 24^th. 

After being demoted earlier in the day, Jordany Valdespin may never actually make it to Buffalo.  He was sent down to get some work at his natural position of second base, but there is now a need at second with Daniel Murphy suffering an injury.

Murphy left the game in the top of the ninth inning after being visited by a trainer during his at-bat in the bottom of the eighth.  Murphy was able to finish his at-bat, but was replaced in the field by Ronny Cedeno. 

The Mets will be back on the road for a nine-game road trip starting Tuesday night in Philadelphia against the Phillies.  Chris Young (3-7, 4.33 ERA) will be opposed by Vance Worley (6-9, 4.06 ERA).  The Phillies enter the series two games ahead of the Mets for third place in the NL East.  

Mets Drop Rubber Game, Series Against Nationals

Sunday, August 20^th 2012

Final Score: New York Mets: 2 Washington Nationals: 5

Mets Drop Rubber Game to Nationals

The start of the game today was delayed two hours and 26 minutes because of rain, and the Mets wish the game had been postponed all together.  The Nationals dropped the Mets in the rubber game of the series, as the Mets could already be contemplating that the new six-man rotation may not be the way to go after suffering a 5-2 loss this afternoon.  The Mets have won only once in their last 11 series and went 2-4 on this latest road trip against two division leaders in Cincinnati and Washington.

No one likes such a lengthy delay to start a game, but it cannot be used as an excuse as professional athletes have to be prepared to take on anything thrown at them.  This afternoon, Jeremy Hefner did not come out on top of his game and the Nationals capitalized. 

Hefner was hurt by the long ball, surrendering homeruns to Bryce Harper and Danny Espinosa in his five innings of work.  In total, Hefner surrendered eight hits and five earned runs, as it was a rough afternoon for the Mets starter.

Harper would also add an RBI triple in the game, just adding to his impressive numbers for the series.  Harper ended the series 4 for 7 against the Mets, including a triple and two homeruns, four RBI’s and a walk.

Gio Gonzalez blanked the Mets into the sixth inning, earning his N.L. high tying 16^th win of the season.  It was not an easy win for Gonzalez, who got out of two base runner jams in both the first and third innings.  A leadoff triple by Ronny Cedeno in the fourth inning also went for naught.  

The Mets struggled today with runners in scoring position, going 1 for 11 and stranding 10 runners on base.

Daniel Murphy was ejected in the eighth inning tonight by home plate umpire Jordan Baker after being called out on strikes and flipping his bat.  He is the fourth Met to be ejected this season, after Frank Francisco, D.J Carrasco and Ike Davis. 

Next up for the Mets is a soft stretch in the schedule.  After facing two division leaders on the road this week, the Mets will get to face bottom dwellers for the next week at Citi Field.  The first team coming in is the NL West bottom dwelling Colorado Rockies.  R.A. Dickey (15-4, 2.89 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets in the first game of the series against Alex White (2-6, 5.74 ERA) at 7:10 P.M. ET Monday night.

Also, sometime Monday Terry Collins is planning to meet with Sandy Alderson to discuss Johan Santana’s future.  Right now, Santana is still scheduled to start Thursday’s matinee against the Rockies.  

Strong Niese Outing Powers Mets to Win

Saturday, August 18^th 2012

Final Score: New York Mets: 2 Washington Nationals: 0

Strong Niese Outing Powers Mets

The Mets offense was not able to generate much scoring tonight, but it gave them enough to get the 2-0 victory over the Nationals behind a strong pitching performance from Jon Niese.  Even the bullpen pitched well for the Mets, giving up no runs in their relief of Niese.  With the win, the Mets were able to avoid dropping to a season low eight games under .500.

Niese threw possibly his best game of the season, going 7 1/3 shutout innings.  He allowed only five hits while striking out seven Nationals.  Niese was removed before he could finish the 8^th inning at 109 pitches, 13 shy of his career high, after getting Bryce Harper to fly out.

The pulling of Niese comes slightly as a surprise as the Mets are moving to a six-man rotation starting Sunday, meaning Niese will have an extra day of rest before pitching Friday night against the Astros.

Niese now has a career high streak of 13 1/3 consecutive innings without giving up a run.

Jon Rauch relieved Niese and was able to record the final two outs of the 8^th inning without incident.  Since June 28^th in 21 appearances, Rauch has given up only one earned run in his 15 innings of work.

Another positive for the Mets tonight was the performance of Frank Francisco.  Francisco was able to notch his 20^th save of the season tonight after being pulled from the ninth inning twice earlier in the week. 

Edwin Jackson had a strong game for the Nationals, going seven innings and giving up only two hits and one walk while striking out 11.  The only blemish for Jackson was a homerun given up to Ike Davis in the 7^th inning, which proved to be all the runs the Mets would need.  It was Davis’ 22^nd homerun of the season.

Next up for the Mets is the implanting of their six-man rotation Sunday, starting with Jeremy Hefner (2-4, 4.76 ERA) taking the mound in the finale against Gio Gonzalez (15-6, 3.29 ERA).

Johan Santana Rocked in Return From DL

Saturday August 11^th, 2012

Final Score: Atlanta Braves: 9 New York Mets: 3

Santana Rocked in Return from DL

Johan Santana wishes he could be back making rehab starts in the minor leagues after getting hammered by the Braves Saturday night, resulting in a 9-3 Mets defeat.  The Mets dropped six games under .500 for the first time all season, giving them the worst record they have had all season and falling further and further behind in the playoff races.

Santana’s return off the DL did not go as planned for the Mets.  He matched the shortest start of his career, lasting only 1 1/3 innings and giving up eight earned runs.  This was the second time this season that Santana was pulled after 1 1/3 innings against the Braves; the first occurrence was April 17^th at Turner Field.

Santana’s final stat line for the night was 1 1/3 innings pitched, eight hits, eight runs, one walks and two strikeouts. 

Santana joined Al Leiter in 1999 and Pedro Astacio in 2002 as the only Mets pitchers in franchise history to surrender six plus runs in four straight starts.  In those four starts, Santana has allowed 27 earned runs on 36 hits and six walks in only 14 innings.

Since throwing the first no-hitter in Mets history, Santana has been off his game.  Fatigue in his shoulder after throwing a career high 134 pitches could be the culprit, but no matter what the reason Santana has not been producing.  He has pitched to a 7.98 ERA with a .328 opponents batting average. 

Jeremy Hefner was strong in his relief of Santana after allowing Freddie Freeman to launch a homerun to center field past the apple.  Hefner went 3 2/3 innings after, scattering three hits.  It was a much needed performance for Hefner who was spared a demotion only because Garrett Olson was designated for assignment.

Manny Acosta, Jon Rauch and Frank Francisco combined to finish the last four innings of the game, giving up only one hit and striking out six Braves.

Kris Medlen had a strong performance for the Braves, limiting the Mets to only one run and five hits in 6 1/3 innings. 

Ruben Tejada lost his hitting streak Friday night against the Braves, but got right back in the hit column with two more Saturday night.  Andres Torres had another nice night at the plate, going 2 for 4 with an RBI.  David Wright added an RBI of his own in the 8^th inning as well.

The series between the Mets and Braves will end Sunday on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.  Jon Niese (8-6, 3.82 ERA) will take the mound against Ben Sheets (4-1, 1.41 ERA). 

Hefner Performs Well in Spot Start for Mets

Saturday, August 4^th, 2012

Final Score: New York Mets: 6 San Diego Padres: 2

Hefner Performs Well in Spot Start

The Mets offense was able to wake up some Saturday night, scoring six runs in defeating the Padres 6-2.  The Mets move one game closer to .500 with the win tonight and sit with a record of 53-55 after tonight’s victory.  A strong performance from spot starter Jeremy Hefner not only earned him a spot on the major league roster for the time being but a much needed victory for the Mets.

Hefner threw a strong game for the Mets against his old team in the Padres.  He allowed the first batter to get on, but erased him with a double play on the next at-bat.  Hefner ultimately would allow only one run in six innings, surrendering only five hits and no walks to go along with two strikeouts.  One thing that stood out in Hefner’s start was that it took him only 74 pitches to get through the six innings. 

With Johan Santana expected to return from the DL next weekend, Hefner will be moved back to the bullpen according to manager Terry Collins.  Hefner’s performance tonight saved him from a demotion and showed how valuable he could be for the Mets organization. 

The Mets did a lot of their damage tonight in the 2^nd inning, scoring four of their six runs in the inning thanks to an erratic performance from Edinson Volquez.  Volquez managed to get through only 1 2/3 innings, giving up two hits and four walks, resulting in four earned runs while also striking out three.

Two of Volquez’s four walks on the night forced in runs in the 2^nd inning, which was highlighted by a two-RBI double by Jordany Valdespin.  Valdespin had been struggling on the road trip before the at-bat, going only 3 for 23.

Daniel Murphy had another strong performance tonight, going 4 for 4 at the plate for the Mets, also adding a walk.

Mike Baxter had a record tying night at the plate for the Mets as well without recording an at-bat.  Baxter walked five times tonight, which is the first time a player has accomplished that feat since 2006 when Ryan Howard did it for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Josh Edgin, the only lefty currently in the bullpen with Tim Byrdak landing on the DL with an injury to his shoulder, tossed a shutout 7^th inning despite an error from Ruben Tejada.  Edgin then tossed a second shutout inning, even after manager Terry Collins said he would be conscious of not over-using Egdin in Brydak’s absence.

Bobby Parnell came into the game in the 9^th inning and imploded giving up a leadoff homerun to Chase Headley followed by a double by Yonder Alonso.  He was relieved by Frank Francisco, who was making his first appearance since coming off the DL.  Francisco was able to close out the game without allowing another base runner, stranding Alonso on base.

The Mets will head into the finale in San Diego looking to win their second series in a row.  They have already clinched a winning road trip, which is a positive sign after such an awful start to the second half.  Matt Harvey (1-1, 1.59 ERA) will make his third career start against Jason Marquis (4-6, 4.08 ERA).

Mets Beat Giants in Extras

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Mets vs Giants Post Game Recap 7/30

The Mets were able to pick up the first game of the series in San Fran beating the Giants in extra innings by a score of 8-7.

Starter Jeremy Hefner had a tough night on mound for the Mets while picking up the no decision. Hefner went 5.2 innings allowing ten hits, three walks, four runs, and had five strikeouts.

Bobby Parnell was unable to close the game for the Mets despite the blown save going to Josh Edgin who later got his first win of the season. Parnell was only able to get one out while allowing two hits, one run, and then was pulled by Terry Collins.

Manny Acosta would pick up the save in extra innings for his 1^st of the season, but made it very interesting allowing one hit, two walks, and one run.

Offensively for the Mets it was the Scott Hairston show, as Hairston went 2 for 5 with the game tying two-run homerun in the 8^th inning, and then the go ahead solo homerun in the 10^th giving him 14 now for the season.

Ike Davis had another rough night at the plate going 0 for 4 with four strikeouts getting himself a golden sombrero.

Justin Turner was able to rekindle some of last years clutch magic with a pinch hit double in the 8^th inning scoring Jason Bay.

Mets will look to make it three straight wins as Matt Harvey will be making his second start in the majors against Tim Lincecum (4-11, 5.88).

Mets Split Series with Dbacks

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Mets vs. Diamondbacks Post Game Recap 7/29

The New York Mets were able to split the four game series with the Diamondbacks winning on Sunday by a score of 5-1, as it is the Mets third win in the last 17 games.

R.A Dickey who has had a tough month of July finished it strong picking up his 14th win of the season. Dickey went 7 innings allowing four hits, three walks, one run, and had eight strikeouts.

The 8th and 9th innings that are, usually a heart attack waiting to happen for Mets fans went rather smoothly, as Jon Rauch pitched a 1-2-3 8th inning, and Bobby Parnell only allowed one walk in the ninth to close the door in a non-save situation.

David Wright was able to lead the Mets offense going 1 for 3 hitting his 31st double of the season, scoring two runs, knocking in a RBI, walking twice, and stealing his 11th base of the season.

Scott Hairston also had a good game like Wright, as Hairston went 2 for 5 hitting his 17th double of the season, and had two RBIs.

After probably his best game of the year going 4-4 with three homeruns Ike Davis went 0 for 5 with three strikeouts on Sunday.

Jason Bay continued to be absolutely awful going 0 for 3 seeing his batting average drop to less than .160, and is now hitless in his last 22 at-bats.

The Mets will be heading to San Francisco to start another four game series, as Jeremy Hefner (1-4, 5.40) will face Madison Bumgarner (11-6, 3.10).

Mets Lose 6th Straight

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Mets vs Nationals Post Game Recap 7/25

The New York Mets were unable to beat on the majors best pitchers in Stephen Strasburg losing to the Nationals by a score of 5-2 making it a 6 game losing streak now.

The Mets got a good start from Jeremy Hefner but unfortunately he was out dueled by Strasburg and picked up his 4^th loss of the season. Hefner went a solid six innings allowing six hits, two walks, three runs only two of which were earned, and had a career high seven strikeouts.

Tim Byrdak had a tough afternoon allowing a monster two-run homerun to Adam LaRoche scoring Bryce Harper in the 7^th inning, and put the dagger into the Mets making it a 4 run game late.

Stephen Strasburg was fantastic in picking up his 11^th win of the season. Strasburg shut down the entire Mets offense only allowing one run on four hits, and had eleven strikeouts.

Ike Davis was the only Met to do much damage off Strasburg, as Davis was able to his 16^th homerun of the season in the 2^nd inning.

The Mets will be heading out west for a 11 game road trip, and will be sending top prospect Matt Harvey for his first career major league start against the Dbacks All-Star Wade Miley (11-5, 3.02).

Mets Lose, Dickey Suffers First Loss Since April

Tuesday July 24^th, 2012

Final Score: Washington Nationals: 5 New York Mets: 2

Dickey Suffers First Loss Since April

The rough second half continued for the Mets, as they fell again to the Washington Nationals 5-2 Tuesday night.  In a rematch from last week, in which the Mets won 9-5, All-Stars R.A. Dickey and Gio Gonzalez faced off; unfortunately they Mets were successful this time around.  The loss puts the Mets a season high three games under .500 and falling fast in the NL playoff races.  The Mets have lost five in a row, 11 of their last 12 and are 1-10 since the All-Star break.

Dickey wishes the calendar never switched from June to July, as this month has not been kind for the 37 year old knuckle-baller.  Since July has started, Dickey has surrendered 21 runs, 19 of which are earned, in 26 1/3 innings, which equals an ERA of 6.29.

Tonight Dickey pitched well for parts of the night but had a lousy final line suffering his second loss of the season and first since April.  His streak of 16 starts in a row without a loss ended, leaving him two shy of the Mets franchise record. 

Dickey cruised through the first three innings before hitting a bump in the road in the fourth inning when he surrendered a two-out RBI double to Danny Espinosa.  He then pitched a 1-2-3 fifth inning and retired the first two batters of the sixth before imploding.

Dickey gave up five straight two-out hits before getting out of the inning.  The inning was highlighted by a two-run homerun by Adam LaRoche that ended up in the second deck in right field. 

Dickey finished the night with an underwhelming stat line, going six innings and allowing eight hits, five runs (four earned), one walk and seven strikeouts. 

Jordany Valdespin came off the bench and knocked out his seventh homerun of the season.  It is his fifth pinch-hit homerun this season, giving him the most in the majors and breaking the Mets franchise record for pinch hit homers in a season.

Even with the loss tonight, the Mets did end one streak.  They snapped their 42 inning streak of not leading, with a Ronny Cedeno RBI single in the 2^nd inning off Gio Gonzalez.  It was the only blemish for Gonzalez on the night, as he pitched a stellar seven innings. 

The Mets were able to keep phenom Bryce Harper in check tonight, as he went 0 for 4 on the night including three strikeouts. He did walk in the ninth inning, but was thrown out attempting to steal second base. 

Next up for the Mets is an afternoon matinee.  Jeremy Hefner (1-3, 5.85 ERA) will attempt to end the Mets losing streak against flame throwing All-Star Stephen Strasburg (10-4, 2.85 ERA).  

Mets Struggles Continue, Drop 8th of Last 9 Games

Saturday July 21^st, 2012

Final Score: Los Angeles Dodgers: 8 New York Mets: 5

Mets Struggles Continue, Drop 8^th of 9 Games

The Mets struggles continued Saturday afternoon as they were beaten again by the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-5. The loss drops the Mets to .500 for the first time since their record stood at 13-13.  This was the eighth loss for the Mets out of nine games since the All-Star break, putting even more distance between them and the last wild card playoff spot.  This will also be the fourth straight series loss for the Mets. 

The starting pitching along with the bullpen was once again a problem for the Mets.  Miguel Batista was taken out of the game before he took his first turn at-bat, as he most ineffective in three innings against the Dodgers.  Batista labored through the three innings, needing 81 pitches. 

Batista needed 33 pitches to get through the first inning alone, walking three Dodgers and giving up one earned run.  He actually threw a 1-2-3 second inning, but was unable to get through the third inning with as much ease.

Batista needed 34 pitches to get through the third inning, which was highlighted by a two-out two-RBI double by Juan Uribe.  Batista was pulled in the bottom of the inning for pinch hitter Jordany Valdespin, who was able to get a bunt hit and come around on a Scott Hairston bloop single.

Batista finished the game with a line of three innings, five hits, four earned runs, three walks and two strikeouts.  Earlier in the week Batista called the Mets “the best team in baseball,” a team he may not be a part of for much longer.

 Jeremy Hefner relieved Batista and was not much more effective after arriving from Triple-A Buffalo.  Hefner gave up two earned runs in his two innings of work, and is tentatively scheduled to start Wednesday for Johan Santana who was placed on the 15-day DL prior to the game.

Highly touted prospect Matt Harvey is a long shot option to start Wednesday for the Mets, as he starts for Buffalo tonight.  GM Sandy Alderson says that Harvey is a viable option for the Mets rotation soon though.

Chris Capuano threw a strong game against his former team, striking out nine in seven innings, giving up three earned runs on eight hits.

For the Mets offense, Ronny Cedeno hit his second homerun of the season, landing in the second deck in the sixth inning.  He finished the game 2 for 3, adding a double in addition to the homerun.

Scott Hairston was also able to get two hits in the game.

In addition to Valdespin’s pinch hit single, the Mets got more production from their bench as Daniel Murphy knocked a pinch hit triple into right center in the 8^th inning.

The Mets had a surprise player come out of the bullpen today in All-Star R.A. Dickey.  It was his first relief outing of the season. He retired the first two batters of the inning quickly, but surrendered a two-out single to James Loney followed by a deep homerun to leftfield by Uribe.  Uribe entered the game 1 for his last 38 at the plate, but was able to knock in four RBI’s this afternoon en route to a 2 for 3 performance in which he also walked twice and scored three runs. 

With another series loss already guaranteed, the Mets will look to just salvage a win out of the series and avoid dropping under .500 Sunday afternoon.  Jon Niese (7-4, 3.58 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets and be opposed by Dodgers starter Nathan Eovaldi (1-6, 4.33 ERA).

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.