Official 2013 New York Mets Thread

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Didn't see the game, but from what I heard on the WFAN this morning, though Harvey wasn't at his best, the defense around him wasn't very good either.

 

Harvey has a 2.77 ERA in his last 7 starts, but he's been a little more up-and-down than before:

 

0 ER:  3 starts

3+ ER:  4 starts

 

Overall, his numbers for that stretch:  48.2 IP, 40 H, 15 ER, 7 BB, 49 K

 

Not like he's been bad in the slightest in his last seven (just less consistent), and it'd be nice if the guy didn't have to be perfect to get a W next to his name.  The fact that I'm even bringing up these seven starts (which have obviously seen their share of Harvey at his best) shows how ridiculously high Harvey has already set the bar.  He'll never say anything bad about his teammates, but it must be wearing on him on some level.

 

Not going to kill Ike for not getting it done as a PH last night (that AB I did see), but at the same time, until he shows he can start coming through in spots like that, fans are going to remain skeptical about him no matter how high his OB% is.  The guy is still a .206 hitter, after hitting .227 last season, and he's slugging .316 for the season this year.  He's clearly made strides (though I could've said the same thing last season), but he's not where he needs to be yet, if he wants to be an everyday first baseman. 

 

Flores could be headed to the DL with an ankle problem...yep, God still hates the Mets.  Mets' AAA third baseman is Zack Lutz, who's now 27 and probably won't help much (he's been up for brief cups of coffee)...I'm thinking it will be Turner and Satin if Flores can't play.  Get the feeling the Mets' infield D is going to be hard to watch as the season closes.

 

Hoping d'Arnaud is up here SOON!

Edited August 14, 2013 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

EY's BA as a Met is now down to .251, OB% down to .329.  Maybe he has one more good streak in him, but I think the leadoff position is going to be a problem for the rest of the year. 

 

Murph's inability to get on base will become even more apparent, with EY coming back to Earth.  Murph has now drawn just 1 BB in his last 14 GP (none in his last 12).  He has OB+SLG of .469 for the month of August.  Yet somehow the guy has played in EVERY game this season.  Christ Terry, is Murph just so awesome that he should be an automatic to play every single game? 

['7']

Yea the Mets are becoming increasingly unwatatchable. First Wright goes down, then Parnell, then Flores who was doing a terrific job...now Mrs Buck is in her 14th year of pregnancy seemingly and will likely give birth to a full blown teenager, so who knows when we'll see D'arnaud

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Yea the Mets are becoming increasingly unwatatchable. First Wright goes down, then Parnell, then Flores who was doing a terrific job...now Mrs Buck is in her 14th year of pregnancy seemingly and will likely give birth to a full blown teenager, so who knows when we'll see D'arnaud

 

Good one '7'...that was funny.

 

That shouldn't even be entering into the Mets' mindset right now...like I've said, what the hell do the Mets owe John Buck?  Get d'Arnaud as many bats as possible.  It's time.

 

Re:  being "unwatchable"...if the Mets win tonight, they're 3-3 on the trip, with a reasonable shot to go 6-5 or 5-6.  I don't think we could've asked for any more than that. 

 

Problem is it could get really ugly when the Mets come home...two against the Braves and three against Detroit.  At least the Mets get an off-day in between those series...they're going to need it.  They're going to be gassed...it'll be good to have a catcher that will be relatively fresh in d'Arnaud. 

 

The Mets have a good shot to win 75 games for sure, maybe a little more if all goes right, but that exceeds expectations...I had them at 70, and most others had them in the low-70s.  It's kind of amazing...I think Sandy did a lousy job this season, and if not for Dickey having a career year at just the right time (and the Blue Jays playing fantasy baseball), and him getting some payoffs on low-risk scrap-heap much-luck-involved moves (like EY and Byrd), this could've been a brutal year for Sandy.  And Terry has been maddening at times too, but like I've said, his players play for him. 

Edited August 14, 2013 by Colorado Rockies 1976

['7']

God I hate Dodger stadium. What a house of horrors that place has become in recent years. Would've liked to see Feliciano in to face Ethier....but Terry really had nobody to close anyway. After Hawkins got dinged with the liner he shouldve been taken out. First two batters hit the ball hard.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

And in another shocker, Ike doesn't get a hit with anyone on base. 

 

Buck goes 0-for-4...I'm so glad the Mets feel like we need to see more of him at d'Arnaud's expense.  What the fvck are you waiting for Sandy?  Could you actually do SOMETHING this season in a timely fashion, just ONCE?!  You fvcked around with Ike for far too long, and the fact is, there is NO good reason for Buck to continue to get playing time.  We know what he is, and it's not going to change, and even more important, Buck is almost definitely not coming back next season.  Again, what is the point of him getting ABs instead of d'Arnaud?  God what I wouldn't give to have a GM with a friggin' pulse. 

 

Kind of a weird game for Gee...gave up 4 hits in that 4th inning without giving up a run, and gave up 7 hits and 2 runs over his last three innings after throwing three hitless innings to start the game (suffice it to say that the Dodgers appeared to figure him out), but overall it was a pretty good outing.  ERA now down to 3.79. 

 

Hope Byrd can start hitting dingers again...doesn't seem like anyone else on the Mets can do that right now. 

Edited August 15, 2013 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Ruben Tejada is starting to hit the ball again (he's 5-for-his-last 16 and has a modest four-game hitting streak), but even with that, he's hitting just .146 in his last 10 games, with just one walk...Terry said supposedly the Vegas heat has worn him down, and the fact that he hasn't been recalled has killed his confidence.  He has yet to hit a home run, in the PCL no less.  One of the guys I hope the Mets cut bait with this offseason. 

 

Hef goes to the DL with a partial tear of his MCL (elbow), retroactive to August 10.  Mets say he could come back before the end of the year, but I'm not sure what the point would be.  As Hef is not likely to be part of 2014 with this team, I'd rather see other guys take his potential appearances.

 

BTW deGrom's last start:  6.2 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K.  deGrom's a mixed bag...he gives up a lot of hits (54 in his last 40 IP, a period of seven starts), but his K-to-BB is pretty good (39-to-10 over the 7 starts) and he hasn't gotten killed by the longball (4 HR allowed in the same stretch).  While some might write off the high number of hits allowed to pitching in the PCL, he also got hit in Binghamton as well...69 hits allowed in 60 Binghamton innings.  AA had a collective BA of .295 against him, and AAA has a collective BA of .298.  I still want to see him get some major-league innings this season (he's 25 and not getting any younger), but kind of hard to believe that major league hitters are going to be fooled by the pitches that clearly aren't fooling AA and AAA bats.

Edited August 15, 2013 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Derek21]

Can Flores play short or second? Maybe the Mets should have him learn at the Arizona Fall League.

['7']

Terry starting the 6th with Wheeler at 99 pitches and living on the edge all night...I hate when he does this

['7']

And in another shocker, Ike doesn't get a hit with anyone on base. 

 

Buck goes 0-for-4...I'm so glad the Mets feel like we need to see more of him at d'Arnaud's expense.  What the fvck are you waiting for Sandy?  Could you actually do SOMETHING this season in a timely fashion, just ONCE?!  You fvcked around with Ike for far too long, and the fact is, there is NO good reason for Buck to continue to get playing time.  We know what he is, and it's not going to change, and even more important, Buck is almost definitely not coming back next season.  Again, what is the point of him getting ABs instead of d'Arnaud?  God what I wouldn't give to have a GM with a friggin' pulse. 

 

Kind of a weird game for Gee...gave up 4 hits in that 4th inning without giving up a run, and gave up 7 hits and 2 runs over his last three innings after throwing three hitless innings to start the game (suffice it to say that the Dodgers appeared to figure him out), but overall it was a pretty good outing.  ERA now down to 3.79. 

 

Hope Byrd can start hitting dingers again...doesn't seem like anyone else on the Mets can do that right now. 

At this point I feel as though Buck would actually be relieved to go spend some time with his wife during this bizarre pregnancy. D'Arnaud is just wasting time in AAA right now.

 

Dinger last night, couple more RBI's tonight (albeit on a misplay...the ball was still hit very well on a rope to right) so Byrd is back to producing runs.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Wow, EY has just gone into MIA since the ASB.  Now down to .180 in 100 ABs since then.  .255 OB% in that time frame.  Problem with these scrap-heap types is that they tend to remind you why they were scrap-heap types in due time.  I understand why Sandy did it...EY was practically free, and the Mets had nothing to lose in bringing him in...and for about a month, they got terrific play out of him.  But it's over.  What's scary about all of this is that, while I can definitely understand it if EY is pulled out of the everyday lineup soon, it wouldn't surprise me if the Mets decide to give Doofus one last look in LF.  And Sandy being the bonehead he is, I can see Doofus having a big month in September, then Sandy giving him yet ANOTHER chance in 2014 to be the Mets' everyday left fielder.  God I REALLY hope the Mets are done with Doofus.  If that means I have to watch EY do next to nothing from here on out, I'll take it...anything over Doofus getting a chance to play his way back onto the 2014 Mets.

 

'7', re: Buck, that's a good point, but the only thing that should be figuring into Passive's decision-making is what is good for the 2014 Mets.  TRAVIS D'ARNAUD IS THE FUTURE.  JOHN BUCK IS NOT.  TRAVIS D'ARNAUD IS CLEARLY READY TO GO.  I'm sorry, nothing against Buck, he exceeded expectations, especially from a production standpoint, but I swear it feels like Sandy likes trolling the Mets fanbase sometimes, and almost seems to being a dick for no other purpose than to be a dick.  He knows full well that the Met fans want to see what d'Arnaud can do.  If d'Arnaud was struggling at AAA, I could understand waiting.  But Sandy doesn't have one single good reason for keeping d'Arnaud down there that I can see.  And it's really chapping my ass. 

 

Suffice it to day that Rafael Montero has REALLY turned a corner for Vegas.  7 scoreless innings last night, four hits, NO walks (that's the Montero we know), and 8 Ks. 

His last three starts:  22 IP, 10 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 21 K, 3-0, 0.82 ERA.  He's now thrown 34 innings in his last five starts (6 or more each time), so it doesn't look like the Mets are keeping his innings down. 

 

5 QS in a row for Montero...the overall numbers:  34 IP, 21 H, 7 ER, 2 HR, 8 BB, 29 K, 4-1, 1.85 ERA   Vegas is now 68-56 and tied for first in their division.  

Syndergaard goes tonight for Binghamton...the B-Mets now have a 77-47 record. 

Edited August 16, 2013 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[nmigliore]

Can Flores play short or second? Maybe the Mets should have him learn at the Arizona Fall League.

 

He's mainly played 2B this season in AAA and he was a SS earlier in his career. He has no chance of playing SS though. He might be passable/Murphy-esque at 2B defensively, maybe. He's yet another "bat before position" player to come out of this system. 

Edited August 16, 2013 by nmigliore

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

He's mainly played 2B this season in AAA and he was a SS earlier in his career. He has no chance of playing SS though. He might be passable/Murphy-esque at 2B defensively, maybe. He's yet another "bat before position" player to come out of this system. 

 

What nmig said, re: Flores' defense, but the main thing is that Murph is also a very average hitter...when his lousy OB% is factored in (not really ideal for a second-place hitter...Murph should probably be batting seventh), he's even a little below average.  He probably won't ever be much better than he is right now either.  Flores could potentially be more than that, especially at the plate. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Wheeler now has walked one and struck out 16 in his last two starts (12.1 IP).  ERA is down to 3.43.  Young took a home run away last night...Zack does seem to get lots of luck in his starts.

 

Still, the body of work for a rookie who clearly is still raw is pretty good, even with all of the good fortune:  63 IP, 57 H, 27 R, 24 ER, 29 BB, 57 K, 3.43 ERA, 5-2.  Glad he's getting his feet wet and having some decent starts to boot, even if the pitch counts are too high (115 in 6 innings last night).  It's taken Zack 321 pitches to get through 17.1 IP in his last three starts...that has to change.

['7']

D'arnaud on the way finally!

 

Ike finally hits a HR

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Surprise, surprise...Mejia had to leave the game with arm discomfort.  The Mets KNOW that he has bone chips, and they KNOW he's going to need surgery, so why are they screwing around with this, at this point?  Mejia has pitched himself into competition for a job next season, so if he's now dealing with discomfort, instead of waiting to see how he's going to respond (especially since the chips aren't going anywhere), shut him down and get him fully healed for 2014.  Can't see the benefit in trying to send him out there again. 

 

Five more scoreless innings for Syndergaard at AA...with no walks and 10 K.  His last four starts are insane:  21 IP, 8 H, 1 ER (on a HR), 2 BB, 26 K.  Would love to see him move up, but Binghamton is in the playoffs (their regular season ends 9/2), so I'm guessing he stays with them for the rest of the season.  Great to see both Montero and Syndergaard red-hot.  I'm curious to know if Syndergaard has any chance at all to make the big team next season out of spring training, if he tears it up. 

 

Pretty good starts from Niese since coming back: 12.1 IP, 13 H, 2 BB, 14 K.  If he can stay healthy, he can contribute nicely, as long as the Mets don't expect him to be anything more than a #4-type.  Always nice to have a lefty in the rotation, even if he's pretty much just solidly average.

 

Harvey today and Gee tomorrow...Mets still have a shot at a winning trip...impressive considering they got swept in one of the series...I'm no big Collins fan, but he does have a way from keeping the train from derailing.  5-6 or 6-5, I'll happily take it...wouldn't have been so long ago that the Mets would come limping home 2-9 from a trip like that.

 

Now that d'Arnaud's up, really hope the Mets give him as many ABs as possible, no matter what the results.  Like I've said, no reason to see John Buck anymore...Sandy should see if anyone might want him (can't see someone claiming him off waivers to block him from going somewhere else, and if some actually did, Mets can say "Here you go, all yours"...they'd save themselves some money, even though they'd get nothing back). 

Edited August 18, 2013 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[nmigliore]

Yeah, fully agreed on Mejia. I've seen enough to where I'd comfortably pencil him in as a starter for next season. No reason to keep putting his arm through hell; just shut him down and let him have the procedure. 

 

Sandy hinted d'Arnaud will remain up when Buck returns, which makes plenty of sense. It would be ridiculous if they actually sent him down. The more interesting thing will be how the playing time is divided up. They aren't going to just completely phase Buck out, barring a trade, but there's really no reason d'Arnaud shouldn't be playing almost everyday for the final 1.5 months.

Edited August 18, 2013 by nmigliore

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

If the Mets want to give Buck a game or two a week, I can live with that. 

 

Harvey may be wearing down a little...he's got his Ks, but is also giving up a lot of hard-hit balls today.  Get the feeling he's getting yet another ND today. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Poor Matt Harvey.  fvcked out of a win yet again.

 

 

Good Lord...Flores not realizing all he had to do was tag third.  Imagine a Met coming through the system without knowing fundamentals...no, we've never seen that before.

Edited August 18, 2013 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[nmigliore]

Outside of the Yankees sweep, the Mets seem to be fantastic at taking the first two and choking the next two in 4-game series this year.

Edited August 18, 2013 by nmigliore

['7']

Outside of the Yankees sweep, the Mets seem to be fantastic at taking the first two and choking the next two in 4-game series this year.

 

They have, though their offense is down to zilch at this point. They also must lead baseball in walkoff losses (thought they do have their share of walkoff wins) bullpen is slowly crumbling as well.

 

Can't wait until Quintanilla is outta here. Idiot always plays too deep. So many infield singles against him.

Edited August 18, 2013 by '7'

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Game over.  Feliciano's kind of been a nice story, and if he stays on the team through the end of this season, fine, but he'd better not be on the team next year.

 

I give them a mulligan on yesterday...Mejia got hurt, probably screwed the mojo of that one up. 

 

EY has now been invisible for about a month.  The idea that this guy may be being thought of as the Mets' 2014 LF by Sandy & Co. terrifies me.

 

Mediocre Murph finally takes a seat...would've been nice if Terry could've pulled the trigger on that one a bit sooner than Game 122...guess he's enamored with Murph's average fielding skills, lack of power, and inability to draw walks.  Classic bad-team starter.

 

These two are having a God-awful August...EY has a .243 OB%, Murph is at .232.  Each has played every game except one each in August though.  Get the feeling Terry's going to keep running them out there.  We already know how bad the LF alternative will be (Doofus...hell no to him).  Not sure how much Flores will play at second. 

 

Re:  Can't-anilla...the fact that he's still the Mets everyday shortstop is a major indictment on Tejada.  Omar was never supposed to playing for the Mets for this long...he's not an everyday guy, and it's showing...I think the Mets know this, but they STILL don't want to give Tejada a shot.  This has been a complete disaster of a season for Tejada...he may have played himself out of the Mets' plans. 

Edited August 18, 2013 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

deGrom with one of his better starts for AAA yesterday:  6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K.  He's given up 5 ER in his last 19 IP, covering three starts.  With Mejia hurt, seems like the Mets should give him a start or two, to at least see what he's got.  He's a longshot to ever be a set-in-stone part of the rotation going forward (four spots going into next season are already spoken for in Harvey, Wheeler, Niese and Gee, barring a trade, and Montero and Syndergaard will be knocking on the door...Hef could still be around too...and Mejia is now part of the picture).  This is probably deGrom's best chance to show what he can do, before Montero and Syndergaard deservedly get their chances...it's as good a time as any to find out if deGrom can pitch in the majors...it's clearly crowded here, even though you can never have too much depth, but I'd like to see him get a couple of starts, and some relief appearances, see if he can become a possible swingman/long reliever type...as we've seen many years, inclduing this one, starting pitchers get hurt...in this season alone, Mets have lost Santana, Niese, Hefner, Marcum, and Mejia...and I'm guessing Niese and Mejia are always going to be injury-prone throughout their careers.  The Mets are going to need non-Laffey and non-Torres types (nothing against Torres, just think he should stay in the bullpen), and though some envision Hef as being the guy who can step in case someone gets hurt, I think we may have already seen his best.  It'd be nice to have a couple of bodies to throw out there that you know aren't going to be complete disasters and actually have a chance to keep you in games, when the inevitable injuries crop up.  The Mets might have such a guy in deGrom, but they'll never know if they give his potential starts to a guy like Torres. 

Edited August 19, 2013 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[nmigliore]

DeGrom might be shut down very soon considering he's +29 innings over last year. I agree it makes sense to bring him up, but it really depends on where the org is capping his innings at.

 

Rosenthal says d'Arnaud is here to stay and will get significant playing time down the stretch:

 

The Mets have decided Travis d'Arnaud's promotion won't be temporary, Rosenthaltweets. The Mets promoted d'Arnaud after starting catcher John Buck went on paternity leave. Now, Rosenthal writes, the Mets plan to keep d'Arnaud on their roster and give him "significant playing time."

Edited August 19, 2013 by nmigliore

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Too bad...these inning-limits can really gum up the works...like I said, this seems like the best time to give deGrom a look...his next start should really be with the big club, especially if he's due to get shut down, but I get the feeling that's not happening. 

 

That's great news about d'Arnaud...unless he looks flat-out overmatched, I think he's got to be out there for 5 out of every six or seven games.  The more ABs he gets, the better. 

 

That being said, I sincerely give thanks to John Buck.  Yes, he was invisible at the plate for long periods of time, which made it impossible to really depend on him to come through when needed, but he had his moments, and at least had some eye-friendly numbers in the power department.  He was here to bridge a gap, and he did it.  If he's willing to be a backup, he seems like a good guy to have around, and to help mentor d'Arnaud, but I'm guessing the Mets will look for someone younger and primarily defense-oriented. 

Edited August 19, 2013 by Colorado Rockies 1976