Game #156: Reds 3, Mets 2 (10)

One of the Mets' prime targets this offseason was the one who extended their misery this current season.

Shin-Soo Choo's walk-off single propelled the Reds over the top, as they finally shook the Mets 3-2.

The Bad Stuff:

• After David Aardsma got out of a similar situation in the bottom of the 9th, Greg Burke allowed two one-out singles in the bottom of the 10th. He was relieved in favor of Sean Henn, who promptly served up a walk-off single to upcoming free agent Shin-Soo Choo.
• Choo also stole two bases to give him 20 on the season. In other news, Cincy speedster Billy Hamilton, who has appeared in 93 percent fewer major-league games this season than Choo, stole his 13th base of the season.
• New York managed just six hits off Johnny Cueto and company, managing only five at-bats with RISP and stranding five men on base.

The Good Stuff:

• Aaron Harang actually earned a quality start tonight, allowing two runs despite walking a whopping six batters and giving up five more hits in six innings. Three of those walks were issued to Joey Votto, who pulled a Mike Baxter by walking five times in the game.
• Lucas Duda drove in both Met runs, the first on a sac fly in the 3rd and the next on a solo home run in the 6th.
• Eric Young went 2-5, stole a base, and was caught another time. The stolen base was EY Jr.'s 41st of the year and 33rd as a Met. Should the Reds make the playoffs (and I don't count losing the play-in game as "making it"), Billy Hamilton will probably surpass that number by, say, Game 4 of the NLCS.

Final Analysis:
Cincinnati is good. I mean, really good. How are they not in first place?

Back to our story...oh yeah, I guess that's about it.

Except Lucas Duda needs to hit more home runs with men on base. I don't know what spooks him about it, but he needs to make it work if he's going to find work with the Mets in 2014.

MM

P.S. While I was writing this blog post, Billy Hamilton just stole three more bases.

Game #146: Mets 4, Marlins 3

Welcome back, Big Dude.

(NYDailyNews.com)

Lucas Duda blasted a three-run homer in the 6th to back Jonathon Niese's strong outing as the Mets snapped their losing streak with a 4-3 over the Marlins.

The Good Stuff:

• Down 2-1 in with two on and two out in the bottom of the 6th, nobody would blame fans who took their snack breaks early with Lucas Duda coming up. The man has not been, to put it lightly, reliable with runners on base. Tonight? Not so much. Big Dude smashed a three-run homer, his first multi-run jack since the second game of the season, to give New York a lead they needed.
• Jonathon Niese took the W after a quality start, allowing three runs on six hits in 6.1 innings, walking none and striking out seven on 103 pitches. Two of his runs against came on solo home runs from Giancarlo Stanton - no shame in that.
• After a legion of Scott Atchison, Vic Black, and Pedro Feliciano managed the next 1.2 innings unscathed, LaTroy Hawkins nailed down Miami with a 1-2-3 9th to earn save #9 on the year in Met victory #65.

The Bad Stuff:

• Duda's home run was the fifth and final hit of the night for the Mets, who couldn't get much going against the Fish pitchers.

Final Analysis:
Oh, what could have been. Lucas Duda was supposed to be doing this kind of thing all season, and while he came through this time, fans can't help but think to themselves, "Could've used you in the summer." Duda has 16 more games to make a name for himself before the end of the season and the true consideration of the first base question, but if he keeps doing stuff like that, he's got a good chance of supplanting Ike Davis as the man of the future. Or at least becoming marketable to an AL team that needs a DH.

MM

Game #138: Mets 5, Braves 2

Looking for some momentum on an actual getaway day, New York turned to its old reliable and was rewarded mightily.

Home runs by Andrew Brown and Lucas Duda(!) backed Dillon Gee's steady-as-she-goes outing as the Mets salvaged the final game from the Braves 5-2.

The Good Stuff:

• Dillon Gee turned in a Solid Seven with a run and five hits against, walking one and striking out five on 102 pitches.
• Andrew Brown gave Gee an early lead with a towering two-run homer in the 1st inning.
• Lucas Duda homered in the 3rd, one of his three hits on the day to make it his best game since returning to the lineup.
• Daniel Murphy and Justin Turner had two hits and a run each.

The Bad Stuff:

• Vic Black didn't impress in his New York debut, surrendering a solo home run to Freddie Freeman in the bottom of the 8th to give Atlanta some semblance of life.

Final Analysis:
It has gotten to the point where the Mets don't have to worry about whether Gee will give them a quality start or not. At this point, they can be all but assured he will give them a chance to win the ballgame.

New York has the day off before they travel from one Native American-themed mascot to the other as they hit Cleveland to take on the Indians.

MM

Game #60: Mets 5, Cardinals 1

What is this feeling that's put us in our place? A rush of hot blood straight to an up-slanted face? ...Oh, that's a win. Forgot how that felt.

(NYDailyNews.com)

David Wright and company gave the Home Run Apple a workout to back Dillon Gee's strong start as the Mets halted their losing streak with a 5-1 win(!) over the Cardinals.

The Good Stuff:

• Just like last night, New York got on the board early with 1st-inning RBIs from Daniel Murphy and Lucas Duda. Unlike last night, they got more runs later on. Many more runs, by current standards.
• The first came in the bottom of the 4th when Lucas Duda sent one into the Mo-Zone for his 11th home run of the season (still only 22 RBIs).
• In the 6th, David Wright gave Citi Field fans a preview of next month's Home Run Derby with a long solo shot to straight center field.
• Then in the 7th, Marlon Byrd kept pace with both the previous team home run leaders with a solo homer to left.
• Suffice it to say, Dillon Gee was pretty lucky to get such a cushion. Turns out he didn't need it: Gee went 6.2 innings, allowing just a solo homer to Allen Craig and five other hits, along with two walks; he also struck out seven on 107 pitches.
• Scott Rice, Brandon Lyon, and Bobby Parnell combined for 2.1 perfect innings of relief to vault the Amazin's to just their second win in nine games since the Yankee sweep.

The Bad Stuff:

• While the 3-6 hitters (Wright, Murphy, Duda, Byrd) combined to go 6-14, the 1-2/7-9 hitters combined for 0-16. Omar Quintanilla "led" the pack with a Golden Sombrero (four strikeouts).

Final Analysis:
Good feeling, won't you stay with me just a little longer?

It probably won't last. So enjoy this one, Mets fans. We won this one. The glory of baseball is that there's always another chance to win.

MM

Game #27: Mets 7, Braves 5 (10)

In a week defined by blown leads, it was nice to see our boys do the blowing up tonight.

David Wright blasted a mammoth home run off Craig Kimbrel in the 9th and Ruben Tejada brought home Jordany Valdespin in the 10th inning to give the Mets a dramatic comeback win over the Braves, 7-5.

The Good Stuff:

(NYDailyNews.com)

• New York got quick runs in the 1st when John Buck launched his 10th home run of the young season, a two-run shot off Mike Minor. In the next inning, Lucas Duda hammered his own homer to make it 3-0 visitors.
• Down 4-3 in the 8th, Marlon Byrd took the second pitch of the inning from Eric O'Flaherty and put it in the right field stands to tie the game. After Atlanta re-took the lead in the bottom of the 8th, David Wright came up against the "unhittable" Craig Kimbrel. They must have meant Kimbrel was unhittable the same way the Titanic was unsinkable: Wright got contact on a 97 mph fastball and deposited it ten rows back in right center, tying the game on the Mets' fourth longball of the night.
• After Bobby Parnell got out of a jam in the bottom of the 9th, Terry Collins took over in the top of the 10th.
• After two quick outs, Jordany Valdespin was sent up to pinch-hit and drew a rare walk, the first base-on-balls issued by the Braves all night.
• Up to the plate next came not a pinch-hitter but Bobby Parnell, who stayed out of the way on the first strike from Jordan Walden as Valdespin swiped second base. Parnell was then brought back in favor of a pinch-hitter, Mike Baxter.
• Baxter got himself hit in the foot to put two runners on for Ruben Tejada, who in his trademark fashion came back with two strikes to line a base hit over the shortstop's head to score a head-first-sliding Valdespin and give the Mets a 6-5 lead.
• Daniel Murphy's base knock added one more insurance run to provide the final margin.
• Jeurys Familia was then brought on and easily converted his first major-league save with a 1-2-3 inning, finishing off Dan Uggla with a wicked slider.
• The Mets hit well in the clutch for what seems like the first time in a month, going 3-6 with RISP and stranding only two men (the last two in the 10th).

The Bad Stuff:

• Shaun Marcum was not great in his second start, surrendering three runs and needing 87 pitches just to get 13 outs.
• Scott Atchison and Brandon Lyon let Atlanta re-take the lead in the 7th and 8th innings respectively.
• Ike Davis pinch-hit for Justin Turner in the 9th and feebly struck out on three pitches from Kimbrel.

Final Analysis:
A sudden power surge, cracking the Braves' bullpen, and some key managing by TC. What a way to win a ballgame! After a tough week of games, Mets fans were treated to one of the team's finest performances in its first visit to Turner Field without having to worry about Chipper Jones. No doubt he would have given Atlanta another lead in the 9th inning, but their loss is our gain.

Keith Hernandez was quick to point out Terry Collins's smart managing in the 10th inning, noting that Parnell was sent up in a situation where Valdespin was stealing flat-out; if he swiped the bag, Parnell would be relieved in favor of someone whose last clutch at-bat had come more recently than high school, and if he was caught, de facto bullpen ace Parnell would still be able to take the mound for the bottom of the frame. Smart moves from a guy whose instincts had been questioned even by me. Tonight those instincts led to a big W. If that is the result of me being proven wrong (at least for one night), by all means let me be wrong again.

MM

Game #15: Mets 7, Nationals 1

The mantra of tonight's ballgame was "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better." It was a running theme in both the inter- and intra-squad contests.

Ike Davis and Lucas Duda each went yard twice to help Matt Harvey and the Mets beat Stephen Strasburg and the Nationals, 7-1.

The Good Stuff:

(NYDailyNews.com)

• In the first edition of a matchup that will define the next decade in the National League East, Matt Harvey outdueled Stephen Strasburg to become the first four-game winner in the majors. Harvey gave up a single run on 4 hits in 7 innings, walking 3 and striking out 7 on 105 pitches. After getting into trouble in his final frame (walk, single, single + run, error to lead the bases), the Harv buckled down to strike out Kurt Suzuki, get Roger Bernadina to pop up behind the plate, and forced a groundout by Denard Span to end the threat and earn a hearty handshake from the manager.
• On a night when there were fireworks on the mound, there were just as many at the plate for the team from New York. Ike Davis took Strasburg's first pitch of the 6th inning and deposited it in the left center stands to end a home slump and make it 3-0 home team. Two batters later, Lucas Duda had what Ike was having and blasted a solo home run to dead center. The knockout punch to Harvey-Strasburg I resulted in a resounding chorus of "HARVEY'S BETTER!" from the Citi Field crowd.
• After David Wright led off the 8th with a triple against Washington's Drew Storen, Davis continued his mojo and shot a rocket off the Pepsi Porch in right field. Two batters later,
• Scott Rice and Bobby Parnell each delivered 1-2-3 innings in relief, with Rice sitting down Bryce Harper and company in the 8th and Parnell nailing it down in the 9th for the bounceback win.

The Bad Stuff:

• Harvey and John Buck were having a bit of miscommunication in about the middle of his start, but it got worked out just fine.

Final Analysis:
With Dwight Gooden in the house, Matt Harvey was a Doctor on the mound. Harvey electrified the Flushing faithful in a way not seen since No-Han. But unlike Johan Santana's triumphant night, many, many repeat performances are expected in this case. The future is now for the Mets' budding ace, and this time the world is taking notice.

In other news, Davis and Duda showed more than just signs of life at the plate, giving fans a glimpse of what could become the next Bash Brothers duo (minus the 'roids, of course). If the D&D Boys can keep swinging like that, New York should regularly compete even with a weakened bullpen.

To make a long story short: great game. That is all.

MM

Game #9: Phillies 7, Mets 3

The power was surging, but the lines were bringing it directly to the wrong place.

Three solo home runs between John Buck and Lucas Duda failed to make up for Jeremy Hefner's rough outing as the Mets dropped the series to the Phillies, 7-3.

The Bad Stuff:

(NYDailyNews.com)

• The last time Jeremy Hefner faced Philadelphia, he failed to get a single out. This time he didn't fare much better, letting the first six guys get on base (Ben Revere was caught stealing second) and allowing five earned runs before getting an out himself. Like Dillon Gee the night before him, Hef was gone after the 3rd inning.
• The New York offense couldn't do nearly enough against Kyle Kendrick, whose only damage came on two solo home runs spread over six innings. The 2-4 guys in the order (Daniel Murphy, David Wright, Ike Davis) combined to go 0-11 with a walk and four strikeouts.
• Lance Nix victimized New York's LaTroy Hawkins in the 6th inning with a two-run homer, his first of the season.

The Good Stuff:

• John Buck's hot start has gone on for so long I've run out of hyperbole for it. Buck launched another home run, a solo bomb of Kendrick in the 2nd inning, to give him five for the season and equaling last year's power numbers of every other Mets catcher combined. It also gave New York its longest home run streak to start the season in franchise history: never before have the Mets hit home runs in each of their first nine games.
• Lucas Duda braved the wind and the deficit by launching two home runs of his own, the first one going so high and so far that it left not only Citizens Bank Park but also both Veterans Stadium and Shibe Park. Imagine their surprise...
• The Mets managed to outhit the Phillies 11-10, with Jordany Valdespin, Mike Baxter, and Ruben Tejada each picking up multi-hit games.

Final Analysis:
Think a three-man rotation would work? Jeremy Hefner is not a starter; he belongs in the bullpen as the long man, as he was kept on the team to do. Unfortunately for him the injuries to Shaun Marcum and Johan Santana have forced him and Aaron Laffey into this position, and they, as well as we, will have to put up with it until Marcum comes back and Zack Wheeler gets his promotion. Until then, the mantra Mets fans will be singing goes like this: "Harvey and Niese and Gee, wouldn't rain be cheque?"

Tough to lose the series to the Phillies but the Mets are still 5-4 and are going to the last-place caliber Minnesota Twins for the weekend. That is, if they don't get snowed in.

MM

Game #2: Mets 8, Padres 4

The awkward off day did nothing to deter New York's early-season power serge. If anything, it helped to kickstart the power behind three of its most important youngsters.

Matt Harvey picked up right where he left off in 2012 with a sensational start, and monumental home runs from Lucas Duda and Ike Davis provided the spark for the Mets, who held off the Padres late to win 8-4.

The Good Stuff:

(NYDailyNews.com)

• In the last start of his rookie season, Matt Harvey tossed a brilliant one-hitter against the Phillies. In the first start of his sophomore season, he was even better, turning in 7 one-hit shutout innings with just two walks and a whopping 10 strikeouts on 94 pitches.
• Unlike Harvey's 2012 finale, the New York offense got him a steady supply of run support throughout the game.
• Lucas Duda opened the scoring with a two-run rocket shot in the 2nd inning that reached the Pepsi Porch in a hurry.
• Duda managed another extra-base hit, a double, in the 4th inning, coming home three pitches later when John Buck took Clayton Richard to the opposite field for his first home run in a Met uniform, which made it 4-0.
• In the bottom of the 5th, David Wright chopped a hard groundball into the left field corner, scoring Daniel Murphy from first to make it 5-0. The Captain went to third base on the throw, meaning it would only take slumping Ike Davis a flyball to score.
• Well, ol' Ike hit a flyball all right. One that kept flying, and flying, and flying...all the way to the Shea Bridge. The Home Run Apple did its thing for the third time, and after an RBI single by Buck to score Marlon Byrd later in the inning, the Mets had a resounding 8-0 lead.

The Bad Stuff:

• Just like in Harvey's last start, however, the New York bullpen threatened to derail the whole shebang. Greg Burke let the shutout get away in the 8th inning and San Diego got three runs in the 9th off 40-year-old LaTroy Hawkins (albeit only one was earned)
• Hawkins's two unearned runs came as consequence of Ruben Tejada's second error in two days. He made up for it with a nice play to end the game.

Final Analysis:
What else is there to say about Matt Harvey? We're watching an ace develop right before our eyes. With Johan Santana out of the picture and the title of Team Ace up for grabs, Harvey could have it secured by the end of the summer. Lucas Duda has such potential at the plate; it was extraordinarily encouraging to see Big Dude get not just one but two extra-base hits. His Pepsi Porch home run would've been the talk of the town if not for Ike Davis's Shea Bridge moon shot in the 5th. Ike struggled mightily on Opening Day, so it was nice to see him get off the schneid.

The first two games of 2013 have gone about as well as they could have for the Mets: the starters have been locked in, the bullpen hasn't fallen apart yet, and the offense has been on a tear with 19 runs in two games. New York can do a lot for its early-season momentum by finishing off the Padres tomorrow afternoon.

MM