Game #79: Mets 5, Diamondbacks 4 (13)

Now that was what I call a come-from-behind victory.

(NYTimes.com)

The Mets overcame two late deficits as Andrew Brown's two-out, two-strike, two-run single won the game over the D-Backs in the 13th inning.

The Good Stuff:

• The rally started in the 7th inning when the Mets, down 3-0, got one run on a David Wright single to score Eric Young.
• With one out in the bottom of the 8th, Omar Quintanilla tripled on a ball Gerardo Parra just couldn't get to. After Parra left the game for "precautionary reasons" (no further explanation given), Jordany Valdespin popped up harmlessly in foul ground. That brought up Young, who returned the favor from the 7th by doubling home Mr. Q to make it 3-2.
• With one out on the bottom of the 9th, Marlon Byrd just missed winning it with a home run, but instead settled for a double and the tying run, coming in on Josh Satin's clutch single three pitches later. Tie ballgame, extra innings.
• After three deadlocked frames, the 13th started on a bleak note when Cody Ross took David Aardsma deep to put Arizona back up 4-3. But Satin would conjure up another miracle in the bottom of the inning, lacing a one-out double after working a six-pitch at-bat with Josh Collmenter. After John Buck was intentionally walked, Matt Harvey laid down a perfect pinch-hit sac bunt to put the winning run in scoring position. After Quintanilla was intentionally walked, young Andrew Brown came up with the game in his hands. After fouling off two straight cutters, Brown got a good rip on Collmenter's fastball, launching a rocket into left center that would have cleared the bases. But the Mets only needed two runs, and as Buck crossed the plate to provide the final 5-4 margin, he joined his teammates in crowding the young hero of the night.
• And this is where it will get confusing on this blog: because of Justin Turner's DL stint, no one was able to give Brown the pie-in-the-face he deserved. Midwestern Met's Pieface Tracker is meant to keep track of walk-off hits, which are typically celebrated with piefaces. Therefore, as much as I despise the use of asterisks, Andrew Brown's walkoff for the night must be included in the list with distinction because of a lack of whipped cream for the occasion.
• And now back to our regularly scheduled recap.
• The best offensive performances of the night belong to the triumvirate of Marlon Byrd, Josh Satin, and Omar Quintanilla, who each had three hits over the 13 innings. Satin, in addition to two more doubles, walked once to get on base four times, while Mr. Q did him one better with two walks and five appearances on base.
• Despite a rough start to the game, Shaun Marcum still ended up with a quality start, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks over six innings. He did not let the D-Backs score after the 2nd.

The Bad Stuff:

• It was a thrilling win, but it shouldn't have been that way, as the Mets stranded 20 men on base, including at least a dozen in scoring position. In the first two innings alone they left the bases loaded and left runners on second and third, respectively.
• Jordany Valdespin's time in New York continues to run short, as he failed to come through in the clutch after so many successes. 'Spin is now hitting .197 on the year, far to little to justify "Jordany Being Jordany."

Final Analysis:
Now that's how you win a ballgame! They weren't quite as strong as they could have, but all three major factors eventually came together as the Mets pulled one out of the fire. The only thing that could have made it better was doing it off of Heath Bell. But there are three more games, of course...

Josh Satin waited a long time for his chance, and boy is he making the most of it: in 15 games and nine starts, he's hitting .395 with an OPS over 1.000, and at this pace he would hit 50 doubles in a full season. Ike Davis could be tearing it up in Las Vegas, but as far as I'm concerned, first base is Josh Satin's to lose now.

MM

Game #68: Braves 5, Mets 3

In a game closer than it should have been, New York barely missed out on stealing one from Atlanta.

Shaun Marcum gave up five runs in less than five innings and the Mets couldn't get enough offense going on their own, falling to the Braves 5-3.

The Bad Stuff:

• Shaun Marcum didn't help his case to stay in the rotation after Zack Wheeler's full integration, allowing five runs on six hits and four walks in 4.2 innings, striking out six on 96 pitches. Every Brave run came with two outs (Chris Johnson's three-run homer in the 4th, a wild pitch and B.J. Upton double in the 5th).
• The Mets managed one earned run and six hits off Kris Medlen in seven innings and failed to record a hit off Luis Avilan and Craig Kimbrel in the 8th and 9th. Overall, they had just three at-bats with RISP, collecting one hit and stranding two men on base.

The Good Stuff:

• After falling behind 3-0 in the 4th, New York fought back to tie the game in the 5th. Marlon Byrd led off with a single and Lucas Duda was hit by the pitch. John Buck then grounded to the pitcher, but Medlen tossed it away from third base and eventually both Byrd and Duda scored. Buck went to second and was immediately driven in by Kirk Nieuwenhuis (who should have had two hits if not for a spectacular catch by Jordan Schafer in right on a line drive in the 3rd).
• Carlos Torres tossed 2.1 scoreless innings in relief, keeping his ERA spotless in a couple appearances. David Aardsma and Scott Rice followed by combining for a scoreless 8th.

Final Analysis:
Shaun Marcum doesn't deserve the 0-9 record he's been dealt, but he certainly deserved the L tonight. After the six-man rotation plays out for the next few weeks, don't be surprised to see Marcum lose his job, especially with Dillon Gee and Jeremy Hefner each pitching so well.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis is finally making good, consistent contact with the ball after months of frustration. Definitely this is a good sign for a man who's had more hits in the past week than he had in the 18 major-league games before.

Tomorrow night the Mets finish up their long series in Atlanta looking to win the five-game series. Jonathon Niese will get the ball opposite Mike Minor; he will look to follow the great performances of Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, and Dillon Gee (he was great for most of Monday night!) with a signature outing of his own.

MM

Game #62: Cubs 6, Mets 3

Not even a Foreigner concert would have made it worth it tonight. (Although let's be honest, could they have done any better in their prime?)

Shaun Marcum was hit hard and guys not named David Wright and Daniel Murphy were unable to hit as the Mets dropped the series opener to the Cubs 6-3.

The Bad Stuff:

• Hard-luck Shaun Marcum has yet to win a game in 2013. The winlessness itself isn't anything he could control, but tonight at least he definitely deserved the L. Marcum surrendered six runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings, walking one and striking out four on 82 pitches en route to an 0-8 record.
• New York as a whole hit decently with RISP (3-10), but leaving eight men on base counterbalanced the clutch hitting. The unclutch moments of the night belong to Lucas Duda, Juan Lagares, Shaun Marcum, and Marlon Byrd, who each failed to produce with two runners on in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings.

The Good Stuff:

• David Wright continues to shine at the plate as he accomplished the rare feat of back-to-back three-hit, no run games. His 3-3 night at the plate brings his average back up to a very respectable .297.
• Daniel Murphy was moved back to the two-slot for the night and responded by going 2-5 with a run and two RBIs.
• Juan Lagares and Collin Cowgill (remember him?) each had extra-base hits: Lagares scored in the 3rd after a triple and Cowgill came in following a 7th-inning double.

Final Analysis:
As if it weren't obvious already, the five hits out of nine tonight should tell you that David Wright and Daniel Murphy carry this team offensively. Take them away and Mets fans would be lucky to see their nightly lineup scrape together one run, let alone three. It's a good thing starting pitching is being taken care of through the farm system (see you on Tuesday, Zack Wheeler, and hopefully you soon, Rafael Montero) because the answers to these Amazin' offensive woes are not going to come internally.

MM

Game #42: Reds 4, Mets 3

Byrd is the Word, but Bruce is the Boss.

Jay Bruce's solo home run reestablished the Reds' lead in the 6th, and the Mets couldn't fight back again, falling 4-3 in the series opener.

The Bad Stuff:

• The Redlegs got three runs in the top of the 1st off Shaun Marcum, as Brandon Phillips drove in two on a single and was driven in himself by Jay Bruce's double one batter later.
• Another low-light for Ike Davis came in that inning on what would become Joey Votto's "ground-rule double" - as Votto's base hit popped over the bag, a lackadaisical Ike got in the way of Votto's path, prompting an interference error charged to a man who only seems to make errors (at the plate, in the field, in his head). Not surprisingly, Davis went 0-3 with a couple more strikeouts.

(NYDailyNews.com)

• Marcum's next and final mistake came on the first pitch of the 6th inning as Bruce continued his own hot streak by blasting a changeup into the right field stands, providing the difference for the visitors.
• The Mets couldn't figure out the Cincy bullpen, and Cuban Missile Aroldis Chapman sat them down 1-2-3 in the 9th, striking out John Buck and Justin Turner and never seeing his fastball dip below 97 mph.
• Daniel Murphy went 0-4 in his second straight game batting leadoff.

The Good Stuff:

• After a rough 1st, Marcum was relatively solid, lasting six innings and allowing the four runs on six hits, walking no one after the first batter and striking out seven.
• Rick Ankiel singled to lead off the 3rd, then after a David Wright walk and Lucas Duda strikeout, Marlon Byrd socked a line drive over the former Great Wall of Flushing for a game-tying three-run homer.
• New York forced out Cincinnati ace Johnny Cueto after just five innings.

Final Analysis:
Overall, not a bad ballgame for the team on the losing end. One-run losses sting, but at least they are devoid of the disheartening thud that comes with a blowout. Shaun Marcum took another step forward tonight, while Ike Davis took two more steps back. The only thing that saved him from demotion last year was his fielding skills; now even those are failing him. I really hate to turn on the guy, but he's got to go.

Rick Ankiel has been surprisingly steady since his acquisition; sure, he strikes out a lot, but he's been better than most other outfielders at the plate, and his defense is stellar. Doesn't that seem to be the theme with Mets center fielders? Flashy glove, holes in the bat (see Matt den Dekker, Juan Lagares). At this point I wouldn't care if we got a guy with clay for hands, just as long as he exposed the clay hands of half the outfield fans every other day. I'm all about small ball and doubles, but is it too much to ask for just one quality power bat?

MM

Game #37: Cardinals 4, Mets 2

To paraphrase an elderly Michael Corleone, "Just when we thought we were out, they pull us back in."

(NYDailyNews.com)

Rick Ankiel's home run tied it in the 7th but a Scott Rice wild pitch led to the go-ahead run in the next half inning as the Cardinals knocked off the Mets again, 4-2.

The Bad Stuff:

• Tied 2-2 in the 7th, Shaun Marcum got through the first two St. Louis batters with ease. The next few, however, not so much. Daniel Descalso walked and Pete Kozma singled him over to third. Scott Rice was brought on in relief, but his first pitch was a wild one that allowd Descalso to score. Whoops.
• LaTroy Hawkins allowed one more run during a flawed 8th inning in relief.
• On rare occasions when New York had RISP they did not capitalize, hitting 0-4 in those situations and stranding five men on base.

The Good Stuff:

• In spite of the loss, Marcum turned in his best start of the season, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits in 6.2 innings, walking one and striking out three on 96 pitches. He also helped his own cause at the plate with two hits.
• In his second start in center field, Rick Ankiel produced the Mets' runs with a two-run opposite-field home run in the 7th inning that tied the game at 2-2.
• Daniel Murphy went just 1-4, but his one hit was his 11th double on the season.

Final Analysis:
On a better day, the Mets might have won this one. Starting pitching was strong for the first time in what seems like forever (excluding Matt Harvey's starts, of course). Unfortunately, the two other elements failed to show up, as hitting and relief pitching played into the hands of the Redbirds. Marcum and Ankiel were the stars of the day; for New York to get back on track, both of them will have to be at the top of their respective games.

The Mets begin a stretch of four straight day games tomorrow afternoon as they wrap of the series beneath the Arch; they will travel to Wrigley Field for the weekend set with the Cubs.

MM