Game #71: Phillies 8, Mets 7

New York didn't have much time to celebrate their comeback. The quest to keep the game tied ended two pitches after it started.

The Mets mounted a furious six-run comeback but were thwarted in the bottom of the 9th by a Kevin Frandsen walk-off home run as the Phillies evened the series 8-7.

The Bad Stuff:

• Dillon Gee got taken off the hook for what should have been an L, as he allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits in five innings.
• Carlos Torres was the man who served up Frandsen's late-game heroics: it was a 1-0 fastball that Kevin sent into the left field stands of Citizens Bank Park.

The Good Stuff:

• After falling behind 7-1, the Mets did not shrivel up and die for the final three innings, scoring four runs in the top of the 7th and two in the 9th.
• Runs in the 7th came in on an Omar Quintanilla single, Eric Young two-run double, and Jordany Valdespin groundout.
• In the 9th, Valdespin once again got the best of Jonathan Papelbon with a solo home run that made it 7-5. David Wright then reached on an error and after Marlon Byrd's flyout, he came home all the way from first on Daniel Murphy's single.
• Before Torres, the New York bullpen did a solid job of keeping things close, as the only run that came in was an unearned tick on Greg Burke's watch. Josh Edgin, Scott Rice, and David Aardsma kept Philly from widening the gap in the 7th and 8th.

Final Analysis:
Folks who look at the final score will see a NYM loss, but fans of the team should be proud that the boys stuck in there. When a struggling team falls behind they tend to throw in the towel, but for today at least, the Mets had a little fight in them, losing in a fashion similar to the end of Rocky.

MM

Game #70: Mets 4, Phillies 3

For all the abuse the New York outfield has taken in 2013, tonight it was two of its unsung/new additions that put the team over the top.

(NYDailyNews.com)

Eric Young had a couple RBIs and Juan Lagares's run-scoring double in the 6th put the Mets up for good as they beat the Phillies 4-3 in the series opener.

The Good Stuff:

• Juan Lagares got the best of Cole Hamels, going 3-4 with two doubles against the former Philly ace. His two-out double in the 6th inning scored a hustling Lucas Duda to put the Mets up (for good) 4-3.
• New acquisition Eric Young went 2-4 with a run and a two-run single in the 5th inning that tied the game at 3-3.
• David Wright drove in the first New York run with an RBI single in the 4th.
• The runs backed up Jeremy Hefner, who earned his second W of the season (as many as Hamels) with a three-run, 10-hit, six-inning outing that resulted in yet another quality start. He walked just one and struck out six on 107 pitches, knocking down his ERA to 3.89.
• Scott Rice, Carlos Torres, and Bobby Parnell combined for three hitless innings in relief of Hef, and Parnell picked up his 12th save on a 1-2-3 9th in which he struck out Ryan Howard to "put it in the books."

The Bad Stuff:

• New York committed two errors, as Daniel Murphy made an errant play in the 2nd inning that resulted in one of the Phillies' three runs in the frame, and Anthony Recker's throwing error led to an extra baserunner in the 4th.

Final Analysis:
The Mets' best wins always seem to come in Philadelphia, and tonight's showing in front of 40,062 fans at Citizens Bank Park was no exception. The Amazin's had everything from quality starting pitching to clutch hitting to lockdown bullpen work in their corner tonight as they won their fifth game in seven.

Jonathon Niese's injury is certainly unfortunate, but it means Jeremy Hefner will get most likely a full season as a starting pitcher, which up to this point he has earned. His W-L record doesn't show it, but when has it ever for the Terry Collins era Mets (see R.A. Dickey's 2011)? Hef is doing Perkins, Oklahoma proud by establishing himself as a genuine major-league starter: five of his last six outings have been quality starts, and he hasn't allowed more than five earned runs all season. He'll never be more than a fourth or fifth starter in the majors, but every team needs one of those in their rotation, and Hefner has been quite valuable in that role for the Mets in 2013. Here's hoping he continues to impress and keeps on giving us the chance to win night after night.

MM

Game #69: Mets 4, Braves 3

The boys from New York rallied around one of their own tonight and came up big in their traditional house of horrors.

Josh Satin's pinch-hit RBI double put the Mets over the top in the 7th inning, and Bobby Parnell and company slammed the door shut on the Braves as the Mets won 4-3 to clinch their first series in Atlanta since 2011 and deal the Braves their first series loss at home this year.

The Good Stuff:

(NYDailyNews.com)

• David Wright socked two solo home runs, one in the 1st and one in the 4th.
• Andrew Brown hit a pinch-hit home run in the 5th to tie the game at 3-3.
• After Omar Quintanilla battled Mike Minor to a 10-pitch double to lead off the 7th, Josh Satin pulled through with a double of his own to provide the final margin.
• After Jonathon Niese's early departure (see below), the New York bullpen came together to toss 5.2 scoreless innings in relief. LaTroy Hawkins was on the winning line for the Mets after taking care of the 5th and 6th innings, and Bobby Parnell picked up his 11th save with a no-nonsense 1-2-3 9th.

The Bad Stuff:

• Jon Niese left the game in the 4th with discomfort in his left shoulder, the same shoulder that bothered him earlier this season. Niese will head back to New York for an MRI.

Final Analysis:
Now that is how you win a close game. Clutch hitting and clutch pitching haven't come together often for the Mets, but when they do, it's a thing of beauty. Now they can celebrate (to a degree) winning a rare five-game series in Turner Field, where so much had gone wrong in the past.

The only thing that spoils the victory is Niese's lingering shoulder problems. This hasn't been his season, and he will be crucial to the team's success in the long-term. It would be so wonderful if he only had to miss a start or two, but if you're looking for silver linings in a potential long loss of playing time, at least we didn't lose him at the height of a pennant race. Get well soon, Jon.

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

Games #66 & #67: Mets 4-6, Braves 3-1

Mets fans have been waiting 23 months for this day, and its two main actors did not disappoint.

(NYDailyNews.com)

Matt Harvey took a third no-hit bid into the 7th inning and the Mets held on to give him a 4-3 win over the Braves in the first game of the doubleheader. In the second game, late offense propped up Zack Wheeler's stellar big league debut in a 6-1 Mets victory.

The Good Stuff:

(NYDailyNews.com)

• Matt Harvey technically finished up statistically worse than his last start in which he lost his first game of the year, allowing three runs on three hits and three walks in seven-plus innings. But no one would argue that this start was an electric one: he struck out a career-high 13 batters and took his third no-hit bid of the season into the 7th inning, only to see it lost on a Jayson Heyward infield single that Lucas Duda failed to cover first base for.
• The major difference for Harvey in this one was that he actually got run support: John Buck's solo home run in the 4th highlighted a day in which the Mets scored four runs, or double what they had put behind Harvey in his past two starts combined.
• After LaTroy Hawkins and Scott Rice almost spoiled another decision for Harvey, Bobby Parnell came on for a clutch four-out save, his 10th of the season. The victory was Harvey's sixth and first in a month.
• Following a stellar opening act, the baseball world watched the pilot of The Zack Wheeler Show. And call it a hunch, but I think it's gonna get picked up. Wheeler dazzled the hometown faithful (Smyrna, GA is 16 miles outside Atlanta) with six scoreless innings and seven strikeouts in his big-league debut. He was far from perfect, issuing five walks to go along with his four hits, but he showed veteran poise by getting out of jams in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th frames.
• Like Mets veterans already know, Wheeler had to be as perfect as possible, as he was still locked in a scoreless tie after the 6th. But Josh Satin led off the 7th with a single, and Anthony Recker blasted a two-run homer to put some runs behind his battery mate. Brandon Lyon ran into some trouble in the bottom of the 7th but eventually got out of it with a one-run New York lead in tact.
• With two other one-run games in the rear view mirror from the same calendar day, the midsection of the Mets order decided it was time to relieve their fans of any potential heart palpitations. Marlon Byrd started things with a two-out double and then scored on a pickoff attempt-turned-double error. Then after a walk by Satin and single by Recker, Juan Lagares laced a single to left to score one. Omar Quintanilla followed with a hard grounder into right to plate two more runs, making it a much-more comfortable 6-1 lead for Wheeler and company.
• And just like that, with a Josh Edgin strikeout of Freddie Freeman, Queens's newest hope had his first major league W.

The Bad Stuff:

• The injury bug bit again: hours after Justin Turner landed on the DL with a strained left side, Scott Atchison appears to be headed back there too. Atchison left during his warmup in the 7th inning with a sore right groin, not even throwing a pitch before being replaced by Brandon Lyon.

Final Analysis:
In the words of my dad, who messaged me after the final out: "We've seen the future of the New York Mets, and its names are Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler." I know it's bad luck to look so far ahead, but can you blame me? Mets fans have been wallowing through five years of mediocre baseball, and now we finally have some rays of hope for the long-term future. Should all go according to The Plan, we'll look back on this day, June 18, 2013, as the day it all started.

MM

P.S. The Mets may finally have a leadoff man, as they have acquired outfielder Eric Young, Jr. from the Rockies in exchange for Collin McHugh. Good news all around today!

(MetsBlog.com)

Game #65: Braves 2, Mets 1

As we already know, the walk-off home run is a two-way street.

Dillon Gee's shutout and win were lost with one swing of Freddie Freeman's bat, as the Braves knocked off the Mets in the wee hours of the morning, 2-1.

The Bad Stuff:

• Gee started the 9th inning off right by getting Jason Heyward to ground out to second. And that was all she wrote for Gee, whose next eight pitches resulted in a Justin Upton single and Freddie Freeman home run. Just like that, a 1-0 nailbiter became a disappointing 2-1 decision.
• It shouldn't have come down to that walk-off, but New York managed only seven hits off Tim Hudson and the Atlanta bullpen, going 1-6 with RISP and stranding eight.

The Good Stuff:

• Despite not getting the final two outs, Gee was phenomenal on the mound, allowing three hits in the previous eight shutout innings with one walk and six strikeouts. At the very least, he registered his first complete game of the season.
• Dillon's bat also came up big in the 7th, as he poked a single through the left side of the infield to plate John Buck and get the Mets on the board.
• Lucas Duda went 4-4 with a double, collecting more than half the team's hits on the late night.

Final Analysis:
Wins and losses are moot at this point, so let's talk about Dillon Gee, who has finally settled back into good form. Did you know he's 3-1 with a 1.53 ERA in his last four starts? Or that he's struck out 32 and walked a mere four batters in 29.1 innings over those starts? Or that all four of those outings came against legitimate contenders (Yankees, Nationals, Cardinals, Braves) instead of cupcakes?

Suffice it to say, Dillon Gee is back, and he looks unlikely to lose his spot in the rotation. With Zack Wheeler primed to eventually replace Shaun Marcum in the rotation, the Mets finally have one piece of the puzzle completed in that they have a starting rotation that will keep them in the game much more often than not. The offense being able to reward the starters' efforts with wins, however, is an entirely different situation...

MM

Game #64: Mets 4, Cubs 3

Um...did that just happen?

(NYDailyNews.com)

After getting nothing going for eight innings, the Amazin's woke up with a vengeance in the 9th against Carlos Marmol, as Kirk Nieuwenhuis's walk-off three-run home run propelled the Mets to a stunning, blink-of-an-eye 4-3 comeback win over the Cubs.

The Good Stuff:

• A 3-0 loss was a given as the game headed into the bottom of the 9th inning. The Mets, after all, had only managed three hits the entire afternoon against Matt Garza and company. But Chicago was about to do something that would give New York their best option: they went with embattled closer Carlos Marmol to sing a lullaby to the sleepwalking hosts. What the hosts got was the most effective alarm clock in recorded human history.
• It started innocently enough with a 1-1 fastball to ex-Cub Marlon Byrd. That fastball turned into a long, long, long home run that landed well into the second deck of left field. The Mets were in business, and no one knew it better than Cubs fans who have seen Marmol implode over and over and over again.
• After Lucas Duda drew a full-count walk, John Buck took a 2-2 fastball and lined it into right field to put two runners on.
• Omar Quintanilla executed the perfect sac bunt to move both runners into scoring position, allowing the home team to play for the tie and the chance to win it in extras.
• They wouldn't need extras: Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who need a base hit yesterday just to get on the Interstate, took Marmol's 1-0 fastball and sent a rocket off the Pepsi Porch in right field.
• Nieuwenhuis rounded the bases after his walk-off heroics as Marmol dejectedly descended into the freshly-branded losers' dugout. He and the rest of his teammates an ecstatic Justin Turner take not just whipped cream but a full-fledged apple pie to Kirk's face. What any of the 30,000+ in attendance at Citi field wouldn't give for a taste of that Father's Day treat.
• Meanwhile, Jeremy Hefner was taken off the hook for what would have been yet another tough loss, as he gave up three runs (one earned) on six hits in five innings, walking one and striking out five on 87 pitches.
• David Wright and Lucas Duda each had doubles to the right field corner during failed rallies in earlier frames.

The Bad Stuff:

• Nieuwenhuis's blast became the picture of the game, saving the Mets from a much more embarrassing one in the top of the 5th: down 1-0 with two on and two out, David Wright took a hard groundball from Alfonso Soriano, double clutched his throw, and watched it sail over Daniel Murphy's head at first. The Cubs' second run came around to score, thanks in part to a throw from Murphy that sailed past John Buck at the plate. A third run came in on another errant throw, this time one from Omar Quintanilla that also sailed past Buck.
• On a play straight from Angels in the Outfield, the Mets seemed to signify their entire 2013 season. Now that we won the game, we can fortunately laugh about it.

Final Analysis:
Even with Carlos Marmol on the mound I didn't think the Mets could pull that off. Even after Byrd's home run I figured, "Well at least we weren't shut out." But that's the nature of baseball: a loss can turn into a win in the blink of an eye. Sure, New York hasn't done much winning in the last few weeks, but we'll remember this one for the rest of the season. Kirk Nieuwenhuis's heroics have enough fuel will carry us through another few weeks of losing. We're Mets fans. We know how to make due.

MM

(NYDailyNews.com)

Game #63: Cubs 5, Mets 2

Behold a game recap that took almost as long to write as the game itself.

Scott Rice and Brandon Lyon imploded in the 8th inning to allow the Cubs three insurance runs as the Mets offense failed to find traction in an agonizingly slow 5-2 loss.

The Bad Stuff:

• With a more capable offense, a 2-1 deficit may have been surmountable. But 5-1? No chance, and that's what Scott Rice and Brandon Lyon combined to create in an 8th inning that put Chicago up for good.
• After Jordany Valdespin drove in a run in the bottom of the 8th to put two runners on, New York had their best chance to get back into the game with their only two major-league hitters. But Daniel Murphy could only muster a productive groundout, and David Wright chased a slider in the dirt to doom the team's final rally.

The Good Stuff:

• Jonathon Niese was stuck with the loss after allowing two runs in 5.2 innings, including six hits, four walks, and five strikeouts.
• Murphy and Wright did combine for the team's first run, knocking back-to-back doubles in the 4th inning.

Final Analysis:
The least they could do at this point is get the game over with in less than three hours and thirty-two ticking minutes.

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 #61: Cardinals 2, Mets 1

Undefeated no more. But at least he got the decision.

Matt Harvey's stellar effort was rewarded with his first loss of the year as the sleepwalking Mets fell to the Cardinals 2-1.

The Bad Stuff:

• Adam Wainwright owned the entire New York order like he owned Carlos Beltran in 2006 (as if the memories weren't painful enough), shutting out the Mets over seven four-hit innings. Wainwright improved to 10-3 on the season and saw his ERA drop to 2.18.
• In the few chances the Amazin's got with RISP, they hit 0-4 and stranded eight men.

The Good Stuff:

• Matt Harvey deserved far better, as he usually does. Harvey turned in his second straight seven-inning, one-run start, allowing five hits and a walk against seven strikeouts on 97 pitches.
• Marlon Byrd saved the Mets from being shut out by the Redbirds as he launched a one-out solo home run off St. Louis closer Edward Mujica in the 9th. Byrd's 10th shot of the year puts him one behind John Buck and Lucas Duda for the team lead.
• Byrd, Buck, and David Wright combined for all seven New York hits; Wright's three singles brought his average back up to .288.

Final Analysis:
Matt Harvey must feel like R.A. Dickey did in 2011: helpless. Were he pitching for any other team, #33 would have at least eight or nine wins. Instead, he'll settle for the second decision, and the first bad one, in his last 10 starts.

There isn't much left to say about the offense; it is what it is.

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 #59: Cardinals 9, Mets 2

There was no waking up from Sunday afternoon's shakeup. Just more and more Amazin's falling through the cracks.

Sloppy defense all around led to five unearned St. Louis runs in the top of the 5th as the Mets dropped the series opener to the Cardinals, 9-2.

The Bad Stuff:

• Despite extending his "quality starts" streak, Jeremy Hefner earned his sixth L of the season, surrendering six runs (one earned) on eight hits in six innings, walking one and striking out two. The death knell for Hef came in the 5th inning when an error by Daniel Murphy set up a couple RBI groundouts, including a botched double play by David Wright; Allen Craig's three-run homer capped the five-run frame and guaranteed the Mets a seventh loss in eight games since the Yankee sweep.
• The Met bullpen didn't fare much better, as Greg Burke served up two runs in the 7th and David Aardsma allowed his first run as a New York reliever.
• After scrapping two runs off Michael Wacha in the first, New York could not find their offense, stringing together just five hits and stranding six men on base.

The Good Stuff:

• Omar Quintanilla woke up the Home Run Apple from a long slumber with a solo shot in the bottom of the 1st.
• Marlon Byrd's bases-loaded sac fly later in the inning brought home the Mets' only other run.
• Jordany Valdespin had two hits in the leadoff slot.

Final Analysis:
During the few innings I actually watched tonight, Gary, Ron, and Keith were talking about how Mets fans would accept management if they simply told fans straight-up that the franchise was in rebuilding mode. I'm beyond expecting anything more in 2013; the sooner more Mets fans come to this realization, the better off we'll all be. I'm okay with making the rest of the year glorified tryouts; let's just make sure we find the right guys in this 100-game span to keep us from doing the same for 100 games in 2014.

MM

Game #58: Marlins 8, Mets 4 (10)

After yesterday's endless misery, New Yorkers were treated to a bargain: today's soul-crusher only took half the time.

The Marlins pounded out 17 hits and scored four runs in the top of the 10th to once again sweep the Mets, 8-4.

The Bad Stuff:

• Again, I will be brief: how's giving up 17 hits to a Miami team without Giancarlo Stanton sound?
• Or how about the three-run lead our pitchers couldn't hold against that Miami team?
• Or how about Bobby Parnell giving some weight to this recent analysis of mine by surrendering the go-ahead runs in the top of the 10th inning?
• Or maybe you can just look at the aftermath of the bloodbath at the hands of baseball's (supposedly) worst team: the demotions and replacements of Ike Davis, Robert Carson, and Mike Baxter to Triple-A Las Vegas. Josh Satin, Josh Edgin, and Collin Cowgill will rejoin the team on Tuesday.

The Good Stuff:

• Jonathon Niese deserved far better than a no-decision, as he turned in the Mets' third quality start in two days with 6.2 innings of three-run (two earned), eight-hit ball, walking one and striking out four in his return to the mound.
• David Wright and Daniel Murphy deserved better too: Murphy's solo shot in the 2nd got New York on the board, and Wright's two-run double in the 3rd put the team on top. The fourth run came in right after Wright's double, as a cleanup-hitting Murphy produced an RBI groundout.

Final Analysis:
June 9 is the day I often site as the day Ike Davis turned it around last season. Now, just one year later, he won't get that same chance. The difference of course is that last year the Mets were (somehow) in contention despite Ike's mighty struggles. This year, the team continues to bottom out with no sign of actually reaching that bottom yet. Terry Collins had no choice. He has to do something to get this team out of reverse. Are Satin, Edgin, Cowgill, and even Zack Wheeler the answer? No. The best the Mets can do at this point is get it into neutral, because the drive gear fell out in the Western snow of April. But for the sake of his job and the jobs of everyone who isn't a starting pitcher, David Wright, or Daniel Murphy, he has to try something. Anything. Because while they've been bad in the past few years, they've finally become nearly unwatchable. And you're reading the optimist's blog.

MM

Game #57: Marlins 2, Mets 1 (20)

Unlike the game that took twice as long to finish, I'll keep this recap short and sweet.

The Mets got 13 hits but couldn't plate more than a single run, falling to the Marlins 2-1 in a marathon 20-inning affair.

The Bad Stuff:

• Let's try "one run in 20 innings" and see if that sticks.
• Oh, you want something more? Try 0-19 with RISP and 22 men left on base. That's right, the Mets came three runners short of leaving an entire major league roster on base.

The Good Stuff:

• Matt Harvey was once again phenomenal on the mound, going seven innings and allowing one run on six hits and no walks, striking out six. He was removed from the game before the 8th inning could start due to injury concerns, but the cautious move seems to have paid off as he is not expected to miss his next start.
• Shaun Marcum took the tough loss in what turned out to be a de facto start. Marcum entered the game in the 13th inning and finished up eight frames of one-run, five-hit, seven-strikeout ball with a far-from-deserved L. At least this solves the dilemma of having him miss a start due to the recent rainouts.

Final Analysis:
Usually I try to put a positive spin on things, but I can't bring myself to mince words tonight. That was a pitiful excuse of an offensive performance. To score one run against the lowly Miami Marlins, a team that has gotten half their wins against New York, in a little more than two games' worth of innings is downright unacceptable. I don't know how he is going to manage it, but Terry Collins must find a way to get more offense out of this group of men who supposedly represent the top 0.1% of baseball players in the world. Otherwise today's paying Citi Field crowd of 20,338 is going to end up being the attendance ceiling, not the floor.

MM

Game #56: Mets 10, Nationals 1

With all the runs New York wasn't scoring, you figured the pressure was building up and they were due to pop. The lid flew off tonight. Repeatedly.

(NYDailyNews.com)

Marlon Byrd socked two home runs to back Dillon Gee as the Mets got revenge for last night with a 10-1 thrashing of the Nationals.

The Good Stuff:

• Washington took an early 1-0 lead. It wouldn't last: Lucas Duda led off the 2nd with a double and Marlon Byrd's home run to center gave New York a lead they would build on. And build on, and build on, and build on.
• The first insurance run came in the 3rd on a (slump-busting?) solo homer from David Wright, then two batters later Byrd flew again with a rocket to left.
• And even 4-1 wasn't enough on this night: Anthony Recker came alive to drive in the next three runs - the first two came on a single in the 5th, while number three was plated on a 7th-inning double.
• The 7th would bear even more fruit, as Dillon Gee helped his own splendid cause with an RBI single, then Daniel Murphy doubled in a run put the Mets into double digits for the first time since Opening Day.
• Lost in all this, and the fact that every starter got a hit (even Ike Davis), is a stellar effort from Juan Legares, who led the orange and blue with three of the team's 15 hits.
• All the support was more than enough for Gee, who strung together his second straight great outing by allowing one run on nine hits in seven innings, walking one and striking out seven on 107 pitches.

The Bad Stuff:

• What, was it too much to spend a couple of those runs last night for Jeremy Hefner? I haven't gotten to say this often enough this year: Pace yourselves, guys!

Final Analysis:
And all of a sudden, the Mets have a rotation again. Hefner and Gee have established themselves as steady middle men for Matt Harvey and Jonathon Niese, who should come back this weekend. Once Zack Wheeler comes up, Shaun Marcum may be the one go to, and then the Amazin's will have the top-five NL rotation they envisioned in April.

I won't say much about the offense; every once in a while a blind squirrel finds a nut. Hopefully it breaks the slumps of Wright and Murphy, whose averages went back up to .276 and .290 respectively. Hopefully there are plenty more nuts in the future.

MM

Game #55: Nationals 3, Mets 2

Just when you thought it was save to go back into the water of 9th-inning security...

Bobby Parnell blew the save for Jeremy Hefner, as Steve Lombardozzi's walk-off sac fly with the bases loaded sank the Mets 3-2.

The Bad Stuff:

• Bobby Parnell gave up a leadoff double to Ryan Zimmerman in the 9th inning, then after a wild pitch to send him to third, Adam LaRoche tied the game with a single. Then came the double by Ian Desmond, the intentional walk of Roger Bernadina to load the bases, and Lombardozzi's sac fly. Game over, put it in the books for the other team.
• Despite two errors by the butterfingered Washingtonians, New York could only manage two runs and four hits off Jordan Zimmerman, stranding four of the few runners they could get on base and hitting 1-5 with RISP.
• David Wright's slump continued, as his 0-3 night dropped him to .273.
• Daniel Murphy, Lucas Duda, John Buck, and Ike Davis each went 0-4.

The Good Stuff:

• The bad luck continues for Jeremy Hefner, who was in line for his second W of the year after yet another quality start: he allowed a solo home run to Ian Desmond but only three other hits in seven frames, walking one and striking out seven on 103 pitches.
• All the New York offense of the day came from Omar Quintanilla, who is tearing it up in the leadoff slot for a team desperate to do just that. Mr. Q went 2-3 with a walk and the go-ahead two-run triple in the 5th. His second hit was a double in the 8th that would have provided some insurance had Murphy and Wright come through.

Final Analysis:
Bobby Parnell had a sub-2.00 ERA coming into tonight's game and had finally established himself as a genuine closer. But of course with the Mets, nothing comes that easy. We knew from Ryan Zimmerman's double to lead off the 9th that we were doomed. The rest was just a formality.

Jeremy Hefner has to be the unluckiest guy with that name on the planet (share some of the love, Hugh). But once you get past that, you see a guy who has strung together six quality starts in his last eight, including three straight. I can see the arguments for bumping him out of the rotation once Zack Wheeler comes up, but Hef has one of the hotter hands in Flushing, Queens, arguably second only to that of Matt Harvey. Let him stay.

MM

Game #54: Marlins 11, Mets 6

From "We. Swept. The. Yankees." to "Swept. By. The. Marlins." A great week for the punctuation industry, I suppose.

Matt Harvey was ineffective and so was every pitcher who followed him as the Mets lost their third straight to the Marlins, 11-6.

If you want to relive the misery with me, you can read my extended recap for the day on Rising Apple.

For those of you who want the short version, Parks and Recreation's Chris Traeger delivers my message for the day to the Mets:

MM

Game #53: Marlins 8, Mets 1

Remember when the Mets swept the Yankees earlier this week? Yeah, those were good times.

Collin McHugh was shelled in his spot start and the Mets couldn't get the motor running in the Marlins' waters, falling 8-1 to lose another Miami series.

The Bad Stuff:

• Collin McHugh's first start of the season went like just about every other appearance he's made: four runs and six hits in four innings.
• Jose Fernandez, meanwhile, kept New York at bay with seven scoreless, three-hit innings, including eight strikeouts.
• David Wright went 0-4 again, dropping his average to .277.
• Ike Davis also had an 0-for, going 0-3.

The Good Stuff:

• Omar Quintanilla had two hits
• Justin Turner kept the Mets from being shut out with an RBI double in the 8th.

Final Analysis:
What a way to celebrate the anniversary of No-Han...

By the way, happy anniversary, Johan Santana!

That is all. Tomorrow will be better. Probably.

MM

Game #52: Marlins 5, Mets 1

And just like that, the momentum is gone, drowned in a fish tank in front of 15,493 Floridians.

Ed Lucas broke the scoreless tie and opened the floodgates against Shaun Marcum as the Mets' five-game winning streak was snapped 5-1 against the Marlins.

The Bad Stuff:

• For six innings, Shaun Marcum was brilliant and was looking to continue New York's recent string of quality starts. Then came the 7th, when Miami scored four runs on four hits, a walk, and a sac fly. Marcum's final line went from nearly spotless to very much spotful: 6.2 innings, 7 hits, 4 runs, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts. A 5th-inning intentional walk to Greg Dobbs also broke a streak of 121 batters faced without a walk by Mets starters.
• Meanwhile, the once-potent New York offense returned to its familiar impotence against Miami's Jacob Turner, who tossed seven scoreless, five-hit innings in his first start of the season.
• David Wright's cold spell continued as he went 0-4 with two strikeouts to drop his average down to .283.

The Good Stuff:

• Daniel Murphy picked up Wright's slack by going 2-4 with an RBI double to score the Mets' only run of the game.
• Omar Quintanilla got two hits and scored in his second game filling in for the injured Ruben Tejada, and his first in the leadoff slot.
• Ike Davis had himself a double in the top of the 5th, and he would have had an RBI if Marlon Byrd had not been picked off trying to steal second base one pitch earlier.

Final Analysis:
How is it that after sweeping the almighty New York Yankees, adding that to a come-from-behind win over the division-leading Atlanta Braves, the Mets end up losing to the historically bad Miami Marlins? I guess that's the way it falls for a team that frankly isn't going anywhere this year. This game brought us back down to earth in time for the end of the month.

The good thing is that while 22-30 is far from great, at least it's not 14-41. Also, for every game the Marlins actually win, the farther they get from losing 120 games like the '62 Mets. Yes, in some twisted way, I don't want the Marlins to have a worse record than our Lovable Losers. They make me feel special. And if you're reading this blog, you know what I'm talking about.

MM

Game #51: Mets 3, Yankees 1

Four words that have saved this lost season, words Mets fans thought they would never get to read: We. Swept. The. Yankees.

(NYDailyNews.com)

Marlon Byrd's two-run bomb in the 2nd was enough for Dillon Gee's best start of the year as the Mets swept the 2013 Subway Series for the first time, beating the Yankees 3-1.

The Good Stuff:

• Last night, Marlon Byrd took advantage of Yankee Stadium's launching pad with a cheap can-of-corn of a home run. Tonight's home run? A little more expensive. Byrd blasted a two-run upper deck shot in the top of the 2nd off Yankee starter Vidal Nuno to give the NL New Yorkers an early 2-0 cushion.
• An insurance run came on a John Buck single (and stolen base!) in the top of the 8th. Not that Dillon Gee needed it: Gee turned in one of the finest starts of his career, going 7.1 innings and allowing one run (a solo shot by Robinson Cano in the 3rd) on four hits, no walks, and a whopping 12 strikeouts.
• Scott Rice finished off the 8th inning, and Bobby Parnell diffused the Bronx Bombers for good with a 1-2-3 9th, prompting the Mets partisans of the 44,207 in attendance to break out their brooms.

The Bad Stuff:

• Jonathan Niese will have to miss his next start due to a mild case of tendinitis.

Final Analysis:
In the 16 previous editions of the Mets-Yankees Subway Series, only once has either team swept every game of the season: the last-place Mets lost every game to the pennant-winning Yankees in 2003. Now, ten years later, we were due for another sweep. Except this time it was the near-last place Mets winning every game against the then-first place Yankees.

How. Did. We. Do. That. ?.

How did it all get in sync so fast? How did these New York Mets suddenly put together quality starts, clutch hitting, and lockdown relief all at once? How did they manage it against their hated intercity rivals? Maybe it turns out these New York Yankees aren't very good; most of their starters are old stopgaps to replace their old stars, after all. Or maybe these New York Mets aren't as bad as they were made out to be. Now they've got history under their belts and a five-game winning streak to boot. A winning streak that should, by the way, extend by a game or two this weekend in Miami.

I've accepted that this is a lost season. None of that matters now because this week has defined the whole year. In 2011, it was Jose Reyes's batting title. In 2012, it was Johan Santana's no-hitter and R.A. Dickey's Cy Young. In 2013, it was the sweep in the Subway Series. I'm cool with that. Simply Amazin'.

MM

Game #50: Mets 9, Yankees 4

Walk-offs are fun. You know what else is fun? Blowouts at the expense of your rival in their building. Oh my.

(NYDailyNews.com)

Ike Davis's two-run single capped a five-run 1st inning as the Mets never looked back, beating the Yankees 9-4 and clinching their first Subway Series win since 2008.

The Good Stuff:

• Ruben Tejada got things going in the top of the 1st with a single off David Phelps and came around on Daniel Murphy's RBI double. After David Wright walked and Lucas Duda struck out, a second run came home on John Buck's RBI single. Rick Ankiel walked to load the bases, and while Marlon Byrd grounded into what should have been a double play, it turned into a third run when Jayson Nix booted it. Ike Davis was up next and hammered the nail in Phelps's coffin with a two-run single. When the dust settled and Phelps was relieved, the NL New Yorkers had a 5-0 lead over their AL rivals.
• What a relief it must have been to Jeremy Hefner, who threw his first pitch with the game already in hand. Hefner earned his first W of the season (and the Mets' first win in one of his starts) with a three-run, nine-hit, six-inning outing, complete with no walks and five strikeouts.
• More offensive prowess was showed in later innings: Byrd took advantage of the Little League ballpark that is Yankee Stadium with a solo homer to right in the 3rd, while Duda drove in two more with an opposite-field double in the 4th. Ankiel drove in the final run on an RBI single in the 9th.
• Gary Cohen had a fine game in the broadcast booth, charming the SNY audience on two separate occasions:
• When Travis Hafner came up to face Jeremy Hefner in the bottom of the 1st, Cohen channeled David Letterman at the 1995 Oscars with an "Oprah, Uma" moment.
• In the bottom of the 7th, Gare introduced the Mets' oft-used reliever as Scott "Every Minute" Rice. Well done, sir. Well done.

The Bad Stuff:

• Already in the discussion for demotion, Ruben Tejada injured his quad late in tonight's game. For those who want to speculate on how bad the injury is, note that Omar Quintanilla was pulled from his game with the Las Vegas 51s. We may be seeing the return of Mr. Q in the next couple days.

Final Analysis:
All of a sudden, everything is firing on all cylinders: 12 hits, quality starting pitching, a bullpen that holds leads. The result is a four-game winning streak, including three over the big, bad New York Yankees. Who are these guys?

Great to see another quality outing from Jeremy Hefner, who is quietly establishing himself as the Mets' third-best starting pitcher. It's especially nice to see him doing so well in the face of the immense tragedy of seeing his Oklahoma hometown ripped apart by last week's tornado.

With some sudden momentum going in their direction for once, the New York Mets will go into tomorrow night's Yankee Stadium finale attempting to do something they have never done before: sweep the New York Yankees in the Subway Series. This could make the season right here. Whoa baby.

MM