Game #136: Braves 13, Mets 5

Yesterday, Howie Rose was quoted as saying something along the lines of, "Daisuke Matsuzaka pitching on Labor Day...I think that's appropriate." Conclusion after today's game: Howie Rose is psychic. Probably. Or Dice-K is just incredibly predictable. But probably the psychic thing.

Matsuzaka was shelled in three innings and the Mets' relief pitchers didn't fare much better in a 13-5 holiday loss to the Braves.

The Bad Stuff:

• Dice-K's final line: 3 IP, 7 H, 6 ER. I think that's self-explanatory.
• Gonzalez Germen, Pedro Feliciano, and David Aardsma each gave up two earned runs in relief (Aardsma's third was unearned).
• New York hit just 3-13 with RISP (compared to Atlanta's astounding 8-20) and stranded eight men on base.

The Good Stuff:

• Josh Satin went 2-5 with a pair of doubles.
• Juan Lagares went 1-3 with a walk, run, and RBI.
• Zack Lutz had an RBI double in his pinch-hit appearance.

Final Analysis:
The one thing I as a Hope College student have in common with major league baseball players: I don't get Labor Day off. It must be nice to do so. The difference is I did what I had to do today. The visiting ball club at Turner Field, on the other hand...

Perhaps it was just the deflated nature of having to play defense and hit behind Dice-K. That would be a tad more excusable.

MM

Game #134: Mets 11, Nationals 3

Somewhere in New York, Matt Harvey is shaking his head at the run support Zack Wheeler received tonight and has gotten through his seven Ws in 2013, now just two behind Harvey's total for the season.

(NYDailyNews.com)

Wheeler pitched well in his own right and was backed by 17 Mets hits on the way to an 11-3 victory over the Nationals.

The Good Stuff:

• Four Mets hitters had three hits on the night, including:
• Eric Young (3-6, 2 R, SB, 2 RBI)
• Daniel Murphy (3-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI)
• Josh Satin (3-4, 2B, R)
• Juan Lagares (3-5, 2 R, 2 RBI)
• Travis d'Arnaud and Omar Quintanilla added two more hits, as D'Arnaud scored twice and Mr. Q drove in two on a 2nd-inning double.
• Lagares had himself another outfield assist, partnering with Murph to gun down Bryce Harper at third in the 8th.
• Matt den Dekker singled in the 3rd to drive home a run, his first major-league hit and RBI.
• The plethora of runs was more than enough for Zack Wheeler, who delivered the goods in the form of 6.2 innings of two-run, five-hit ball, with one walk and three strikeouts on 99 pitches.

The Bad Stuff:

• Ike Davis left the game in the 3rd inning after hitting a sac fly with an oblique injury that looks like it will keep him out for the rest of the year, the final nail in the coffin that contains at least a quarter of the Mets' big league roster at the start of August.

Final Analysis:
Washington gets hot in August, and the Mets have capitalized on that heat to drive themselves to a series victory over a team that had finally gotten things together. And in the resumed competition to replace Ike Davis at first base, Josh Satin has reestablished himself as the man to beat, although I would like to see Wilmer Flores get some time there this month.

MM

Game #125: Braves 4, Mets 1 (10)

Much like Dracula before them, New York shriveled up and died in the sunlight today.

A bang-bang call at first base by umpire Jerry Layne led to a Chris Johnson three-run home run in the 10th inning as the Braves topped the Mets 4-1 for a split of the short series.

The Bad Stuff:

• With a runner on first and two out in the top of the 10th, Scott Rice mishandled a sharp groundball off the bat of Freddie Freeman. While Rice recovered, his throw to the bag was ruled too late and Freeman was awarded an infield single. The call could have gone either way, but it appeared Jerry Layne was incorrect in calling Freeman safe. One pitch later, Chris Johnson turned what could've been a 1-1 tie into a 4-1 Atlanta lead with a home run to left.
• The Mets were powerless to solve the Braves' pitching from Alex Wood to Craig Kimbrel, laying an egg with RISP (nine at-bats) and stranding 10 men on base.

The Good Stuff:

• Jonathon Niese continued his successful comeback tour by tossing seven innings of one-run, five-hit ball, including three walks and nine strikeouts on 106 pitches. Niese's only run against came in the aftermath of a 7th-inning pitch that accidentally hit Jason Heyward in the head.
• Josh Satin liked what Ike Davis did so much last night that he did it himself, clubbing a towering shot down the left field line for a solo home run, his second longball of the season.
• Daniel Murphy also had two hits, and Juan Lagares and Justin Turner smacked a double apiece.

Final Analysis:
As long as the human element remains a part of baseball, there will always be calls like this. I'm sure the Mets have benefited from such a mistake this season just as the Braves have now.

Today's game was yet another instance of one more big bat making the difference for the Mets. Add a key free agent or trade acquisition in the offseason, not to mention put a healthy David Wright on the field, and New York more than likely wins this ballgame. Oh, what exciting things to dream about.

MM

Game #85: Mets 2, Brewers 1

It took the final game of the series for New York to fail to "slug it out with the best of the National League." Jeremy Hefner made it so they didn't have to.

(NYDailyNews.com)

Josh Satin's big return backed up a superb Hefner as the Mets took the game and the series from the Brewers 2-1.

The Good Stuff:

• Jeremy Hefner strengthened his case as the Mets' number two starter in 2013, allowing a solo home run to Jonathan Lucroy and just one other hit over seven spectacular innings, walking one and striking out eight on 105 pitches.
• After sitting out Ike Davis's first two games back, Josh Satin showed Terry Collins how much he missed that bat, smashing two doubles and one other hit, scoring a run on an error in the 4th, and driving in Marlon Byrd with a wall shot in the 6th. Satin now has 17 hits in his last 10 games and with nine doubles in 19 games would hit over 70 at that pace in a full season.
• Eric Young, David Wright, and Marlon Byrd each had two of New York's 11 hits on the afternoon.
• After Hefner made his exit, Josh Edgin got the first two outs if the 8th, and Bobby Parnell followed him up with the four-out save.

The Bad Stuff:

• Managing just two runs on 11 hits is quite a feat of ineptitude, but the Mets managed it by grounding into two double plays and leaving nine men on base.

Final Analysis:
What in the world is going on with Jeremy Hefner? In the span of nine starts he has gone from on the verge of bullpen assignment to approaching sure-thing status. His ERA over that span stands at a Harvey-esque 2.09, and he has allowed a single run in all but one of his outings since the start of June (the other was a two-run performance, not exactly panic-worthy). Home runs are still a problem for him, as he has allowed six since his greatness began on May 24, but he has all but eliminated the damage in every other aspect of his game, and half the time solo home runs are the only time he'll let the other team score. Whatever Hefner figured out just before Memorial Day has him as one of the hottest pitchers in the league, and the 27-year-old may be playing himself into the future of a rotation that is bound to include Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Jonathon Niese, and Montero/Syndergaard. The irony would be that in that rotation even great Hefner would likely be a fifth starter.

Oh Josh Satin, how we missed you! Simply put, Terry's going to have to find more playing time for the kid. He's earned it.

The Mets embark on the second leg of their pre-Break odyssey and start a series with the slipping San Francisco Giants tomorrow night in a matchup of the NL's former ace (Tim Lincecum) and the NL's reigning ace (Harvey).

MM

Game #81: Diamondbacks 5, Mets 3

Turns out the team from Arizona is full of fast learners who took rather quickly to "when it rains, it pours."

Matt Harvey's shutout was ruined by five runs between the 6th and 7th innings and the Mets couldn't muster more than three solo home runs, falling to the D'Backs 5-3.

The Bad Stuff:

• It wasn't a no-hitter, but for 5.2 innings Matt Harvey was lights-out on the mound. Then with two on and two out in the 6th, Cody Ross, the would-be hero of Monday night, took a 1-0 slider and deposited it just over the shortest part of the left field fence. All of a sudden a 2-0 Harvey Day turned into a 3-2 deficit.
• Things didn't get much better in the 7th as Harvey failed to record an out before being yanked. His final line looked much different from his big-league debut in Arizona: 6+ IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 9 K, 110 P.
• Aside from a handful of guys, the Met offense couldn't get anything going against Randall Delgado and company: they had just one at-bat with RISP and left five men on base.

The Good Stuff:

• Eric Young, Daniel Murphy, and David Wright each had two hits, with Wright and Murph launching solo shots in the 4th and 8th respectively.
• Josh Satin reached the pinnacle of his hot streak with his first career home run, a solo shot in the 4th to put New York up 2-0.
• Paid attendance was 41,257. Not all of them returned after the two-hour rain delay, but a combination of Harvey Day and pre-Fourth of July produced one of Citi Field's biggest crowds of the season.

Final Analysis:
Limited as they were, the New York offense did their job in getting Matt Harvey a multi-run cushion. It was Harvey who didn't hold up his end of the deal tonight.

I saw this photo manipulation on MetsBlog earlier today, and it makes me think that we may be putting too much pressure on Harvey to be the savior of the franchise. Don't get me wrong, on the exterior he certainly takes it well, but it must be tough knowing that every time you step on a big-league mound the world expects you to throw a no-hitter.

A couple rainouts delayed it, but the Mets have officially reached the halfway point of the 2013 season, and their record stands at a fourth-place 34-45. Is it great? No, but isn't it what we expected? Recently they've gotten a lot better: with tonight's loss they've won 11 of their last 18. Keep winning at that clip for the rest of the year and they're in playoff contention. "Ya Gotta Believe," right?

MM

Game #80: Mets 9, Diamondbacks 1

The Arizona Diamondbacks found out something they aren't used to hearing about: when it rains, it pours.

(NYDailyNews.com)

New York pounded out seven runs in a rain-extended 7th inning as the Mets dealt Patrick Corbin his first defeat of the season, taking the game from the D'Backs 9-1.

The Good Stuff:

• We missed a Matt Harvey-Patrick Corbin matchup by just one day, but the way Jeremy Hefner was dealing tonight you might have mistaken him for Harvey. After a remarkable June, Hef started out July in the same way, going the Solid Seven with one run and four hits against, including two walks and six strikeouts. He had already thrown 97 before the rains came, so his night was most likely done even if the game had not been delayed for an hour and 41 minutes.
• Tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 7th, David Wright led off with a single and went to third on Marlon Byrd's double. Up came Josh Satin to play the hero once again, as his double sent Wright home and Byrd to third just before the tarp came out. The tarp was brought out after Andrew Brown's walk, which was Corbin's first of the night and his last set of pitches.
• Three pitches after the game resumed, Anthony Recker added to his 5th-inning solo home run with an RBI single to make it 3-1. Omar Quintanilla then drove in two more with a single of his own. After Daniel Murphy reached on a fielder's choice, Eric Young doubled to plate both runners, and Juan Lagares capped the seven-run 7th with a single to score Young.
• Quintanilla drove in the Mets' final run on a single in the bottom of the 8th to provide the final margin.
• In a night when all eight positional starters got a hit, these men's final lines stand out:
• Juan Lagares (2-4, 2B, RBI)
• Josh Satin (1-3, 2B, 2 R, BB, RBI)
• Anthony Recker (2-4, HR, 2 RBI)
• Omar Quintanilla (2-4, R, 3 RBI)
• The boys from New York hit 6-8 with RISP en route to scoring more than five runs at home for the first time in 30 games.
• LaTroy Hawkins and Brandon Lyon dealt scoreless innings to bring it home.

The Bad Stuff:

• Some people had to leave early from the rains and missed the offensive downpour of the home team. But at least they left knowing the Mets were up.

Final Analysis:
The New York Mets have won 11 of their last 17 games. How have they done it?

First, Jeremy Hefner has been pitching less like an emergency starter and more like a bona-fide veteran. His ERA dropped to an impressively regular 3.54 after tonight's fantastic outing and stands at 2.20 in his last eight starts.

Second, Josh Satin has been playing like a man on fire. Tonight he extended his hitting streak to eight games and has gotten on base in each of his last 13. Since June 18, he has put up other worldly numbers, hitting .421 with six RBIs and an OPS of 1.147, better than that of even Yasiel Puig over the same timeframe. Satin's been so good, he's got my dad wondering if Ike Davis and Lucas Duda know how to say "Wally Pipp."

Third, Satin is lead a pack of fresh, young blood looking to make the most of what may be their only chance in the big leagues. Juan Lagares is finally coming around with a bat as good as his glove. Omar Quintanilla is making a bid to supplant Ruben Tejada as the team's shortstop. Eric Young flashed his brilliant speed once again and came through in the clutch.

The Mets are playing their best baseball of 2013. Who knows how long it will last? Does it matter? My advice to Amazin' fans: sit back and enjoy the ride.

MM

Game #78: Nationals 13, Mets 2

In Zack Wheeler's Citi Field debut, New York fans witnessed a masterful performance from a bona-fide ace. Just not the one they wanted.

Gio Gonzalez shut the Mets down for seven innings and the Nationals got to Wheeler and the bullpen, resulting in a humiliating 13-2 loss in the Mets' June finale.

The Bad Stuff:

• Zack Wheeler had a great 1st inning, and that was about it. Adam LaRoche's 2nd-inning home run opened the door for Washington to get four runs off Wheeler in that inning. He was knocked out of the game after 4.2 innings having allowed five runs on six hits.
• Brandon Lyon must have felt bad enough about Zack's rough outing, because he made Wheeler's performance look positively Cy Young-esque. Lyon let in six 8th-inning runs while only retiring two Nats.
• It got so bad that even backup catcher Anthony Recker got on the mound for an inning. Recker allowed a two-run homer to Ian Desmond in the 9th.
• Meanwhile, there was nothing the Met offense could do against Gio Gonzalez, whose final line consisted of seven three-hit shutout innings.

The Good Stuff:

• John Buck's two-run home run in the bottom of the 9th kept the home team from being shut out.
• Josh Satin had two more hits, including his fourth double, to increase his average to .375.
• David Wright smashed his 17th double of the season.

Final Analysis:
And I thought Friday's blown victory sucked...at least there was life in the team that night.

Zack Wheeler will get better, that's almost a given. It's just rough to see him struggle so mightily when his peer Matt Harvey adjusted finely to the big leagues. It's just going to take patience...something we Mets fans should be great at by now.

MM