The Mets look to win their first game in the Post-Ike Davis era tonight after dropping last night’s game. More importantly, the Mets need win tonight’s game in order to get back above .500 and guarantee that they end the series at least at .500. Dropping last night’s game doesn’t really do it justice in terms of visualizing what happened. The Mets were no-hit by the Braves almost through the 8th when David Wright was able to get a hit, but that was it for the Amazin’s last night. Niese did great, and sadly was saddled with the loss but the bullpen allowed the Braves to stretch their lead. Bartolo Colon gets the nod tonight as he squares up against Ervin Santanta.

Colon had a rough, rough outing his last time out. In 5.0 innings he allowed 11 hits and 9 earned runs, including back to back to back homers in the first inning, four homers overall. On a short season with three starts, that saw his ERA jump from 2.08 to 6.00. In the start before that, he was masterful against the Braves pitching 7.0 innings, scattering 6 hits while walking none, allowing no runs and striking out 5. The Braves have the following numbers against Colon:

• BJ Upton 8-26, 2B, 3B, HR
• Laird 0-7
• Doumit 0-2
• Heyward 0-4
• Freeman 1-3, 2B
• Gattis 1-3
• Johnson 1-3
• Simmons 1-3

The Mets bats will get their second look at Evin Santana this season. Over his first two starts he has allowed 1 ER over 14.0 innings of work with 7 hits, 2 walks and 17 strikeouts. His first start of the year was against the Mets were he picked up the win after going 8.0 innings and striking out 6 batters (In his next start he struck out 11 over 6.0). The Mets have the following numbers against Santana:

• Granderson 11-43, 2 2B, 5 HR
• C Young 0-6
• E Young 3-7
• Murphy 2-6, 2B
• Satin 0-3
• d’Arnaud 0-3
• Duda 1-3
• Wright 1-3

Lets Go Mets!

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The Mets continue their stretch of teams with “A” as a logo tonight as they return home to play the Braves. After a tough Sunday against the Angels, the Mets bounced back strong sweeping the Diamondbacks in Arizona, negating the series where the Mets were swept by the Nationals. Anyway the Mets draw Atlanta again as they face off against Aaron Harang behind Jon Niese.

Niese is 0-1 in his two starts so far this season with a 3.46 ERA over 13.0 innings allowing 12 hits, 5 ER, 2 BB and 9 strikeouts. Jon did not face Braves the first time around this season and last year was forgettable against them as he allowed 11 ER over 14.1 innings while walking 9 and striking out 17. When you break the numbers down, this is due to a start where he allowed 7 ER over 4.0 innings and then 3 ER over 3.1 innings. He had one fantastic start, 7.0 innings with 1 ER. The Braves have the following numbers against the Braves:

• Uggla 9-30, 3 2B, 3B
• Freeman 9-27, 2 2B, 2 HR
• Heyward 9-24, 2 2B, 2 HR
• Upton 8-15, 2B
• Johnson 3-13, 2B
• Simmons 4-10, 2B
• Schafer 0-9

Harang has been the surprise of 2014. The former Met has had a great start to the year in his first three starts logging 18.2 innings with a 2-1 record with a 0.96 ERA. He has allowed  only 9 hits this year and 2 ER. His one loss this came against the Mets where he allowed one earned run over 6.0 innings, walking 4 and striking out 9. The Mets have the following numbers against Aaron:

• Wright 11-24, 4 2B, HR
• Duda 2-12, HR
• Murphy, 6-14, 4 2B, HR
• Tejada 6-12, 2 2B
• EY Jr 5-8, 2B
• Granderson 1-5, 2B
• Davis 0-4

Lets Go Mets!

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As a warning, this game preview is being written before Monday’s game as I will be on a three day field trip with my students.

This is the time of year when things start to seriously get into swing as Dillon Gee makes his 4th start of the season. In his first three starts he is without a decision while posting a 5.03 ERA and 19.2 innings of work. Over that stretch he has allowed 16 hits, 11 earned runs while walking 7 and striking out 14. Last year he faced Arizona once allowing 6 hits and 2 earned runs, walked 2 batters and struck out 7 all over 7.0 innings. The Diamondbacks have the following numbers against Dillon:

• Prado 4-23, 2B
• Parra 2-10, 2B
• Montero 2-7, HR
• Goldschmidt 2-6
• Chavez 0-6
• Pennington 1-4, 2B
• Hill 1-3

McCarthy joins Gee in making his fourth start of the season. In his first three he has allowed 17 runs in an identical amount of innings (19.2) which is a 7.78 ERA. In that stretch he allowed 23 hits, 3 walks and 11 strikeouts. He is 0-2 this season. He faced the Mets once last year where he allowed 2 ER over 7 innings while walking 1 and striking out 4. The Mets have the following numbers against Brandon:

• Granderson 2-14
• E Young 2-6
• Davis 2-2, 2B
• Lagares 1-3, HR
• Murphy 0-3

Lets Go Mets!

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As a warning, this game preview is being written before Monday’s game as I will be on a three day field trip with my students.

Jenrry Mejia squares off against Bronson Arroyo tonight in Arizona. Mejia will be making his third start of the year. So far he is 1-0 over 11.0 innings with a 4.09 ERA while walking 9 and striking out 15 batters. Mejia has never faced the Diamondbacks in his career, which makes sense given his career trajectory so far and the infrequent pace the Mets and Diamondbacks play each other. Only one player for Arizona has faced Mejia, Martin Prado, who is 0-4.

The Mets batters will deal with Bronson Arroyo, who was linked to the Mets a little this offseason. Arroyo is 1-0 over two games with a 4.82 ERA and 9.1 innings this year. He has allowed 11 hits and 3 walks while walking 5. Last year for the Reds he went 14-12 over 32 games and 202.0 innings with a 3.79 ERA. The last time he faced the Mets was in 2012 where he allowed 3 ER and 4 hits over 6 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against Bronson:

• Wright 9-38, HR
• Murphy 6-13, 2 2B
• Davis 2-7
• Granderson 3-9
• E Young 2-8
• Duda 1-4, HR
• Tejada 2-3

Lets Go Mets!

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The Mets look to move on from yesterday’s game as they face the Diamondbacks tonight. Nothing was working  for the Mets yesterday. The Angels got to Colon early hitting back to back to back jacks in the first. The umpire had a crazy strikezone which led to Murphy and Wright being ejected at the same time. Positives: we will forever have in our minds (and in our records) David Wright yelling, “YOU ARE THE WORST OF ALL TIME.” Anyway Wheeler gets the nod tonight as he faces Josh Collmenter.

Wheeler is 0-2 this season allowing 7 ER over 11.0 innings with a 5.73 ERA. Last year in one start against Arizona he allowed one earned run over 6.1 innings and 6 hits while walking none and striking out 4. The Diamondbacks have the following numbers against Wheeler:

• Goldschmidt 1-3
• Hill 1-3, HR
• Prado 1-3
• McCarthy 0-2
• Parra 1-2
• Pennington 1-2

The Mets bats will get a look at Josh Collmenter who is getting his first start since 2012. This year as a reliever he has pitched 8.0 innings allowing 2 earned runs. Last year he was 5-5 with a 3.13 ERA over 49 games and 92.0 innings. Against the Mets last year he logged 6.0 innings over 3 games allowing 2 ER, walking 3 and striking out 3. The Mets have the following numbers against Josh:

• Wright 2-9, 2 HR
• Murphy 3-7, 2B
• Davis 2-4, HR
• Niese 0-5
• Tejada 2-5
• Recker 1-4
• Satin 1-2, 2B

Lets Go Mets!

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The Mets announced today that they will be selling tickets for this weekend’s series in select seats for $3.50 and baseline tickets for $19.64. The seats are limited but once again it creates this odd dynamic with season ticket holders.

This year, my family gave me a 10 game package to the Mets, which is fantastic and I’m super excited about it. As a teacher though, the only day that works really is Saturday, some days in July (the only month when I’m not at work). I get out of school at 6:30 in the evening in Newark, so making it to weekday games is pretty much out of the question.

When the Mets do things like this promotion, I feel jaded. The tickets for the baseline are the same value for my promenade tickets (which is my favorite section by the way). Where is the incentive to get a ticket package? The savings from this weekend alone can nearly match the savings from the season plan.

So what should the Mets do?

I am also a season ticket holder for the Red Bulls and I think the Mets can take a page out of their book. First my tickets for the Red Bulls are on a card, the Mets shouldn’t copy that part, but the card can also be used at concession stands. I get a discount with it and load more money on it if I have to. When I refer someone for tickets, or I am owed something by the Red Bulls, they put money on it.

It would be a great gesture for the Mets to do something like this next year for season ticket holders. They could add a certain percentage of the difference in ticket prices to these cards so fans can use it at the ball park. It would cut into their pockets but it also make being a season ticket holder a valuable investment because right now with these surprise promotions, it is not.

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For the second straight night, the Mets and Angles went into extra innings, except this time the Mets won in the 13th and set up a rubber game against the Angels today. Last night the Mets took a 6-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth where Valverde got two batters out, then let two on, allowed a three run homer to Ibanez, and then got the final out. The overworked Mets bullpen were able to keep it together through the 13th where Recker, who had a big hit earlier, smacked a homer for the lead. Today Bartolo Colon gets his third start of the year as he faces off against C.J. Wilson.

Bartolo Colon is 1-1 over two starts with a 2.08 ERA pitching 13.0 innings, allowing 3 ER. His first start was average but his last start was spectacular against the Braves. Last year he faced the Angels in two games. He went 2-0 over 15.0 innings allowing 2 ER including a complete game shutout. The Angels have the following numbers against Colon:

• Ibanez 18-69, 3 2B, HR (Colon and Ibanez are old. How old? 75 PA’s, 15 BB)
• Aybar 6-24, 2B
• Kendrick 1-19
• Pujols 5-19, HR
• Trout 7-14, 2 HR
• McDonald 2-7
• Schuck 2-7

The Mets bats will face off against C. J. Wilson who has been pitching since 2005 in the American League. On the season he is 1-1 over 2 games and 13.2 innings with a 4.61 ERA allowing 7 earned runs. Last year he was 17-7 in 33 games with a 3.39 ERA over 212.1 innings. In his career he has pitched one inning against the Mets allowing 3 hits and 2 earned runs. Four Mets have faced Wilson:

• Granderson 5-20, 3B
• Recker 0-5
• Wright 0-0, BB
• Young 1-1

Lets Go Mets!

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The Mets this weekend have returned to Anaheim, the site of the infamous 3 AM, eastern time firing of Willie Randolph, for the first time since Randolph was let go.

The event was so incredibly “Mets” in what ever sense you want that to mean.

The Mets were in their hotel after winning a game against the Angels when Randolph and long time pitching coach Ricky Peterson were let go. That kick started the Jerry years which have led us to where we are now.

But you already know about this. The rest of this post is a self-serving, as I recount where I was during that time. It’s pretty selfish but it occurred at an interesting time in my life. The summer of 2008 was the first my first of two summers working at a sleep-away Jewish camp in Maryland (and I’ll keep it at that for now), one of the best experiences I’ve had. For those who haven’t worked at an 8+ week sleepaway camp, and are still young enough (must be done during college), go do it. It is more like any brotherhood experience you can get at a fraternity, and you get to help children make positive memories that they will hold onto forever (but as a teacher, my value on that is biased).

Anyway, I’m also shy and this camp, as welcoming as it can be a little rough to break in at first. Counselors from overseas clique up and counselors that completed the camp’s training program clique up. (This passes after a week or so). I was in a small group of counselors that didn’t do either.

However day two of camp, there was a lot to talk about because I was wearing a Mets shirt, and the only person who had contact with the outside world was the camp director. (Side note: phone use at this time was uncommon, and this was on the cusp of smart phone use being really popular, so information trickled to camp via newspaper. This no longer is true for camp, which is sad). The camp director passed me in the registration line and just let off a passing, “by the way, your front office fired your manager at 3 AM this morning.”

Fast forward a year, and in my second year at this camp, I was known for being a Mets fan (shocking, I know). The same camp director made a bet with me at the start of the summer that if the Orioles beat the Mets in the 2009 series, I would have to sing “Don’t cry for me Argentina” in front of the camp. If the Mets won, he would wear Mets stuff in front of the camp.

The Mets would end up losing the series thanks to walking in the winning runs, I ended up singing (but actually rapping in an act of defiance) “Don’t cry for me Argentina” and now the internet knows for all of time how the Mets are laced within some of my favorite summer memories.

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The Mets continue their series tonight with the Angels as they try to bounce back from their close, 5-4 loss in the series opener. Gee was a little flat at points last night and the team just couldn’t get enough done on the base paths to propel to victory. Tonight, Jon Niese will get his second start of the season as he squares off against Jered Weaver.

Jon Niese had a successful start to the season even though he picked up the loss as he pitched 5.2 innings allowing 2 ER and 6 hits while walking one and striking out 4. His one start against the Angels was forgettable as he allowed 4 ER, 5 total over 4.0 innings with 8 hits. However, the wealth of players who have moved to the Angels in recent years has resulted in some history between the Angels and Niese:

• Ibanez 4-16, HR
• Freese 0-9
• Iannetta 2-6
• Pujols 2-7, 2B, HR
• Aybar 1-3, 3B
• Stewart 1-3
• Kendrick 0-2

Jered Weaver is 0-2 over his first two starts this season allowing 9 runs, 8 earned over 12 innings. In that time he has allowed 11 hits, walked three batters and struck out 12. Last season he went 11-8 with a 3.27 ERA over 24 games and 154.1 innings of work while striking out 117. The season before that he won a league leading 20 games in 30 starts over 188.2 innings. He has made one start against the Mets where he allowed 6 ER over 6.1 innings with 8 hits. The Mets have the following numbers against Weaver:

• Granderson 10-27, 5 HR
• Wright 0-3
• And that’s it. Thanks to a young, national league roster vs an American League team.

Lets Go Mets!

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The Mets return to Anaheim tonight to start an interleague series against the Angels. The last time the Mets were playing against the Angels, the Mets ended up firing their manager 3 AM local time in an event that can just be described as, “very modern/current day Mets”. Anyway, the Mets look to pull themselves up to .500 for the first time this season, thanks to series victories against the Reds and the Braves. Dillon Gee will get the start tonight as he squares off with Tyler Skaggs.

Dillon Gee has pitched in two games this year with a 1-0 record over 14.0 innings where he has allowed 7 ER, 3 BB and 9 K’s. Dillon Gee has never faced the Angels before, however a few players on their roster have faced Gee with their former teams:

• Freese 3-11
• Ibanez 1-7
• Pujols 0-3

Tyler Skaggs, who is coming over from the Dodgers, is 1-0 this year in one start where he pitched 8.0 innings allowing 4 hits, one run, none earned while walking 5 and striking out 5. Last year he went 2-3 over 7 games and 38.2 innings with a 5.12 ERA while striking out 36. With his limited time as a Diamondback, Skaggs never faced the Mets and has never faced any one on the Mets roster, so for the second day in a row, the Mets hitters will be flying blind against their opposing starting pitcher.

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