213 Miles From Shea

The Mets try to get the series split tonight against the Phillies. Both starting pitchers made their major league debuts last night and it did not go well from Gagnon who allowed 6 runs off 7 hits in 4.2 innings. But Bashlor finally saw some action in the game and allowed only 1 run in 2.1 innings off 3 hits and a walk and Conlon had 2.0 innings of 3 hit ball where he allowed no runs and struck out 3. Taking positives wherever we can find them.

Jacob deGrom will get his last tune-up before the All-Star Game. He is 5-4 over 18 games and 115.1 innings with a 1.79 ERA (league leading), 2.33 FIP (league leading), 0.988 WHIP and 214 ERA+ (league leading). After two average starts, deGrom bounced back in his last start allowing 1 run off 4 hits and a walk in 8.0 innings while striking out 8 although he didn’t get a win because the Mets offense either hates him, is scared of him or something. The Mets eventually won that game thanks to a walk-off grand slam by Jose Bautista. His only start agianst the Phillies this year lasted an inning as he was rehabbing back from a hyper-extended elbow. It was the game where he walked the bases loaded and still got out of it anyway. The Phillies have the following numbers against deGrom:

• Herrera 6-27, BB, 8 K
• Hernandez 3-16, 4 BB, 4 K
• Franco 3-16, 2B
• Williams 2-8
• Hoskins 1-4, 2 BB
• Altherr 0-2, BB, 2 K
• Crawford 0-2

The Mets bats will see Vince Velaquez coming off the DL. He is 5-8 over 17 games and 88.1 innings with a 4.69 ERA, 3.84 FIP, 1.291 WHIP and 87 ERA+. With the exception of a start where he allowed 10 runs in 3.2 innings against the Brewers in June, he has been doing ok with starts ranging from good to average. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

• Cabrera 5-11, 2B, BB
• Confortion 4-7, 2 HR
• Reyes 1-8, 2B
• Flores 1-5, HR

Let’s Go Mets!

Yesterday was another bizarre day in Mets land. Before the games started, the Mets put Todd Frazier on the DL and explained that they weren’t going to call up McNeil, because they didn’t want him to play out of position. The first game was back and forth until Wilmer Flores finished the game on a walk-off homer in the 10th inning, becoming the all time leader in Mets walk-off RBI’s. Then the Mets managed to lose the second game despite only allowing 2 hits. Tonight, both the pitchers for the Phillies and the Mets will be making their major league debuts.

The Mets are will be running Drew Gagnon out tonight who the Mets signed as a minor league free agent out of the Angels farm system last year. Drew started off as a Brewer and played through all of their farm levels from 2011-2016. Last year he spent the entire season at Salt Lake, the Angels AAA affiliate and for the Mets this year he has split time between Vegas and Binghamton. At age 28 in the minors he has posted a career 4.78 ERA and 5.11 RAvg over 198 games and 138 starts. This year he is 2-4 over both levels with a 4.40 ERA, 4.57 RAvg in 18 games, posting a 4.67 ERA at Vegas (which leads starters).

Enyel De Los Santos will make his debut for the Phillies.  De Los Santos has also been in multiple organizations. He signed with the Mariners in 2015 and was traded soon after to the Padres for Joaquin Benoit. After the 2017 season he was part of the trade that sent Freddy Galvis to San Diego. The 22 year old is 9-3 in Lehigh Valley this year with a 1.89 ERA, 1.98 RAvg over 95.1 innings. Overall in the minors he is 33-14 over 428.2 innings with a 3.30 ERA. De Lose Santos is having statistically his best year by far right now at the highest level in the Phillies organization.

Let’s Go Mets!

(My apologies if this appears during Game 1 today, I’m trying to predict the start time before Game 1 even starts!)

The Mets and Phillies finish their single admission double header with the Phillies sending another strong starter against the Mets to face off against Corey Oswalt. Oswalt last pitched for the Mets in Toronto. This year he is 0-1 over 3 games and 2 starts in 11.1 innings from 13 hits and 10 runs, a lot of damage coming from 4 homers. His last start wasn’t bad, just short as he allowed 2 runs off 5 hits (and a homer) in 4.0 innings. The start before that he allowed 6 runs over 2.2 innings. This will be the first time Oswalt faces the Phillies in his career.

The Mets draw Aaron Nola who is 11-2 over 18 games and 116.0 innings with a 2.41 ERA, 2.73 FIP, 1.026 WHIP and 168 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed 2 runs over 14.2 innings from 12 hits and 17 K’s. His second start of the season was against the Mets where he allowed 2 runs over 5.0 innings and then six weeks later he allowed 1 run off 9 hits in 6.0 innings against the Mets. The Mets have the following numbers against Nola:

• Cabrera 4-11, K
• Conforto 3-10, HR, BB, 2 K
• Mesoraco 0-8, BB
• Nimmo 1-5, 4 BB
• Bautista 1-6, 3 K
• Rosario 3-6, 2B
• Flores 1-3
• Frazier 0-2
• Smith 0-3

Let’s Go Mets!

After winning Friday night on a walk-off grand slam the rest of the weekend was pretty awful for the Mets. The Mets ruined a great outing by Matz by almost getting no hit and yesterday the team just struggled on just about every level. The reward for that? The Mets play a single admission double header today against two of the best pitchers for the Phillies. In the first game of the doubleheader is Zack vs Zach.

Zack Wheeler is 2-6 over 16 games and 95.0 innings with a 4.36 ERA, 3.67 ERA, 1.305 WHIP and 88 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed 2 runs over 13.1 innings from 8 hits and 4 walks while striking out 12. He hasn’t faced the Phillies this year yet and last year he went 1-0 over 3 games and 14.1 innings with 6 runs, 4 earned from 10 hits, 5 walks and 15 K’s. The Phillies have the following numbers against Wheeler:

• Hernandez 5-8
• Herrera 1-6, HR
• Franco 0-5
• Santana 1-1
• Altherr 0-2
• Eflin 0-2

The Mets bats will try to find themselves against Zach Eflin who is 7-2 over 11 games and 63.2 innings with a 2.97 ERA, 2.92 FIP, 1.084 WHIP, 137 ERA+. Since June 6th he has made 6 starts where he has gone 6-0 over 37.2 innings with a 1.91 ERA. Last year he faced the Mets twice allowing 2 runs, 1 earned over 5.0 innings and then allowing 4 runs over 5.1 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against Eflin:

• Cabrera 0-9
• Reyes 3-7, 3 2B
• Cespedes 1-4, 2 BB
• Conforto 1-5, HR
• Bautista 0-2, BB
• Flores 1-3
• Smith 1-3

Let’s Go Mets! Check out our review of the NL Last All-Star Spot Ballot.

The MLB just released the final fan vote for the last spot in the All-Star game by sending out this tweet:

These guys still have a chance.

We present your 2018 @CampingWorld All-Star #FinalVote candidates. Vote NOW: https://t.co/8a7gYAR1L5 pic.twitter.com/GfG1naL1P5

— MLB (@MLB) July 9, 2018

Even though baseball as a whole has gotten better about recognizing OBP, it’s not mentioned at all. RBI’s are hampered by both the success of the players around the player recording the RBI and sometimes is an arbitrary call by the score keeper.

So Let’s Make This Better:

Max Muncy: .270/.410/1.027, 2.8 WAR
Jesús Aguilar: .303/.364/.610, 2.4 WAR
Matt Carpenter: .256/.363/.502, 2.9 WAR
Brandon Belt: .296/.387/.504, 2.9 WAR
Trea Turner: .282/.359/.425, 3.5 WAR

And Just For Fun:

Brandon Nimmo: .261/.384/.517, 2.4 WAR
(So I guess I can’t be sour Nimmo is not on the list)

(It’s possible to read this as Nimmo must be as good as Aguilar based on WAR, but Aguilar, Nimmo have less playing time than Turner. Ultimately it will probably be and should be Aguilar voted in as he leads the National league in Slugging)

Short Answer: No

Additional Context:

Jacob deGrom has been the best pitcher in the National League this year and finds his name swirling with rumors. He’s also not the only player where this is a possibility as Manny Machado is also in trade talks. While It remains incredibly unlikely that deGrom will be traded, it is very likely that Machado will be traded, possibly before the All-Star Game.

This happened to Jeff Samardzija in 2014 when he was traded from the Cubs to the Athletics. At the game they put him in a National League jersey, gave him a generic hat and named him ineligible to play.

For Major League Baseball, this situation can leave two markets with no representatives in the game. In the rare circumstance where the Mets trade deGrom, a major market team will have no one in the game. In the likely circumstance that Machado is traded, the closest market to the All-Star game, Baltimore, will be without a player.

The Mets bats wasted another strong start yesterday, this time from Steven Matz as the Mets fell to the Rays 3-0. The Mets now will face off against the Rays in a rubber game with Chris Flexen on the mound. Flexen was recalled from Vegas before the Mets last bullpen game started by Blevins and ended by Flexen.

On the season Flexen has pitched in three games totaling 3.1 innings allowing 8 runs, only 4 earned from 9 hits and 3 walks. Last year he was 3-6 over 14 games and 9 starts totaling 48.0 innings with a 7.88 ERA. He was a nudge better as a starter with a 7.78 ERA over 41.2 innings. The only player on the Rays that has seen Flexen is Gomez who is 1-2 with a walk.

The Mets will get to see Nathan Eovaldi again who they used to face all the time. Nathan started off with the Dodgers, played for several seasons with the Marlins before joining the Yankees. He missed all of 2017 and now is with the Rays. He is 2-3 over 7 games pitching 41.1 innings with a 3.92 ERA, 4.77 FIP, 0.919 WHIP, 102 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed 2 runs over 12.0 innings from 9 hits and 3 walks lowering his ERA from 4.91 to 3.92. The Mets have the following numbers against Nathan:

• Cabrera 2-11, BB
• Bautista 1-7, 2 BB
• Frazier 2-6
• Mesoraco 0-5, BB
• Flores 1-4, 2B
• Conforto 0-3
• Plawecki 0-2

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets have now won 3 of their last 4 games and look to win three straight games today for the first time in forever. Last night the Mets got another gem of a performance from Jacob deGrom who pitched 8.0 innings allowing 1 run, and getting no run support. After a solid inning of work from Familia, the Mets ended the game on a walk-off grand slam by Jose Bautista (surprisingly, his first walk-off homer). All of the major contributors last night (deGrom, Bautista, Familia and Cabrera) have had their names in varying degrees of trade rumors.

Matz is 4-5 over 16 games and 83.1 innings with a 3.46 ERA, 4.71 FIP, 1.224 WHIP and 111 ERA+. He ended June with a bad start and an average start, but rebounded in his first start in July where he allowed 1 run, not earned, over 5.1 innings. There are several members of the Rays who have seen Matz as members of other teams:

• Hechavarria 2-6
• Ramos 2-6
• Duffy 1-3
• Smith 0-3

The Mets bats will face off against Blake Snell who is 11-4 over 108.2 innings and 18 games with a 2.24 ERA, 3.44 FIP, 1.012 WHIP, and a 176 ERA+. He is leading the league in Hits per 9 innings, only allowing 5.7. In his last three starts he is 3-0 pitching 21.1 innings allowing only 2 runs from 8 hits and 12 walks while striking out 26 leading to an ERA of 0.84. Only two Mets have seen Snell in a game. Bautista is 2-11 with a double and 4 walks. Frazier is 1-5 with a walk.

Let’s Go Mets!

One of the greatest things about the Brooklyn Cyclones: food and drink options that mirror Citi Field (mainly Arancini Bros, Nathans, Coney Island Beer). However that made it difficult to find something to eat there I haven’t had yet in Queens. So I went to their taco stand:

First off: It’s really hard to be upset at tacos. I was not upset at all wit these tacos.

Because the tacos in 2017 were attached to the nacho/burrito line, the ingredients used were the same. So great meat, cilantro etc…with nacho cheese sauce and tostito quality salsa.

The good news: the Mets come back to Queens tonight with a 2-1 record in July. The bad news: it should be 3-0 as one of the games in Toronto had an epic loss and heading into the long homestand, the Mets will be surrounded with trade rumors for the rest of the month. One of the main lightning rods for rumors, Jacob deGrom, will be on the hill tonight as the Mets match up with the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East. The Mets will also get to see an old friend in Adeiny Hechavarria tonight. That’s where we are at this point of the season folks. Pumping ourselves up because we get to see Hechavarria vs deGrom tonight.

Jacob deGrom is 5-4 over 17 games and 107.1 innings and he has an ERA of 1.84 (league leading), 2.23 FIP, 1.016 WHIP and 207 ERA+ (league leading). In his last two starts Jacob has returned to Earth at bit as he has allowed 6 runs over 12.0 innings from 11 hits and 4 walks.  He faced the Rays back in 2015 where he allowed 2 runs over 6.1 innings off 6 hits while striking out 6. The Rays have the following numbers against deGrom:

• Hechavarria 4-17, 2 2B, BB
• Ramos 3-14, 2B, HR
• Gomez 4-10
• Duffy 0-6
• Smith 0-5
• Cron 1-2

The Mets bats will get a look at Ryne Stanek who is 1-2 over 23 game sand 9 starts this season pitching 27.1 innings with a 1.98 ERA, 3.18 FIP, 0.988 WHIP and 202 ERA+. His numbers are incredibly head scratching. Basically it looks like 9 times this year he’s been asked to start a game where he has pitched no more than 2.0 innings. In the middle of June he had a three start streak of not allowing any runs, but only pitching 5.0 innings. Only two Mets have seen Stanek:

• Bautista 0-1, K
• Frazier 1-1, HR

Let’s Go Mets!