213 Miles From Shea

Cespedes scored a lot on 4/11 with his three homers. He’s completing the last 90 ft here!

In a rematch of the 1973 World Series, the Athletics come to town! We only match up with the AL West every three years so it’s a welcomed change of pace to see Oakland come to town. The MLB Trade Deadline will be a narrative running all weekend as both the Athletics and Mets are to be sellers this year. The cross-town team, the Yankees, has been linked to both the first basemen of the Athletics and Mets (Alonso & Duda). We may be in for a #HugWatch weekend.

The Mets are coming of a series split with the Cardinals. Sometimes luck does come the Mets way as a mental mistake by the Cards in the bottom of the ninth led to a Mets win. Tonight Steven Matz looks to get back on the right track. He is 2-3 over 7 games and 39.1 innings with a 4.58 ERA, 5.35 FIP and 1.347 WHIP. He is coming off the worst start of his career where he allowed 7 runs off 9 hits and a walk in 1.0 innings. In his last two starts he has allowed 12 runs over 5.1 innings. Only two Athletics have seen Matz in a game: Rajai Davis (1-3) and Adam Rosales (0-2).

The Mets get a look at rookie Paul Blackburn making his 4th career start. So far he is 1-0 over 3 games and 19.2 innings with an 1.83 ERA, 4.71 FIP and 1.119 WHIP. He is coming off his first statistically average start of the year where he allowed 3 runs off 5 hits and 4 walks in 6.0 innings. Previously he allowed only 1 run off 8 hits in 7.2 innings (which explains why his FIP and ERA is so different). Before being called up this year he was 5-6 over 79.2 innings with a 3.05 ERA in the minors.

Let’s Go Mets!

Sherlock talking to Walker at 3rd base on a night where Sherlock got to talk to a lot of players. Picture taken on 4/11/17 in Philly.

Cespedes rounded third base a lot on 4/11/17 in Philly as he hit three homers. Here’s a picture of one of those times:

The Mets look to build off yesterday’s win as they go for a series split with the Cardinals this afternoon. Yesterday the Mets put up 7 runs early and road that all the way to a 7-3 win. It mimicked their two other wins since the All-Star break with the team jumping out to a huge lead early. While that is difficult strategy to sustain, the Mets will try again today.

Seth Lugo gets the nod. He is 4-2 over 7 games and 6 starts pitching 40.0 innings with a 4.50 ERA, 4.08 FIP and 1.450 WHIP. In his last start he allowed 3 ER over 6.2 innings with 7 hits and 2 walks. Before the All-Star break he allowed 1 run off 2 hits and a walk over 3.0 innings to the Cardinals. The Cardinals have the following numbers against him:

• Carpenter 0-4
• Garcia 0-1, 2 BB
• Gyorko 0-3
• DeJong 0-2
• Molina 1-2
• Voit 1-2, HR
• Fowler 1-1

The Mets bats will get a crack at Lance Lynn who is 8-6 over 19 starts and 108.2 innings with a 3.40 ERA, 5.00 FIP and 1.141 WHIP. He is coming off strong back to back starts allowing no runs over 13.1 innings and 11 hits with one walk. One of those starts was against the Mets where he allowed no runs and 3 hits with walk over 7.0 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against Lynn:

• Bruce 15-36, 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 3 BB
• Duda 0-14, 4 BB
• Cespedes 2-9, 3B
• Flores 0-8
• R Rivera 3-7, 2B, BB
• Granderson 1-3, HR, 4 BB
• Reyes 1-5, 2 BB

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets had a pretty bad last night as the Cardinals fired on all cylinders, but the Mets still have two more games against the Cardinals to even up the series. Tonight the Mets will try to get that done with Jacob deGrom on the hill. Jacob is 10-3 over 18 starts and 119.0 innings with a 3.48 ERA, 3.74 FIP and 1.176 WHIP. In his last 6 starts he is 6-0 over 47.0 innings with a 1.53 ERA. In addition to putting up great numbers on the hill, he’s been tearing it up at the plate, especially at home. His only bad start in that 6 start stretch was against the Cardinals, in a game the Mets won, where he allowed 8 hits and no walks leading to 4 runs. The Cardinals have the following numbers against Jacob:

• Carpenter 2-13, HR
• Fowler 2-7, HR, BB
• Molina 2-8, 2B, BB
• Gyorko 3-6, HR
• Martinez 1-5
• Wong 0-5
• DeJong 3-3, 2B, HR

Mike Leake takes the mound for the Cards tonight. He’s 6-7 over 18 starts and 114.2 innings with a 3.14 ERA, 3.99 FIP, 1.203 WHIP. Mike Leake missed the Mets last time around, so if you were disappointed, I guess you won’t be now? In his last 5 starts he is 1-1 over 28.2 innings with a 3.14 ERA (so exactly his year average). The Mets have the following numbers against him:

• Cabrera 4-12, 2 2B
• Duda 6-8, 2B, 2 HR, 2 BB
• Reyes 2-10, 2B
• Granderson 2-5, 2B, BB
• R Rivera 0-4, BB
• d’Arnaud 0-4
• Bruce 1-3
• Cespedes 1-3

Let’s Go Mets!

Back on the 9th we showed you the first picture from the Bobblehead Hall of Fame taken on 4/13/17. Then on the 14th we showed the second. Here’s the final picture.

The Mets had their second lack luster game in a row yesterday and look to get back on the right path tonight. Last night’s game was going smoothly for Wheeler until the 6th inning where he ran into trouble that he couldn’t get out of. Then Robles was brought in a promptly let up a 3-run bomb. All told, the Cards scored 6 in the frame and it was enough to beat the Mets.

Tonight Rafael Montero gets the start for the Mets after being bumped from the rotation the weekend before the All-Star break due to rain in DC. He is 1-5 on the season over 18 games and 4 starts totaling 39.0 innings with a 5.77 ERA, 3.52 FIP and a 1.897 WHIP. After a good start against the Giants, allowing only 1 run over 5.2 innings, he then allowed 4 runs over 6.1 innings (8 hits, 2 walks) against the Phillies. He did get some work in against the Cardinals before the break where he allowed 1 run off a hit and a walk in 0.2 innings. The Cardinals have the following numbers against him:

• Fowler 2-4
• DeJong 1-1, 2B
• Voit 0-0, BB

Michael Wacha gets the nod for the Cards. He’s 6-3 over 16 games and 85.2 innings with a 4.10 ERA, 3.50 FIP, and 1.424 WHIP. Wacha has only thrown more than 6.0 innings once this year (April 19th, 6.2 innings), but his numbers have been good. In his last 4 starts he is 3-0 over 21.2 innings and 26 K’s with a 2.08 ERA. In 11.2 innings in July he has logged 18 K’s. The Mets have the following numbers against Wacha:

• Bruce 1-24, BB
• Duda 1-7, 2B, 4 BB
• Granderson 2-9, 2B
• Flores 0-3
• Reyes 0-3
• d’Arnaud 1-1, BB

Let’s Go Mets!

Mets warming up, shagging fly balls, shooting the breeze in the outfield before the game on 4/11/17 in Philly.

The Mets faced off with the Cardinals right before the All-Star break in St. Louis and now they are coming northeast to face the Mets in Queens. This weekend the Mets put a beating on the Rockies in the first two games, winning 14-2 and 9-3 before get wiped themselves yesterday in a game where Matz allowed 7 runs in 1.0+ innings of work.

Wheeler gets the start for the Mets. He is 3-6 over 76.0 innings and 15 starts with a 4.86 ERA, 4.73 FIP and 1.513 WHIP. His last start was in St. Louis where he allowed 2 runs over 6.0 innings off 8 hits and a walk. I was at the game and it felt a lot like Wheeler in April/May where he put up only a couple of runs, but labored through it. The Cardinals have the following numbers against Wheeler:

• Gyorko 0-6
• Carpenter 1-3, 2B
• Molina 2-3, 2B
• Pham 1-2
• Voit 2-3, 2B
• DeJong 2-2, 2B, HR
• Wainwright 0-2

It’s a rematch from before the All-Star break as Adam Wainwright will face off against Wheeler. Wainwright is 10-5 over 18 games and 97.0 innings with a 5.20 ERA, 3.79 FIP, 1.495 WHIP. His last start was against the Mets and it was a good one as he held the Mets to 1 run over 6.2 innings holding the Amazin’s to 5 hits and no walks. The Mets have the following numbers against Wainwright:

• Bruce 13-44, 2 2B, 3 HR, 5 BB
• Granderson 2-18, 2B, BB
• Cespedes 3-17, HR, BB
• Duda 3-13, 2B, HR, 2 BB
• Reyes 3-16
• Cabrera 2-10, 2B
• d’Arnaud 2-7
• Flores 2-5, 2B
• R Rivera 1-5, BB
• Conforto 0-3
• TJ Rivera 2-3

Let’s Go Mets!