213 Miles From Shea

In which I stretch the definition of “Mets Picture of the Day”: Today’s photo comes from 4/10/16 with Cutter Dykstra, the son of Lenny Dykstra striking out as a member of the Harrisburg Senators against the Altoona Curve.

Lenny Dykstra's son Cutter striking out against the Altoona Curve #Altoona #Rt22Rivalry #ElliotTakesALongDrive #Roadtrip2

A post shared by Elliot Lester (@eteich1100) on Apr 10, 2016 at 11:22am PDT

The Mets and Braves are set to play a double header today. After dropping last night’s game to the Braves 3-2, the Mets slipped to 25-33 and things look bleak. Luckily, the Mets get reinforcements today as Yoenis Cespedes returns and Steven Matz will make the start in the evening game.

Robert Gsellman gets the start this afternoon for the first game. He is 4-3 over 13 games and 10 starts and 57.0 innings with a 5.53 ERA, 4.39 FIP and 1.544 WHIP. Since it looked like his time in the rotation was limited with the return of Matz and Lugo, Gsellman has returned to form. In his last two starts he has allowed 10 hits and 4 walks leading to 4 runs, 3 earned, over 12.1 innings. The Mets have won both games. Gsellman had a solid relief appearance against the Braves the first game of the season allowing no runs on 2 hits in an inning, but his two starts against the Braves have been torrid. In 9.0 innings he allowed 16 hits and 4 walks leading to 11 runs, 10 earned. The Braves have the following numbers against him:

• Kemp 6-12, 3 2B, HR
• Inciarte 3-9, HR
• Markakis 3-11
• Flowers 3-9, 2B
• Swanson 2-7
• Phillips 1-5

The Mets bats will see Sean Newcomb make his major league debut. Before the 2016 season, he was considered the #24 and #21 prospect by Baseball America and MLB respectively. Before this year he was #78 and #80 (and Baseball Prospectus had in at #32 in 2016 and #44, go with their rankings, they are generally the best). In the minors this year he is 3-3 over 11 games and 57.2 innings with a 2.97 ERA and a 1.353 WHIP. For additional context, he ended the 2015 season with a 2.38 ERA over two levels of A ball and AA, in 2016 he ended the season with a 3.86 ERA in an entire season of AA ball.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets split the first two game set against the Rangers this year on Wednesday, and after their second off-day this week they travel to Atlanta to take on the Braves. This will be the second series the Mets play at the new home of the Braves as they look to get something positive going with Matt Harvey.

Harvey is 4-3 over 11 games and 61.1 innings with a 5.43 ERA, 6.04 FIP, 1.484 WHIP. After a good start in Pittsburgh where Harvey allowed 1 ER over 6.0 innings, last time out against Pittsburgh at home, he allowed 6 ER over 5 hits and 4 walks in 5.0 innings of work. He has faced the Braves twice this year and they were very different starts. His first start was against the Braves in New York where he allowed 3 hits and 2 runs over 6.2 innings. Then he allowed 8 hits and 3 walks leading 6 runs over 5.1 innings at the start May against the Braves in Atlanta. The Braves have the following numbers against him:

• Markakis 5-19, 2B, 4 BB
• Inciarte 5-18, 2 2B
• Phillips 4-17, 2 2B, BB
• Kemp 3-14, 3 HR, BB
• Suzuki 2-10, HR, 2 BB
• Swanson 1-6, 2 BB

The Mets draw the ace of the Braves staff who has had an off year, Julio Teheran. Teheran is 5-4 over 12 games and 66.2 innings with a 5.40 ERA, 5.71 FIP and 1.515 WHIP. He was starting to bounce back with two good starts in a row but had a horrible last start where he allowed 11 hits and 2 walks in 5.0 innings leading to 7 runs. Against the Mets this year he has been good twice and then terrible. In April he pitched 12.1 innings allowing 8 hits and 7 walks and only 2 runs. Then the next week in May he allowed 6 ER from 6 hits and 3 walks over 6.0 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against Julio:

• Granderson 7-34, 2B, 2 HR, 8 BB (.364 OBP)
• Duda 7-25, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 BB (1.000 OPS)
• Bruce 5-25, 2B, 2 HR, 4 BB
• Walker 3-24, 2 BB
• d’Arnaud 2-24, 2 BB
• Reyes 3-21, 3B, 2 BB
• Cabrera 7-20, 2 2B, 2 BB
• Flores 3-19, HR, 2 BB
• Conforto 3-9, HR

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets starter on 4/12/16 was Kyle Ragnault. It was a cold, April night in Binghamton, so not exactly baseball weather.

Baby Mets tonight! #Binghamton #ElliotTakesALongDrive #Roadtrip2

A post shared by Elliot Lester (@eteich1100) on Apr 12, 2016 at 3:38pm PDT

Last year I went to an interesting promotion night at the Binghamton Mets, “Netfix and Chill Night”. Did they know what that colloquially means? At the ballpark people dived in buckets of ice for movie snacks. Picture was taken 4/12/16.

What I have learned tonight: no one in the stadium knows what this means. Staff is also in the dark…or coy

A post shared by Elliot Lester (@eteich1100) on Apr 12, 2016 at 4:48pm PDT

The Mets pitching woes continued last night at they lost to the Rangers 8-10 despite out hitting the Rangers 17-16. Jacob deGrom had his second poor start in a row allowing 8 runs over 4.0 innings and Smoker allowed an additional 2 in the 6th. The Mets were able to score 4 runs in the last two frames but needed two more to tie the game. On the statistical side for the Mets, Lagares, Cabrera, Walker, Granderson and d’Arnaud all hit homers. Cabrera and Flores each had 3 hits (Flores raising his BA to .325 and his OPS to .847) and Lagares had 4 hits. Duda increased his OPS to .968 for the season.

Wheeler looks to put the Mets back on track tonight. He’s 3-3 over 10 starts and 55.2 innings with a 3.72 ERA, 3.98 FIP and 1.365 WHIP. In his last 6 starts he is 2-1 over 34.0 innings with a 2.65 ERA. At this point in the season, I did not expect that Wheeler (knock on wood) would be the most positive, consistent pitcher on the squad. The Rangers have the following numbers against Zack:

• Andrus 0-2, BB
• Beltre 0-3
• Chirinos 1-3, HR
• Choo 1-3, 2B
• Lucroy 0-3
• Odor 0-3

The Mets bats draw Yu Darvish tonight who is 5-4 over 12 starts and 74.2 innings this year with a 3.13 ERA, 4.02 FIP and 1.192 WHIP. Interesting for Yu, his FIP is up nearly a full run from his FIP last year, but WHIP is only up .08 or so. In Yu’s last two starts he has allowed 6 ER over 11.0 innings with 12 hits and 4 walks. The Mets have the following numbers against Darvish:

• Cabrera 5-10, 2 2B, HR
• Reyes 0-8
• Granderson 1-6, 2B, BB
• Bruce 2-3
• Walker 0-3
• d’Arnaud 0-1
• Duda 1-1, HR, BB

Let’s Go Mets!

Before leaving on a roadtrip to Cleveland last year, I saw the Mets play Miami at Citi Field and Logan Verrett make an effective spot start for the Amazin’s. Picture taken 4/13/16.

Pit stop back home to see my boys. #ElliotTakesALongDrive #Roadtrip2 #LGM2016

A post shared by Elliot Lester (@eteich1100) on Apr 13, 2016 at 10:42am PDT

The Mets will try to forget their last series as they head to Texas to take on the Rangers. The Mets fell apart Friday night, rebounded Saturday night and just never showed up on Sunday as they lost two of three to the Pirates.

Tonight Jacob deGrom will get a shot at redemption. On the season he is 4-2 over 11 games and 68.0 innings with a 3.97 ERA, 3.58 FIP and 1.368 WHIP. In back to back games he allowed 1 run over 15.1 innings and hten his last start against the Brewers happened where he allowed 8 hits and 5 walks over 4.0 innings leading to 7 runs. Only two Rangers have seen deGrom in a major league game. Lucroy is 2-12 with a double and Cashner is 0-1.

The Mets will face an old friend tonight, Dillon Gee. Gee was a Met through 2015 and spent last year with the Royals with a 8-9 record over 33 games and 14 starts over 125.0 innings with a 4.68 ERA, 5.25 FIP, 1.464 WHIP. Since joining the Rangers this year, Gee pitched 2.2 innings allowing 3 hits in first appearance and last time out he allowed 2 hits and 4 runs, none earned, over 4.0 innings. Tonight will be Gee’s first start this year. In the minors this year he is 3-4 over 9 starts with a 3.88 ERA over 51.0 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against Gee:

• Walker 1-8, 2 BB
• Bruce 1-9, HR
• Granderson 1-5, HR, 3 BB
• Cabrera 0-6, BB
• R Rivera 1-2
• Conforto 0-1

Let’s Go Mets!

Today’s Mets Picture of the Day comes from my road trip last year to see the Mets in Cleveland. Colon had the start on Jackie Robinson Day (4/15/16) and it was one of the first De Aza homers of the year.

Big Sexy with the start for the Mets tonight in Cleveland! #BartoloForMayor #BartoloForPresident #BartoloForLife #ElliotTakesALongDrive #Roadtrip2

A post shared by Elliot Lester (@eteich1100) on Apr 15, 2016 at 4:23pm PDT

Last year I took a roadtrip around the Mets going to Cleveland. I snapped this photo on 4/16/16. Enjoy!

Happy Harvey Day! Last game of the roadtrip, back to Newark tomorrow! Lucky to take a week to see 7 baseball games for the second time in under a year. #BeautifulAprilClevelandWeather #ElliotTakesALongDrive #Roadtrip2

A post shared by Elliot Lester (@eteich1100) on Apr 16, 2016 at 1:23pm PDT