213 Miles From Shea

The Mets will kick off the second half of their season with the Rockies at home. One of the lowest points of last season was the end of July home series with the Rockies, who won 3 of the 4 games. It would be the next week that the 2016 Mets started their run at the Wild Card. Can the Mets do it this year? Do the Mets start to break the team apart this week?

Rather than jumping into those questions, lets look at tonight’s game featuring Jacob deGrom. Jacob is 9-3 over 17 games and 111.0 innings with a 3.65 ERA, 3.97 FIP, 1.216 WHIP. He is coming off his first rough start in a while where he allowed 4 runs off 8 hits and no walks against the Cardinals, a game he still won. In the previous four starts he allowed 4 runs, 3 earned, over 32.0 innings. He had an average start against the Rockies in May of 2016, allowing 3 runs over 4 hits and 3 walks in 6.1 innings. Then in July he had a tremendous start allowing no runs on 5 hits and a walk over 7.0 innings in a game where the Mets lost 2-1. The Rockies have the following numbers against Jacob:

• Arenado 1-12, 2B
• Blackmon 0-11, BB
• LeMahieu 2-11, 2B, BB
• Parra 1-12, HR
• Reynolds 0-12, K
• Gonzalez 3-7, 2B, HR, 2 BB
• Story 1-6
• Wolters 1-3

The Mets will get a look at Jon Gray who is making his third start since returning from injury. Last year he was 10-10 over 29 starts and 168.0 innings with a 4.61 ERA, 3.60 FIP and 1.262 WHIP. This year he is 2-0 over 5 starts and 24.0 innings with a 3.75 ERA, 3.36 FIP and 1.458 WHIP. In his two starts since returning he has tossed 11.2 innings allowing 5 runs, 4 earned over 15 hits and 2 walks. He faced the Mets in May of last year where he allowed 2 runs over 7.0 innings with 5 hits and a walk. The Mets have the following numbers against Gray:

• Granderson 2-9, 2B
• Cespedes 2-8, 2B, HR
• Duda 2-8
• Conforto 0-5, BB
• Bruce 2-3, 2B, HR
• Cabrera 1-2
• d’Arnaud 1-3, HR
• Flores 1-2

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. Here’s #2.

As you probably have seen over multiple photos this week, the Mets have a beautiful affiliate in Columbia, South Carolina. Here is a view from the outfield taken on 4/12/17.

If you love how minor league baseball teams weave theme into everything they do, you will the Mets affiliate, the Columbia Fireflies. This is their team store. Picture taken on 4/12/17.

Billy Wagner threw the first pitch in Columbia, SC, the home of the Mets low A (now just called A) affiliate, the Fireflies on 4/12/17!

The Mets affiliate in Columbia, South Caroline is just beautiful. Picture taken 4/12/17

The Marlins have a Bobblehead Hall of Fame. You’ll probably see a lot of it during All-Star coverage if you haven’t already. This is the first of three posts with Mets bobble heads in it. The others are being posted on the 14th and 19th. Picture taken on 4/13/17

Yesterday was a clunky game for the Mets. Zack Wheeler provided a solid start but the bullpen let the game expand enough that it felt like an unreachable goal to tie the game. In the end, the Mets got limited offense and lost 4-1 so the Mets will look to take the rubber game this afternoon.

Steven Matz is 2-1 over 5 games and 34.0 innings with a 2.12 ERA, 4.56 FIP and 1.029 WHIP. Matz is coming off back to back starts where he held teams scoreless over 7.0 innings. In his last 14.0 innings he has allowed only 10 hits and 3 walks. Matz has never faced the Cardinals and only member has seen him in a game, Fowler, who is 1-3.

The Mets bats will try to bounce back against Lance Lynn who is 6-6 over 17 games and 95.1 innings with a 3.87 ERA, 5.35 FIP, 1.175 WHIP. He is coming off Tommy John surgery which took him out of the 2016 season. His ERA is up 0.84 runs from the 2015, his WHIP is up almost 1.9 runs but his WHIP is down. He was doing great until mid-June where he allowed 7 runs in back to back starts. Since then he has tossed 11.1 innings with 7 runs, 5 earned. In 2015 he allowed 1 runs and 3 hits over 7.0 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against Lance Lynn:

• Bruce 14-33, 2B,  3B, 3 HR, 3 BB, 1.310 OPS
• Duda 0-13, 3 BB
• Cespedes 2-6, 3B
• Granderson 1-2, HR, 4 BB
• R Rivera 2-5, 2B
• Flores 0-5
• Reyes 1-2, 2 BB

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets play game two with the Cardinals this afternoon. Today is also a 7 Line Army game! Are you going to the game? Do you want to meet up? Please reach out to me on Twitter @213mfs!

Anyway, Zack Wheeler gets the start this afternoon as the Mets use the rain out on Wednesday to skip Montero’s spot in the rotation. Wheeler is 3-5 over 14 starts and 70.0 innings this year with a 5.01 ERA, 4.80 FIP and 1.514 WHIP. In his return from the DL, he allowed 2 hits and 2 walks in 3.2 innings against the Phillies leading to 2 unearned runs. With the Cards being in a different division, and Wheeler’s recent injury woes the last couple of years, the only person on the Cardinals roster who has seen Wheeler is Gyorko who is 0-3 with 3 K’s.

The Mets get a look at an old foe, embedded in Mets lore, Adam Wainwright, who is 9-5 with a 5.48 ERA over 17 starts and 90.1 innings. He also owns a 3.87 FIP and 1.550 WHIP. His FIP is why I’m not getting my hopes up too much. While it is above his career mark of 3.24, it suggests that there are mistakes happening behind him leading to runs. In two starts against the Mets last year he allowed 20 hits and 3 walks over 11.2 innings leading to 11 runs, 6 earned. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

• Bruce 12-41, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 BB
• Granderson 2-15, 2B, BB
• Cespedes 3-14, HR, BB
• Duda 3-10, 2B, HR, 2 BB
• Reyes 1-13
• Cabrera 2-7, 2B
• Flores 2-5, 2B
• R Rivera 1-5

Let’s Go Mets!

Snapped this photo on 4/13/17 of the manager/umpire meeting at home plate.