213 Miles From Shea

I was lucky enough in 2015 to go the first game of the season in DC. Here are you 2015 New York Mets! Picture taken on 4/6/15.

Your 2015 New York Mets!

A post shared by Elliot Lester (@eteich1100) on Apr 6, 2015 at 12:39pm PDT

What a difference two days make! After Friday’s loss, it felt like the season was completely slipping away from the Mets. Since then, the Mets had a dominate starts from Gsellman, Matz and Lugo and took the last three games from the Braves and come into the series with the Cubs on a high note. The Mets will look to keep the good times going as they welcome the Cubs to Queens for the start of the week.

Jacob deGrom will look to shake off his last two starts. On the season he is 4-3 over 12 games and 72.0 innings with a 4.75 ERA, 3.93 FIP and 1.444 WHIP. In his last two starts he has tossed a combined 8.0 innings allowing 18 hits and 6 walks leading to 15 runs. In the two starts before that he allowed 10 hits and 4 walks over 15.1 innings leading to 1 run. In those two starts he struck out 19 batters, in his last two he struck out 8. In one start against the Cubs last year he tossed 5.0 innings allowing 3 hits and a walk leading to 1 run. The Cubs have the following numbers against Jacob:

• Rizzo 4-14, HR
• Heyward 3-11
• Bryant 2-6, 2 HR, 2 BB
• Jay 2-5, 2B, BB
• Montero 1-6
• Russell 1-6
• Zobrist 0-5
• Schwarber 1-2, HR, BB

The Mets draw John Lackey tonight who is 4-6 over 12 games and 70.1 innings with a 5.12 ERA, 5.06 FIP, and 1.365 WHIP. After a string of poor starts to end the month of May, he started June well holding the Cardinals to 2 runs over 4 hits and 2 walks in 7.0 innings of work, but his last time out against the Marlins he allowed 5 runs over 6.0 innings off 7 hits and no walks. Last year he held the Mets to 2 runs over 6.1 innings allowing 5 hits with 2 walks. The Mets have the following numbers against John:

• Granderson 10-41, 2 2B, 2 3B, HR, 5 BB (.326 OBP)
• Cabrera 7-34, 2 2B, HR, BB
• Bruce 5-29, 2B, 2 HR
• Walker 4-14
• Cespedes 2-7, 2B, HR
• Reyes 3-8, BB
• Flores 0-8, 3 K
• Duda 2-7
• d’Arnaud 2-2, BB

Let’s Go Mets!

I swear I go to baseball games that aren’t Harvey Days. Today’s Picture of the Day was the Harvey Day at Yankee Stadium on 4/25/15.

#HarveyDay

A post shared by Elliot Lester (@eteich1100) on Apr 25, 2015 at 1:49pm PDT

Today’s Picture of the Day is from the way back machine on 6/27/15 when Harvey started against the Reds on a rainy day.

Happy (Rainy) Harvey Day!

A post shared by Elliot Lester (@eteich1100) on Jun 27, 2015 at 2:11pm PDT

After dropping the first game of the series on Friday night, the Mets swept the doubleheader against the Braves in convincing fashion. In the first game, Robert Gsellman looked more like the pitcher we saw in 2015 as he notched his third straight strong start and Yoenis Cespedes returned with an exclamation point getting 4 insurance runs in the top of the 9th with a grand slam. In the evening, Steven Matz returned and he was dominant over 7 innings as the Mets won 8-1.

Seth Lugo makes his return to the rotation today. He was a key part in the Mets rise to the Wild Card game at the end of last year and was one of the best pitchers on Puerto Rico’s staff in the World Baseball Classic. Last year in with the Mets he pitched to a 5-2 record over 17 games, 8 starts with a 2.67 ERA and a 1.094 WHIP. He picked up a win in his only start against Atlanta last year where he allowed 6 hits and 1 walk over 7.0 innings leading to 2 runs. The Braves have the following numbers against Lugo:

• Inciarte 1-3
• Kemp 1-3
• Markakis 1-3
• Swanson 0-2

The Mets will get another look at Jaime Garcia who is 2-4 over 11 starts and 70.0 innings with a 3.21 ERA, 4.33 FIP and 1.229 WHIP. Each of those starts are down from last season with WHIP being down from 1.375 and his ERA is down from 4.67. The Mets last saw Jaime the opening week of the season where he allowed 6 hits and 2 walks over 6.0 innings leading to 4 runs in a game the Mets won. The Mets have the following numbers against Garcia:

• Bruce 11-54, 2B, HR, 2 BB (.216 BA, .241 OBP)
• Reyes 6-22, 2B, BB
• Flores 4-10, 2B, 2 HR (1.500 OPS)
• Cabrera 3-8, 2 2B
• Cespedes 1-7, 2B, BB
• Walker 3-8, 2 2B
• d’Arnaud 2-6, 2B
• Duda 1-2, HR, BB

Let’s Go Mets!

(I’m trying something new today, so bear with me. Generally on double header days I just put both game previews in the same article, but I’m going to give this a shot and hope it posts before the start of the second game but after the start of the first game)

It’s finally the day! Steven Matz returns to the mound for the Mets! The Stony Brook native makes his 2017 debut after a flexor tendon strain sidelined him during Spring Training and was an early members for the Mets 2017 All-DL Team. Last season he went 9-8 over 22 games and 132.1 innings with a 3.40 ERA, 3.39 FIP and 1.209 WHIP. While his ERA was much lower in 2015, Matz 2016 FIP was .22 points lower in 2016 and WHIP was .033 points lower. Matz was 2-0 over 4 games against the Braves last year pitching 24.1 innings with a 3.70 ERA. The Braves have the following numbers against Matz:

• Markakis 3-11, 2B
• Flowers 2-10, 2B
• Inciarte 2-5, BB
• Phillips 3-6, HR

The Mets bats draw Matt Wisler who has pitched in 6 games for the Braves this year totaling 9.0 innings and 7 ER off 9 hits, a homer and 3 walks. Today will be Wisler’s first start of the season. Wisler made his seas debut against the Mets on 4/26 where he held the Mets to a hit over 2.0 innings, then he saw the Mets again on 5/2 where the Mets got 4 hits and 4 runs off of him in 0.2 innings. The next day the Mets got 3 runs off 4 hits in 1.1 innings, so the Mets have recorded all 7 runs on his ledger this year. The Mets have the following numbers against Matt:

•  Granderson 2-17, 2 BB
• Conforto 5-12, 2B, 2 BB
• Duda 1-11, 2 BB
• Cabrera 3-11, 2B
• Walker 2-7, BB
• Bruce 3-5, HR, BB

Let’s Go Mets!

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