213 Miles From Shea

The Mets now have a full game lead in the second Wild Card spot thanks to the Cardinals sliding their past two games and now the Mets look to beat up on the Twins to extend their chances of getting the Wild Card.

Bartolo Colon will start things off for the Mets this weekend. He’s 13-7 over 30 games and 29 starts with a 3.27 ERA over 170.2 innings. In his last three starts he’s tossed 19.0 innings, striking out 7 and posting a 1.89 ERA. The last time he faced Minnesota was back in 2013 where he held them scoreless over 6.0 innings and to 5 hits with 8 strikeouts. The Twins have the following numbers against Bartolo:

• Kurt Suzuki 5-13, 2 2B
• Grossman 2-6
• Mauer 3-4, 2B
• Dozier 0-3
• Santana 0-3
• Schafer 0-2
• Escobar 2-2

The Mets draw Jose Berrios to start series tonight. Jose is 2-6 over 11 starts and 44.2 innings with a 9.27 ERA while walking 28 batters and striking out 42. In his last five starts he has tossed 18.2 innings allowing 26 runs, 22 earned (10.61 ERA). Not surprisingly since he’s a rookie on an AL Central team who has only made 11 starts, he has not faced the Mets yet in his career or anyone on the Mets roster.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets and Nationals play for the final time this afternoon as the Mets look to stay in the win columnb after yesterday’s extra inning win. The Mets lost the lead in the ninth but were able to fight back thanks to TJ Rivera and maintained their possession of the 2nd Wild Card.

This afternoon Robert Gsellman gets the start. He’s 2-1 over 4 games and 3 starts and 20.2 innings of work with a 3.92 ERA. He’s coming off of a game where he allowed 4 ER to Atlanta over 5 innings, a game where he was cruising but then unraveled towards the end of his start. His best start this season came against the Nationals where he held them to 1 ER over 6.0 innings. The Nationals have the following numbers against him:

• Espinosa 0-3
• Harper 1-1, 2 BB
• Murphy 1-3
• Ramos 0-2
• Rendon 1-2, 2B
• Rurner 0-3
• Werth 1-3
• Zimmerman 2-3

The Mets draw Tanner Roark who is 14-8 this year over 186.1 innings with a 2.85 ERA. In his last three starts he has allowed 3 ER over 18.0 innings, the only so-s0 start in that stretch being against the Mets where he allowed 2 ER and 4 hits over 5.0 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against Tanner:

• Granderson 7-23, 4 2B
• d’Arnaud 1-13
• Cespedes 2-11, 2B
• Bruce 0-8
• Rivera 4-11, 2B
• Flores 2-10, 2B
• Conforto 1-5, 2B
• Cabrera 1-5, 2B

Let’s Go Mets!

Last night wasn’t great for the Mets, but it also wasn’t great for the Cardinals so the Mets maintain their wild card spot! Tonight Noah Syndergaard looks to put the Mets back in the win column as they continue their (now less than) three week race to close out the season.

Noah is 13-8 on the year over 28 games and 27 starts with a 2.48 ERA in 167.0 innings. In his last four starts he has pitched to a 3-1 record over 27.0 innings with a 1.00 ERA. However, things haven’t been the greatest against the Nationals this year as he is 1-3 in as many starts allowing 19 hits and 10 runs over 21.2 innings of work. The Nationals have the following numbers on him:

• Harper 5-16, 2B
• Rendon 5-16, 2B, HR
• Werth 2-14
• Espinosa 2-12
• Ramos 4-12
• Revere 4-11
• Robinson 2-9, 2 HR
• Murphy 2-9, 2B

The Mets will take a crack at A.J. Cole who is 1-2 over 4 games and 23.2 innings this year with a 4.56 ERA. He started off his major league career rough allowing 7 ER over 12.2 innings, then he faced the Mets and held the Mets to 1 ER over 6.0 innings at the start of the month. Since then he has allowed 4 ER over 5.0 innings. The Mets have the following numbers on Cole:

• K Johnson 1-4, 2B
• Bruce 1-3
• Cabrera 2-2, HR
• Cespedes 0-3
• Flores 0-2
• Reyes 0-3

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets offense took off yesterday as the Amazin’s took back the wild card in their last game ever at Turner Field. Now the Mets look to most difficult on paper three games left of their schedule against the Nationals. The offense yesterday was mostly courtesy of Cespedes’ 30th homer of the season, a grand slam, plus the Mets got an outstanding start from Seth Lugo.

Tonight the Mets turn to Rafael Montero to hold it down in DC. He has yet to record a decision in 4 games and 2 starts this season with a 4.63 ERA over 11.2 innings with 11 walks and 10 K’s. His last time out he allowed 3 ER over 4.1 innings with 4 walks against the Reds, in a game the Mets eventually won 5-3. Against the Nationals last year he allowed 1 hit and no runs in 2.0 innings of work. The Nationals have the following numbers against Montero:

• Bryce 1-2, HR
• Ramos 0-3
• Rendon 1-3, HR
• Revere 0-3
• Taylor 2-, 2B

Mat Latos signed as a free agent during the 2016 season to the Nationals. Prior to DC, he was 6-2 over 11 starts in 2016 for the White Sox with a 4.62 ERA. With the Nationals, he’s pitched 2 games in relief, totaling 2.1 innings, allowing 2 earned runs. He faced the Mets earlier this year as a White Sox where he allowed 6 runs, 4 earned, over 7.0 innings of work. The Mets have the following numbers against Mat:

• Loney 8-24, 2 2B, 2 HR
• Reyes 4-15, 2 2B
• Cabrera 1-13
• Granderson 3-11, 2B
• Cespedes 0-8
• Flores 2-10

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets lost in extra innings last night and the Cardinals gained ground. But that’s why this is a race! It shouldn’t be a smooth last three weeks of the season, it never is. For some reason, the only team that former Met John Gant can dominate, is the New York Mets. Anyway, the Mets look to put everything back together.

Today it is on Seth Lugo to keep pushing in the right direction. He’s 3-2 over 13 games and 4 starts with an ERA of 2.38. He’s 3-0 in his last three starts and has pitched 18.0 innings with a 1.50 ERA while striking out 13. This will be his first start against the Braves and his first time facing anyone on the Braves roster.

The Mets will have to deal with Williams Perez who is 2-2 over 10 starts and 51.0 innings and a 5.47 ERA. When he came back to the majors in September, he struggled in 2.1 innings allowing 8 hits and 6 ER. Last year against the Mets he was 1-0 in 4 games and 3 starts while pitching 19.0 innings with a 4.26 ERA. The Mets have the following numbers against Perez:

• d’Arnaud 6-9, HR
• Granderson3-9, HR
• Cespedes 1-6, 3B
• Conforto 1-5
• Cabrera 2-5, 2B
• Loney 0-3
• Campbell 0-3

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets Magic continued last night in Atlanta! The Mets found themselves down 4-0 when Curtis Granderson went yard in his 4th straight game to bring the score to 4-2. Then in the 8th, the Mets were able to stage a 4 run rally and hold it to beat the Braves 6-4 and maintain their wild card spot. The Giants, Cardinals, Marlins and Nationals all won yesterday so all races stayed the same.

Bartolo takes the mound with a 13-7 record over 29 games and 28 starts and 164.2 innings of work with a 3.22 ERA. In his last two starts he has tossed 13.0 innings, allowing 2 runs, 1 earned and he has recorded a win in three of his last four starts (one no-decision). The Mets have won his last four starts. This will be his third start against Atlanta this season and in his first two starts he has allowed 1 run over 15.0 innings. The Braves have the following numbers against Colon:

• Pierzynski 18-68, 3 2B, 2 HR
• Markakis 12-51, 6 2B
• Freeman 13-27, 5 2B, HR
• Peterson 5-17, 2B, 3B
• Kemp 4-12
• Beckham 1-10

The Mets bats draw former Mets farm hand, John Gant. Gant is 1-3 over 14 games and 5 starts and 38.1 innings of work with a 4.70 ERA. His only win in the majors came in his second MLB start against the Mets where he held the Mets to 2 hits and one run over 6.2 innings. He didn’t play in the majors for all of July and most of August, and returned to the rotation at the start of September. In that start, he allowed 4 runs, 3 earned to the Phillies. The Mets have the following numbers against Gant:

• Cabrera 1-3, 2B
• Cespedes 0-3
• Conforto 0-3
• Granderson 1-3, 2B
• K Johnson 0-2
• Loney 0-2

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to keep the good times going in Atlanta this weekend! After taking 3 of 4 from Miami and then 2 of 3 from Washington, the Mets went out to Ohio and swept the Reds over 3 games. Now they turn to Robert Gsellman again as his extended look continues. On the season he is 2-1 over 3 games and 2 starts over 15.2 innings with a 2.87 ERA. After allowing 4 ER over 6.0 innings against Philly, he rebounded in his last start holding the Nationals to 1 ER over 6.0 innings, 3 walks and 4 K’s. This will be Gsellman’s first start against the Braves and first time facing anyone on the Braves’ roster in a major league game.

Julio Teheran will make the start for the Mets and he is quietly putting together the second best season of his career despite a 5-9 record. He’s made 25 starts with a 3.01 ERA over 158.2 innings. In his last two starts he has allowed 2 ER over 13.0 innings while striking out 15 batters. He’s 2-1 in as many starts against the Mets and 17.1 innings of work with a 2.60 ERA. The Mets have the following numbers against Julio:

• Granderson 5-22, 2B, HR
• Flores 3-16, HR
• d’Arnaud 2-15
• Bruce 3-15, 2 HR
• Campbell 2-10
• Reyes 1-7
• De Aza 1-7, 2B

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets go for the sweep this afternoon in Cincy! Yesterday the Mets went up early thanks to solo homers from Reyes and Granderson but the Reds came back and tied it, and then eventually pulled ahead. Cespedes then smacked a go-ahead homer and De Aza added a homer for good measure and the Mets never looked back. The teams the Mets are chasing also won, so the races stayed pat for another day.

Noah Syndergaard gets the nod tonight, he’s 12-8 over 27 games and 26 starts with 162.0 innings and a 2.56 ERA this season. In his last three starts he has pitched 22.0 innings, he has posted a 1.23 ERA while striking out 17. Earlier this season he allowed 7 hits and 3 ER while striking out 9 over 6.2 innings against the Reds. The Reds have the following numbers against Thor:

• Phillips 2-8
• Suarez 2-9
• Votto 0-9
• Duvall 0-6
• Hamilton 1-6
• Barnhart 0-3

The Mets bats draw Anthony DeSclafani who is 8-2 over 16 starts and 101.1 innings with a 2.93 ERA. He’s had a solid two starts allowing 2 ER over 16.0 innings including a complete game shutout against the Diamondbacks. He faced the Mets last year allowing 7 runs, 5 earned, and 9 hits over 6.1 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against Anthony:

• Granderson 2-7, 2B
• K Johnson 2-5, 2B, HR
• Cespedes 3-5
• d’Arnaud 0-3
• Conforto 1-3, 2B
• Flores 1-1

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets played a day game on a few hours of sleep yesterday and won! Bartolo Colon was fantastic and Reynolds, coming in on a red-eye from Vegas smacked a homer to open the Mets scoring. After another solo homer in the game from Kelly Johnson, the Mets were able to score three insurance runs in the 7th and walk out in the early afternoon with a win (and hopefully g0t some sleep). Anyway, the Mets are still one game out of the wild-card and look to keep it going tonight.

Rafael Montero is 0-0 in three games and a start this season pitching 7.1 innings allowing 3 ER while striking out 6. His last time out was his first start of the season and he held the Marlins scoreless over 5.0 innings allowing 2 hits and 3 K’s (scoreless part is surprising because he allowed 6 walks). This will be his first time facing the Reds and anyone on the Reds roster in a major league game.

The Mets bats draw Brandon Finnegan, who is 8-10 over 27 starts and 154.2 innings with a 4.19 ERA. In his last three starts he has allowed 4 ER over 20.0 innings while striking out 29 batters, so the Mets are getting him while he’s hot. Back in April he had a start against the Mets where he allowed 3 ER over 5 hits in 6.1 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against Brandon:

• Cabrera 1-4
• Cespedes 1-5, HR
• Conforto 1-3
• De Aza 2-3
• Flores 0-2
• Granderson 1-2
• Plawecki 1-3

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets are coming off of a strong series where they took two of three from the Nationals as they keep their Wild Card push alive. Now the Mets are charged with a steep task of going from a late night game in Queens (8 PM start) to a 1 PM start in Ohio, but alas the Mets will rise to the occasion behind Bartolo Colon.

Bartolo is 12-7 over 28 games and 27 starts with a 3.35 ERA in 158.2 innings of work. He’s coming off of a strong start against the Marlins where he allowed 2 runs, 1 earned, over 7.0 innings and in his last 6 starts, in only one he has allowed more than 2 ER. Way back in April he allowed 3 ER over 5.0 innings with 8 hits. The Reds have the following numbers against Colon:

• Phillips 2-15
• Hamilton 2-6
• Cozart 2-4
• Votto 2-3
• Holt 2-2
• Barnhart 2-2, 2B
• De Jesus 1-2, HR

The Mets bats will get a crack at Robert Stephenson who will be making his third major league start. He’s 2-0 so far over 12.0 innings allowing 5 runs, 4 earned and 9 hits. That’s a bit misleading though because his two starts were quite different, his first one he allowed 4 runs over 5.0 innings, then 1 run over 7.0 innings. Also these starts were back in early and mid-April, separated by 12 days. In the minors this year he has pitched 24 starts and 136.2 innings with an 8-9 record and a 4.41 ERA. He has not faced the Mets yet in his career or anyone on the Mets roster.

Let’s Go Mets!