213 Miles From Shea

The Mets and Cardinals play the final game of the series this afternoon where the Mets try to avoid losing 7 games in a row, a 4 game sweep and try to break out of this terrible offense funk. Last night Marcum wasn’t bad. He allowed 3 runs, 2 earned over 6.2 innings but the only run support the Mets had came from a 2 run homer by Ankiel. Besides that the Mets were completely flat again. Niese will try to play stopper as he goes up against Wainwright.

Jon Niese is 2-4 over 8 games this season with a 5.93 ERA over 41.0 innings of work. His last two starts have been some of the worse in his career as he allowed 7 ER over 4.1 innings and followed that by 4.0 innings 8 ER in his last outing. Last year he had one start against the Cardinals and it was quite good as he pitched 6.0 innings of shutout ball striking out 10 batters. The Cards have the following numbers against Jon:

Wigginton 4-10, 2 2B
Holliday 2-10
Molina 2-8
Jon Jay 3-7, 2B
Freese 0-6
Beltran 1-3

The Mets will finish off this series against one of the figures of lore in Mets nemesis history: Adam Wainwright. Wainwright is 5-2 this season over 8 games with a 2.30 ERA while pitching 58.2 innings and a Major League leading 2 complete game shutouts, including his last outing. That last stunning performance was the follow up to a weak 5.1 innings, 5 ER outing. Last season he was not effective against the Mets going 0-2 in as many games allowing 12 ER over 11.1 innings the Mets have the following numbers against Adam:

Wright 1-9, 2B
Byrd 3-11, 2B
Buck 1-8, HR
Davis 2-7, HR
Baxter 2-6
Duda 2-4, 2B, HR
Murphy 3-6, 3B

Let’s Go Mets!

For the second time this season, the Mets have lost 5 games in a row. Last time the streak went to 6 games and hopefully the Mets bats and Shaun Marcum can prevent that from happening tonight. Last night the Mets bats seemed beat against the rookie pitcher until the 6th inning when they scored 4 runs in the inning. It was the first time since May 5th they scored more than 3 runs in a game and the first time since May 1st that they scored 4 in an inning. Gee and Carson made it difficult last night as well as they allowed 5 and 4 each early on. Tonight Marcum will face off against Shelby Miller.

Shaun Marcum is 0-3 to start off his Mets career with a 8.59 ERA. He hasn’t been pitching deep into games and overall he hasn’t looked effective on the mound at all allowing hit after hit after hit. Last year he faced the Cardinals once allowing 4 ER and 8 hits over 5 innings of work. The Cardinals have the following numbers against him:

Wigginton 4-17
Holliday 4-14, 2 HR
Jon Jay 7-14, 2B
Molina 3-12, 2B
Freese 2-10, HR
Beltran 1-6, HR

The Mets bats will look to build off of the 6th inning yesterday as they go to battle with Shelby Miller tonight. This year Miller has been 5-2 with a 1.58 ERA over 45.2 innings while striking out 51 batters – Harvey-esque stats. Last year he came in relief against the Mets allowing one hit and no runs over 2 innings of work while striking out 4 batters. The Mets have the  following numbers against Miller:

Baxter 0-1
Duda 0-1
Davis 0-1
Murphy 1-1
Tejada 0-1

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets try to correct the ship tonight in St. Louis and break their four game losing streak. Last night the Mets and Cardinals each  got 3 runs early and then things fell silent until the Cards were able to get to the Mets pen for 3 runs. Meanwhile the Mets were able to do nothing against the Cardinals pen thus locking in a loss in the opener. Tonight Dillon Gee will try to play stopper as he goes up against John Gast in his major league debut.

Dillon Gee is 2-4 with a 5.55 ERA on the season over 7 starts and 35.2 innings of work. After a couple of poor starts in a row, Gee allowed only 1 ER in his last outing, but was only able to stay in the game for 5 innings. Last year he made one start against the Cardinals where he allowed 3 runs, 2 earned over 7 innings of work. The Cards have the following numbers against Gee:

Freese 3-6
Holliday 1-6, 2B
Molina 0-6
Beltran 0-4
Craig 1-2
Descalso 0-2
Jay 0-2
Wigginton 1-2, HR

The Mets bats will try to break out of their collective slump tonight against John Gast in his major league debut. Gast, the left hander, is 3-1 this season over 7 games allowing 5 ER over 38.2 innings in Memphis. When you run the numbers, that’s an ERA of 1.16. In those 38.2 innings he allowed 15 BB and struck out 35 batters. Last season in Memphis he was 9-5 over 109.1 innings and 20 games with an ERA of 5.10.

Let’s Go Mets!

It would be best to imagine the last several days didn’t happen. Really.

After winning the opener on Thursday night, the Mets then dropped three straight to Bucs thanks to a variety of reasons, but mainly the offense. Because the baseball gods by nature are cruel, the Mets will now take their anemic bats to some of the best pitching in the National League. If you have been watching the broadcasts this past weekend, then you already know the Mets will be paired up against righties for the vast majority of the upcoming week, therefore yesterday’s line up is probably what we can expect. Tonight Jeremy Hefner gets the start against Lance Lynn.

Hefner hasn’t been as bad as you might assume. On the season he is 0-4 (ouch) but has a 4.63 ERA over 35.0 innings. In his last three starts, he has a 3.00 ERA over 21.0 innings, mostly due to allowing 4 ER over 6 last time out. Recently it has just been bad luck Jeremy as things slightly break against him out there. Hefner has never faced the Cardinals and the only batter he has seen on the team is Ty Wigginton who is 2-4 with a homer against him.

The Mets draw Lance Lynn who is 5-1 over 7 games with a 2.72 ERA over 43.o innings. The season started out rough for him but in his last 4 games he has pitched 28.0 innings with a 1.29 ERA. Last season he was 0-1 over 5.1 innings against the Mets where he allowed 5 hits, 3 runs, 2 earned. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

Murphy 1-5
Duda 0-3
Wright 1-3, 2B
Byrd 0-3
Davis 1-2

Let’s Go Mets!

In a common theme this year, Matt Harvey finds himself playing the role of stopper today as he tries to put the Mets back on a winning path. Yesterday the Mets dropped another game to the Bucs due to bad pitching from Niese and another lackluster day at the plate. At least it was Banner Day though. Against Harvey will be Jeanmar Gomez.

Matt had an unbelievable game last time out allowing only hit over 9 shutout innings while striking out 12 batters. Sadly, the Mets couldn’t score any runs, so he was saddled with the no decision. On the season he is 4-0 with a 1.28 ERA while striking out 58 batters of 49.1 innings of work. He has a 0.63 ERA in his last two starts while striking out 19 over 14.1. He has never faced the Pirates and has never faced anyone on the Pirates roster.

The Mets bats look to get things moving for Harvey day as they go up against Gomez who is 2-0 this season over 7 games, 2 starts and 22.2 innings of work with a 2.38 ERA. As a starter, he has pitched 9.0 innings allowing 2 ER and striking out 8 batters. Last season for the Indians he was 5-8 with a 5.96 ERA over 90.2 innings. He has never faced the Mets but has faced Buck, who is 0-3 against him.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets and Pirates play would could be a soggy game today at Citi Field. Last night, the Pirates evened the series with a 7-3 win over the Mets. For the Amazin’s yesterday, Marcum couldn’t find it again, allowing 6 ER over 4.2 innings. On the positive side, the Mets did slug two homers out thanks to Recker and Valdespin. Anyway Jon Niese gets the nod today as he goes up against Francisco Liriano in his season debut.

Jon Niese is 2-3 this season over 36.2 innings and 7 starts with a 4.66 ERA. He is coming off of his worst start of the season against Atlanta where he allowed 7 ER in 4.0 innings, really blowing up his ERA. Hurting him in that start was the combinations of hits allowed (7) and walked batters (6). Last season he had one very good outing against the Pirates where he allowed 1 ER over 7.2 innings of work. The Pirates have the following numbers against him:

Sanchez 4-19, 2B, HR
Barmes 4-12, 2B, HR
Martin 1-8, HR
McCutchen 3-6, 2 2B
Tabata 1-2, 2B

Francisco Liriano is not only making his season debut today but also making his debut as a National League pitcher. Last season, between the Twins and the White Sox, Francisco pitched 156.2 innings with a 5.34 ERA and a 6-12 record. He has never faced the Mets in his career, which isn’t too surprising considering he was with the Twins for just about all of it (except for the partial season with Chicago last year). Two Mets have seen him though. Buck is 1-6 with a double and Byrd is 3-4 with 3 RBI’s.

Lets Go Mets!

For the second time in three days, the Mets had a walk-off victory last night and for the second time in three days, the offensive hero at the end of the game was Mike Baxter with Bobby Parnell picking up the win. The Mets look to make it 2 in a row and 3 of 4 tonight as they take on the Pirates and Wandy Rodriguez behind Shaun Marcum.

Shaun Marcum has yet to have a break out game as a Mets pitcher, maybe that will change today. On the season he is 0-2 over three games and two starts while allowing 8 ER over 10 innings of work. Last season he was 1-1 against the Pirates while posting a 0.75 ERA (only 1 ER over 12.0 innings). The Pirates have the following numbers against the Pirates:

McCutchen 2-14, 2B
Jones 4-10, 2B, HR
Alvarez 4-14, 2 2B
Tabata 4-11, 2 2B
Barmes 1-11, 2B
Inge 1-8
Martin 1-8, HR

The Mets bats will try to break out vs Wandy Rodriguez tonight. You want to know how good the Mets offense was at the beginning of the season? The Mets offense is still 3rd in the National League in runs scored (even with the last two weeks). Wandy is 2-2 over 6 games and 31.1 innings with a 4.02 ERA. In his last three starts, he has allowed 13 ER in 15.1 innings of work. He was 2-0 against the Mets last year in as many games posting a 2.77 ERA. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

Byrd 7-28, 2 2B, 2 HR
Wright 7-24, 2 2B, HR
Buck 3-9, HR
Davis 0-7
Tejada 5-7, 2 2B
Turner 2-7, HR
Murphy 0-3

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets fresh off of a split with the White Sox start a four game series with the Pirates tonight. Last night the Mets offense was flat, and too little too late. It wasn’t until the end of the game where the Mets started to get hits but they still couldn’t get runs. Anyway, Pittsburgh comes to town today and they are second in the NL Central with a 18-15 record. Tonight Dillon Gee will go up against Jeff Locke.

Dillon Gee is 2-4 this season over 6 games with a 6.16 ERA and 30.2 innings of work. In his last two starts he has allowed 8 ER over 11.0 innings of work. Gee hasn’t faced the Pirates since 2011 where he was 2-0 in as many games pitching 15.0 innings with a 2.40 ERA. The Pirates have the following numbers against Gee:

Tabata 4-10, 2B
McCutchen 1-9
Jones 2-7, 2B
Martin 0-5
Harrison 2-4
Alvarez 0-2
Barmes 0-2

The Mets will get a look at Jeff Locke today, who is in his 3rd season in the majors. This is the season where Locke is starting to put it together pitching 33.2 innings over 6 starts with a 3.21 ERA. At the start of the season, he wasn’t doing too well as he allowed 9 ER over 15.2 innings but in his last three starts he has allowed 3 ER over 18 innings. He has made one start against the Mets where he allowed 5 ER over 3.2 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

Buck 1-3
Murphy 2-3
Tejada 3-3
Davis 0-1
Duda 0-2
Recker 1-2, HR
Wright 1-2

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to take the series tonight as they play their second game against the White Sox. Last night was definitely a Matt Harvey Day as Matt threw 9 innings allowing one hit and striking out 12 batters. Sadly, the bats were not able to help him out at all and the game went to extras where Mike Baxter knocked in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th. The Mets look to continue the good pitching and hope to find their bats tonight as they take on Jake Peavey behind Jermey Hefner.

Hefner is 0-3 on the season over 6 games, 5 starts, while pitching 29.0 innings with an ERA of 4.34. He has been on fire in his last two starts allowing 3 ER over 15 innings, and that number could have easily been lower. His two runs in his last start came in the 9th inning when he allowed the first two batters on in the inning and the bullpen imploded behind him. During those 15 innings, he struck out 12 batters.  Hefner has never faced the White Sox but has faced two batters. Wise is 0-1 while Greene is 0-3.

The Mets will get a look at Jake Peavey today who is putting his career back together in Chicago. He was fantastic as a Padre, found himself with the White Sox via trade. His career in Chicago was thrown off a bit by injury at the start but over the last two seasons he is starting to look like shades of his former self. This year he is 3-1 over 5 starts with a 3.38 ERA. In his career, he is 5-2 over 10 games and 62.0 innings against the Mets with an ERA of 3.48. The Mets have the following numbers against Jake:

Wright 2-14, 2B
Byrd 3-10, 2B
Buck 3-6, 2 HR
Murphy 1-2, 2B

Let’s Go Mets!

The White Sox finally visit Citi Field as the Mets will meet up with an old friend in Robin Ventura tonight. The Mets are coming off of a 9-4 loss where just about everyone on the field was experiencing a collective off day. Since then the Mets have had an off day and for the first time on 7 days rest, the Mets will enjoy another Harvey day as Matt takes on Hector Santiago.

Matt is 4-0 on the season with a 1.56 ERA over 40.1 innings of work. He bounced back from his worst start of the season (3 ER over 6 innings, quality for everybody else) to pitch 5.1 innings allowing 1 ER in Miami, a game he really had to labor through. He allowed 7 hits in that game, a season high, but paired that with 7 strikeouts. Not really all that surprisingly, Matt has not faced the White Sox in his career and has not faced any batters on the roster.

Hector Santiago gets the nod for the White Sox. On the young season he is 1-1 over 8 games, 1 start with a 2.29 ERA over 19.2 innings. His last outing was the first start of the season where he allowed 1 ER over 5.1 innings of work while striking out 6 batters. Last season, he was in 42 games including 4 starts with a 3.33 ERA. In his four starts, he pitched 19.2 innings allowing only 4 ER. Also not really surprising, but he has not faced anyone on the Mets roster in his career.

Let’s Go Mets!