On Monday, the Mets played their first ever game at SunTrust Park meaning the Mets would no longer have to face the Braves at the House of Horrors that is Turner Field. During the game, the Mets set a number of firsts in the ballpark including their first home run there. The home run in that game was the 58th ballpark the Mets have hit a home run in. Can you name the Mets player who first homered in each park? Good luck!
Gil Hodges Frank Thomas Joe Christopher Cliff Cook Marv Throneberry Gene Woodling Ron Hunt Ron Swoboda Ed Kranepool Donn Clendenon Cleon Jones Tommie Agee Ken Boswell John Stearns Dave Kingman Lenny Dykstra Jeromy Burnitz Jeff Kent Rico Brogna Bernard Gilkey Matt Franco Brian McRae Manny Alexander Matt Franco Mike Piazza Todd Zeile Edgardo Alfonzo Robin Ventura Edgardo Alfonzo Tony Clark Jason Phillips Timo Perez Gerald Williams Carlos Beltran Jose Reyes David Wright John Buck Ike Davis Gary Sheffield Cliff Floyd Daniel Garcia
In a situation like this, it’s difficult to say who was at fault, if in fact, someone was actually at fault. Still, the Mets and Braves played three plus innings before the rains came.
The two teams played despite all forecasts indicating heavy rains were going to come at some point tonight. It might’ve arrived early, but still, they knew it was coming. Despite this, the Braves, umpires, etc. decided to play a game which presumably wasn’t going to be able to be played to completion.
And it wasn’t. That means all stats are gone including what would’ve been Jay Bruce‘s 10th homer of the season. Also gone was the earned run Zack Wheeler allowed.
What doesn’t go away was the 68 pitches or the three innings Wheeler threw. Those things matter for a pitcher who is coming back from a two year odyssey stemming from his 2015 Tommy John surgery.
For all the talk baseball has about protecting their pitchers, tonight should be a teaching point. Don’t make pitchers pitch in the rain on a night you don’t have a realistic window to play nine innings. You would think that’s obvious, but apparently, it isn’t.
In honor of it being May the Fourth, i.e. Star Wars Day, here is a list of Mets players re-imagined as Star Wars characters:
Rey – Michael Conforto
Both were abandoned in the desert despite having great skills. Now, their opportunity has unexpectedly arrived, they are ready to be great like everyone once expected them to be.
Jyn Erso – David Wright
They have both sacrificed everything to be a part of this and to lead everyone to victory. It’s heartbreaking what happened to them. It’s incumbent on everyone to succeed and be victorious to honor their legacy.
Han Solo – Curtis Granderson
They were once great, but now they are older and are barely holding on at this point. As we know, it ends badly for both of them.
Luke Skywalker – Zack Wheeler
We thought both had disappeared and were never to be heard from again. Despite all odds, they have been re-discovered, but they may be here for the end of something (Jedi, Five Aces) than contributing to it.
Snoke – Ray Ramirez
They are both trying to oversee the destruction of everything, and we don’t know why they want to do it.
Jar Jar Binks – Rafael Montero
The question isn’t just why they are still here, the question is why did they exist in the first place.
K-2SO – Matt Harvey
While it may have been the opposite years ago, they are now the ones taking the bullets for everyone. It’s only a matter of time before they break down.
C3PO – Steven Matz
Both are constantly broken down, and we still do not know what is going on with their arms.
Jabba the Hut – Bartolo Colon
Both are massive, and both are now the enemy.
Saw Gerrera – Noah Syndergaard
Literally, no one thought what they were doing or how they were going about things was a good idea. Yet, they did them anyway, and now they are gone leaving others to scramble to do the job we once they were best suited.
Poe Dameron – Seth Lugo
Both played extremely important roles in the beginning of the saga (Poe – new trilogy, Lugo – aces getting injured). We are now just awaiting Lugo to return when he is needed again just like Poe did.
Finn – Jay Bruce
They were both told to do things a certain way, and it just wasn’t working for them. Now, the are in much better situtations, with people who realize who they really are, and they are thriving.
Galen Erso – Sandy Alderson
They were the ones with the grand plan, and they put all the pieces in place. However, they are now watching as things are falling apart all around them. Both need a miracle. Galen got his. We’ll see about Sandy.
Wickett – Wilmer Flores
Both are considered cute and cuddly, but they are warriors that will tear you to shreds . . . especially if you are a left-handed pitcher.
Death Star – Fernando Salas
Both were thought to be completely indestructible, and yet every time we see them they are getting blown up by the opposition.
General Leia Organa – Jose Reyes
They’re both back looking to recapture past glory. Sadly, we don’t think things are going to work out for them like we once thought it would.
Yoda – Yoenis Cespedes
Believe it or not, Cespedes is smaller than everyone, and yet, like Yoda he is the most powerful. Also, with his constant leg issues, he hobbles around like Yoda does.
Maz Kanata – Dan Warthen
Wedge Antilles – Lucas Duda
Time and again, their contributions are overlooked. Wedge took part in blowing up both Death Stars. Duda was the first base man for the pennant winner and one the Mets cannot adequately replace when he’s not on the field. Despite all of that, no one seems to want to give them credit for their contributions.
Obi-Wan Kenobi – Jacob deGrom
Princess Leia said it best when she said, “Help me Jacob deGrom, you’re my only hope.”
May the Force Be with You and Lets Go Mets!
With voting opening, Michael Conforto‘s name does not appear on the All Star Game ballot. His name doesn’t appear because a team only has three outfielders listed, and the Mets Opening Day outfield of Yoenis Cespedes–Curtis Granderson–Jay Bruce is on there. Still, that doesn’t mean you still can’t vote for Conforto. In fact, you can and should write his name in.
To date, Conforto has had an outstanding year. Through his first 23 games this season, the newly minted leadoff hitter has hit .344/.421/.688 with seven homers and 16 RBI. He’s gone from a player the Mets needed to try to find playing time for to a player they cannot afford to take out of the lineup. He’s been one of the best outfielders in all of baseball.
Among National League outfielders with at least 70 at-bats, he is one of the top ranked players. His batting average, on base percentage. and slugging are second only to Bryce Harper. Again, his 183 wRC+ is second only to Harper. Same goes for his 189 OPS+. It should then come as no surprise that his 1.1 fWAR and 1.1 bWAR are also second to Harper. No matter what state you cite, the only rationale conclusion you can reach is Conforto is the second best outfielder in the National League.
Last year, he had suffered from the proverbial ‘Sophomore Slump” due to a wrist injury, benchings, and the struggles that typically ensue from both of these circumstances. Despite proving himself in Triple-A, the Mets still wouldn’t trust him over injured and struggling players. Rather than give him the opportunity to be the player he was, the Mets traded for Bruce. The failure to move Bruce in the offseason led to Conforto starting the year on the bench. Despite this, Conforto was ready to to step in when the Mets needed him most.
He’s played all three outfield positions, and he has played them well. With Granderson’s and Jose Reyes‘ struggles, he has provided the team with a lead-off hitter. With the injuries to Cespedes and Lucas Duda, he has provided his team with a great bat – a bat that is the second best in the National League. Conforto has been everything the Mets have needed and more.
In reality, the question shouldn’t be whether Conforto should be in the All Star Game, the question is when does everyone start inserting his name into MVP discussions. Yes, it is too soon for MVP discussions, and so at this point, we should focus on his being an All Star. With his name not being on the ballot, Mets fans need to step up and write-in his name.
It’s time again to wonder what’s wrong with Matt Harvey. Again, he struggled against a poor Braves offense. This time, he couldn’t hold a lead. He’s not striking guys out.
Tonight, his line was 5.1 innings, eight hits, six runs, six earned, three walks, and two strikeouts. His start was more frustrating than those numbers indicate.
After being staked to a 2-0 lead on a Jay Bruce first inning homer off R.A. Dickey, Harvey gave the lead right back by surrendering a two run homer to Freddie Freeman. The Mets then fell behind 3-2 when Harvey allowed an RBI double to Ender Inciarte.
It’s odd that this was considered an earned run. The rally was started when Jose Reyes threw a ball away allowing Kurt Suzuki to reach. Despite Reyes’ arm and Suzuki’s speed, it was ruled a hit.
The Mets tied the game at three in the third with an Asdrubal Cabrera leadoff homer. From there on out, it was all Braves.
Things began to unravel in the fourth with some poor pitching, luck, and umpiring. Adonis Garcia hit a lead off single, and then he moved to second on a Suzuki hit by pitch. On the hit by pitch, Suzuki actually took a full swing which should’ve negated the hit by pitch, but he was awarded first anyway. It should be no shock this was the decision as the first base umpire Larry Vanover was not good tonight. For example, he initially called Juan Lagares out on this play:
https://twitter.com/mlbreplays/status/859581152096534530
And then there was this one:
https://twitter.com/mlbreplays/status/859604994705588224
In any event, Suzuki was awarded first. Harvey then walked Dansby Swanson to load the bases despite Swanson entering the game hitting .151 and being up 1-2 in the count. Garcia then scored a run on a large hop off Dickey’s bat. Inciarte, a true Mets killer, made it 6-3 with a two RBI single.
The Mets had things cooking in the fifth and looked to be poised to tie the score again. However, Neil Walker grounded into a double play turning first and second no out to a runner on third with two outs. Then, Nick Markakis absolutely robbed Travis d’Arnaud. It was d’Arnaud’s last at-bat of the game as he’d be lifted in the sixth for Kevin Plawecki because his wrist injury flared up again.
Harvey pitched into the sixth, but he was removed with one out after throwing 99 pitches. He likely would’ve been hit with another run, but Lagares nailed a runner at the plate.
.@juanlagares2 shows off the cannon as he guns down the runner at the plate! pic.twitter.com/MQI16imync
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 3, 2017
The bullpen still fell apart, and like they’ve been in the past, Josh Smoker and Fernando Salas were the culprits. In the seventh, the two combined to allow three runs on four hits and a walk.
Like that, the Mets had a horrible 9-3 loss dropping them back to last place which is a place no one thought they’d be at this point in the season.
There were some positives. Michael Conforto (2-4, R, BB) and Bruce (2-5, 2 R, HR, GS, 6 RBI) stayed hot at the plate. Cabrera hit a homer. Josh Edgin and Paul Sewald were good out of the pen. Despite his struggles, Harvey is regaining his velocity hitting 98 on the gun.
There was also the ninth inning rally. Matt Wisler loaded the bases and Bruce hit an opposite field grand slam to make it 9-7. Jim Johnson then came on and retired Walker to get the save.
Still, this was a bad game for the Mets. Harvey struggled with his command. The bullpen struggled more than he did. The lineup past Bruce is still not hitting. They are also not winning games they should win.
Game Notes: Curtis Granderson asked for the night off as he feels his swing is off. He made a pinch hitting appearance going 0-1.
With Julio Teheran and his 2.25 ERA against the Mets, and the struggling Robert Gsellman starting for the Mets, it seemed as if the Mets initiation to SunTrust Park was going to be as bad as Turner Field treated the Mets. With one swing of the bat, Michael Conforto dispelled many of those concerns:
.@mconforto8 is ???! pic.twitter.com/Q3VACTbkJ2
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 1, 2017
The concerns returned when Ender Inciarte returned the favor by hovering to lead-off the first.
The Mets then did something rate in the fourth. They built a sustained rally.
The Mets quickly loaded the bases, and Neil Walker snapped an 0-13 skid to give the Mets a 2-1 lead. Jose Reyes hit a RBI groundout. Travis d’Arnaud was told to go to first (IBB) reloading the bases, and T.J. Rivera made them pay with an RBI single. After a Gsellman line out, Conforto hit a two RBI single making it 6-1.
The Braves would get a lot of that back. In the fourth, Nick Markakis and Adonis Garcia and would collect RBIs after Matt Kemp set the stage with a double.
In the sixth, Terry Collins tried to coax another inning to help a tired bullpen. Freddie Freeman and Kemp hit back-to-back doubles leaving yo term getting hooked. Collins had enough, and he used Josh Edgin and Hansel Robles combined to shut the door keeping the score at 6-5.
Gsellman had an uneven start once again due to his struggling with command. His velocity dipped a bit. Still he lasted five, and he gave the Mets a chance to win allowing six hits, five earned, and a walk.
Reyes added a run off a solo homer in the eighth to make it 7-5.
That lead would last as Jerry Blevins, Addison Reed, and Jeurys Familia shut the door on the Braves to pick up the 7-5 win. Maybe, just maybe SunTrust will be different than Turner Field.
Game Notes: Curtis Granderson went 0-3 and is now hitting .124. To his credit, he did work out a walk, scored a run, and had a fine play in center.
Look, if we are being honest, we just saw a really ugly side of Noah Syndergaard this past week, and it all surrounded how he is handling his current physical issues. As we have seen in the past, this isn’t the first time it has happened with Syndergaard.
Last year, there was a lot of drama surrounding Syndergaard’s elbow, and that drama was mostly created by Syndergaard himself. After the Mets had confirmed a report that Syndergaard did indeed have bone spurs in his elbow, he denied their existence saying, “I do not, no. My arm feels great. No, there is nothing structurally wrong with (the elbow), wear and tear will do it to you. My arm feels really good. I just have to get ready to go in five days.” (Kristie Ackert, New York Daily News). His denial of a team confirmed report created an unnecessary news cycle that ended in Syndergaard finally admitting two days later there was a bone spur.
The lesson here is there is no point in lying to the media, especially when they already know the truth. There’s also the lesson that you’re not going to win with the media, especially in a town like New York. Despite that, Syndergaard is repeating past mistakes.
After the Mets shielded him and started Robert Gsellman on Wednesday chalking it up to a “miscommunication,” the Mets and Syndergaard finally had to come clean on Thursday when Matt Harvey had to make an emergency start in his place. It was finally time to come clean. The Mets admitted Syndergaard had an issue with his bicep which precluded him from making the start. When it was time for Syndergaard to address the media, Syndergaard was completely unprofessional. According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, instead of answering reporters questions, Syndergaard chose to rip into Jay Horowitz for allowing the media to do its job. Syndergaard wasn’t just disprespectful to Horowitz, he was also disrespectful to a media doing it’s job. As Jerry Beach tweeted, Syndergaard called the media Horowitz’s minions.
As if this was not bad enough, Syndergaard did something really dumb after that. He refused to get an MRI. The Mets made the dumber decision to let him pitch despite his not getting that MRI. Syndergaard took the mound without anyone knowing the full breadth of his injury. He would only last 1.1 innings before needing to come out the game with an injury. As of this moment, it is reported to be a lat injury, and no one knows if it is related to the aforementioned bicep issue.
With Syndergaard leaving the game with the injury, he left behind an exasperated Sandy Alderson, angry Terry Collins, and a dejected fan base. Also, he’s getting that MRI he initially refused to get making this whole exercise completely pointless.
Maybe Syndergaard needs to believe he is indestructible in order to take that mound and pitch as great as he does. Maybe his emotions get in the way, and he responds in ways he later regrets. No one really knows because no one has the stuff he has, and those that have had something close have not been able to harness it the way Syndergaard has. He’s special on the mound, and there’s no doubt his mental makeup is a large part of that.
Still, Syndergaard needs to be a professional out there. While the New York media can certainly be unbearing, and at times cruel, a player has to learn to deal with them. Moreover, he has to learn to treat the people he works with with respect. That involves treating Horowitz like something more than a punching bag. It involves him doing the aspects of his job he doesn’t want to do like talking to the media when there’s a problem. It involves him not leaving his teammates to pick up the bag for him in the clubhouse or in the locker room.
These are the same criticisms everyone had of Harvey last year when he was going through his struggles, and they were all fair. However, it should be noted Harvey was not on record insulting anyone. He knew enough not to do that.
This isn’t to say Syndergaard is a bad guy, or that he needs to change that thing about him that makes him great. We all love his swagger. The 60’6″ talk. The pseudo-war with Mr. Met. Rather, Syndergaard just needs to learn when to answer a question and listen to medical advice. If anything, it will make his time in New York easier, and it might lengthen his career.
Want to know how things went for the Mets today? Their best pitcher was Kevin Plawecki who allowed four runs on three homers in two . . . TWO! . . . innings pitched.
How the Mets got there is almost too exhausting to detail. Suffice it to say, it all started with Noah Syndergaard. After refusing an MRI for biceps complaints, the Mets sent him to the mound on Sunday. To be fair, Syndergaard probably thought MRI meant Mets related injury.
Every Mets fan knew what would happen. We knew he’s get injured. We’ve been expecting it since Generation K went up in flames with the injuries suffered by Jason Isringhausen, Bill Pulsipher, and Paul Wilson. And it happened. After 1.1 innings where he allowed five hits, five runs, two walks (first two of the season) while striking out two, he was gone with a “lat injury.” It’s in quotes because it’s clear no one knows what’s going on with Syndergaard.
From there, it’s difficult to decipher what happened.
Even with the Syndergaard injury, the Mets were only down 6-5 heading into the bottom of the fourth.
Everyone was pitching in (pun intended). The resurgent Jose Reyes, moved to second in the lineup due to players getting the day off, got it all started with a first inning one out triple. Jay Bruce was 3-4 with a homer and two RBI. Rene Rivera had a homer of his own. Even Sean Gilmartin got in on the action with an RBI double.
Gilmartin, that’s where the trouble started. Initially, he kept the Nationals at bay when he came on after the Syndergaard injury. But, he melted down in the fourth allowing four earned. Gilmartin, like the rest of the Mets was victimized by Anthony Rendon, who hit two homers off of him.
Fernando Salas started the fifth, and he eventually put the game completely out of reach allowing three runs. When he left, it was 13-5. The Nationals still had 10 runs left in them.
Six of them came off Josh Smoker, who melted down in his second inning of work. He didn’t record one out while facing five batters that inning. He and the whole team left Terry Collins little choice. He had to go to a position player to pitch the final two innings.
It was hard to tell if Plawecki was throwing a knuckleball or a batting practice fastball. The answer was a knuckleball, but the Nationals were teeing off of him and all Mets pitchers like it was batting practice. Whether it was the knuckleball or the fact that Plawecki was the least important player on the roster, it was an inspired choice by Collins.
What wasn’t inspired was how the Mets finished this series. After rallying back from losing six in a row, 10 of 11, and Yoenis Cespedes, the Mets beat Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg in back-to-back games. It was an announcement the Mets weren’t done. It was enough to give a Nationals team, who just lost Adam Eaton for the season, doubt they were the better team.
Twenty-three runs later, in a game started by Syndergaard, that doubt should be erased. Trea Turner was the only Nationals starter without a multi-hit game, and he still hit a double and scored a run.
More than that, Rendon was 6-6 with five runs, a double, three homers, and 10 RBI. The Mets as a team had five runs on nine hits.
Game Recap: Reyes had another error, but this one was at shortstop as the Mets gave Asdrubal Cabrera the day off. Neil Walker had another poor game at the plate and is now hitting .195. Same goes for Curtis Granderson who is now hitting .128.