Asdrubal Cabrera

Where the Wild Card Race Stands

After sweeping the Reds, and having won 14 of their last 18 games, the Mets have rallied from two games under .500 to get themselves back into the thick of the Wild Card race. In fact, after Wednesday’s games, the Mets are in a virtual tie with the St. Louis Cardinals. Better yet, they’re just a half game back of the Giants for the second Wild Card.

As we hit the homestretch with the Mets having 22 games remaining on the schedule, here is where everyone stands:

San Francisco Giants 74-65

The Giants are in a free-fall. They went from having the most wins in the National League before the All Star Break to having the third worst record in the National League after the break.

The Giants are 4-6 in your last 10, and they are 6-11 over their last 17 games. Even with all that, the Giants have a half-game lead over the Cardinals and Mets for the top Wild Card spot and are five games back of the Dodgers in the NL West.

The main reason why the Giants are struggling right now is their pitching. Madison Bumgarner has gone from dominant in the first half to human in the second half with a 4-4 record and a 3.66 ERA.  Johnny Cueto has similarly struggled going 1-4 with a 3.90 ERA in the second half.  Keep in mind, these were the only starters the Giants can truly rely upon with Matt Cain never fully came back after his injury problems, Jake Peavy missing most of the year with injuries, and Jeff Samardzjia not living up to his free agent contract.

Worse yet, when the Giants get a late lead, it isn’t safe. Santiago Castilla had blown three saves in the second half. Castilla is struggling to the point that Bruce Bochy removed him from the game against the Rockies rather than letting him make matters worse.

The Giants currently have 23 games remaining against the following opponents:

  • 3 at Diamondbacks (58-81)
  • 3 vs. Padres (57-82)
  • 4 vs. Cardinals (73-65)
  • 3 at Dodgers (79-60)
  • 4 at Padres (57-82)
  • 3 vs. Rockies (67-72)
  • 3 vs. Dodgers (79-60)

The Giants remaining opponents combined winning percentage is .481.  The biggest benefit to their schedule are the 10 games remaining against the Diamondbacks and Padres as the Giants have a combined 19-9 record against them.

Fangraphs gives the Giants a 66.6% chance of getting a Wild Card spot, and Baseball Prospectus gives them a 70.7% chance of making the postseaon.

St. Louis Cardinals 73-65

Injuries are starting to catch up to the Cardinals who are 5-5 over their last 10. Since Aledmys Diaz went on the disabled list with a broken thumb, the Cardinals are effectively a .500 team going 17-16.

Other notable injuries are Matt Holliday, Michael Wacha, and Trevor Rosenthal. While the Cardinals are keeping their heads above water, they may need to play better than .500 ball to return to the postseason.

The Cardinals currently have 24 games remaining against the following opponents:

  • 4 vs. Brewers (62-77)
  • 3 vs. Cubs (89-50)
  • 4 at Giants (74-65)
  • 3 at Rockies (67-72)
  • 3 at Cubs (89-50)
  • 4 vs. Reds (57-81)
  • 3 vs. Pirates (68-69)

The combined winning percentage of the remaining teams is .502.  Of the Cardinals remaining 24 games, 14 of them are at home where they are 30-37 on the season.

Fangraphs gives the Cardinals a 57.4% chance of getting a Wild Card spot, and Baseball Prospectus gives them a 58.6% chance of making the postseason.

Washington Nationals 81-57

If seven with 17 remaining isn’t an insurmountable hurdle then 8.5 with 22 remaining shouldn’t be either. That goes double with Stephen Strasburg leaving his first start from the disabled list with an apparent injury.  With that said, the Nationals are hot winning seven of their last 10, and with their remaining schedule, it’s going to take a miracle for the Mets to win the division.  Here are the Nationals remaining games:

  • 4 vs. Phillies (62-77)
  • 3 vs. Mets (74-66)
  • 3 at Braves (54-86)
  • 3 at Marlins (69-71)
  • 3 at Pirates (68-69)
  • 4 vs Diamondbacks (58-81)
  • 3 vs. Marlins (69-71)

The Nationals remaining opponents have a combined winning percentage of .461.  Of the Nationals remaining 24 games, they have 16 against National League East teams, and so far, the Nationals are 42-18 against the National League East.  Fangraphs gives the Nationals a 99.7% chance of winning the division, and Baseball Prospectus gives them a 100% chance of making the postseason.

New York Mets 74-66

When the dust settled last night, the Mets found themselves in a virutal tie with the Cardinals for the second Wild Card spot, and a half game behind the Giants for the first Wild Card spot.  It should be noted the Mets trail both the Cardinals and the Giants by one game in the loss column.

The Mets are at this point with question marks of their own.  Yoenis Cespedes and Asdrubal Cabrera are each effectively playing on one leg.  Neil Walker is out for the season joining David Wright, Lucas Duda, and Matt Harvey.  With Rafael Montero‘s struggles, Gabriel Ynoa having difficulty getting major league hitters out, and Logan Verrett not living up to the challenge, the Mets have no real fifth starter at the moment.  While Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman have stepped up, they are not on par with Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz, neither of whom is definitive to return this season.  With all that said, the Mets have hope because they have the weakest schedule out of any of the aforementioned Wild Card competitors:

  • 3 at Braves (54-86)
  • 3 at Nationals (82-57)
  • 3 vs. Twins (52-88)
  • 3 vs. Braves (54-86)
  • 4 vs. Phillies (62-77)
  • 3 at Marlins (69-71)
  • 3 at Phillies (62-77)

The combined winning percentage of the Mets remaining opponents is .457, which is the lowest opponent’s winning percentage of any of the aforementioned teams the Mets are still chasing.

Fangraphs give the Mets a 64.5% chance of grabbing a Wild Card spot, and Baseball Prospectus gives them a 67.2% chance of making the postseason.

Overall, the Mets schedule is filled with a lot of winnable games.  If the Mets take care of business, they should be returning to the postseason for the second straight season.


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Yoenis Cespedes Wouldn’t Let the Mets Lose

The Mets just about blew this game in every way, shape, and form.  And yet, Yoenis Cespedes wouldn’t let them lose. 

Rafael Montero was handed a 2-0 lead as a result of Curtis Granderson and Jose Reyes solo home runs off Brandon Finnegan. However, Montero would give it back as his high wire act came crashing down to Earth. 
In the third, Montero issued a one out walk to Zack Cozart. Montero then paid no attention to him, so Cozart stole second. It was your classic Travis d’Arnaud didn’t throw out the runner who got a massive jump situation. After that, Montero would break an 0-27 streak opposing batters had against Mets pitching with runners in scoring position when Adam Duvall crushed a game tying two run homer. 

The Reds would then go ahead in the fifth with Montero still struggling. He allowed a lead off triple to Hernan Irabarren. He would then issue a one out walk to Cozart. At that point, through 4.1 innings where Montero allowed three hits and four walks, Terry Collins had seen enough. He went to the bullpen to get a left-handed to pitch to Joey Votto to get the biggest out in the game. 

Collins could’ve gone with Jerry Blevins, who has been the Mets best lefty out if the pen. He could’ve gone with Josh Smoker who is a strikeout machine. No, Collins went with his worst possible option with Josh Edgin, who still has not regained his velocity. 

Votto would lift a fly ball to right. Jay Bruce, the man with the highly touted throwing arm, made a weak and offline throw to home plate allowing Irabarren to score giving the Reds a 3-2 lead. 

It seemed it would stay that way after a brutal top of the sixth. Bruce led off with a single, and he moved to second on a brutal Duvall fielding error. First, d’Arnaud couldn’t get him home as he flinched on a pitch that was clearly a strike. After a Granderson hit by pitch, Kelly Johnson, pinch hitting for Matt Reynolds, just beat out the relay throw to avoid the 3-6-3 double play. Michael Conforto, pinch hitting for Ynoa, struck out looking on a ball that looked off the plate. Apparently, it was too close to take. 

In the seventh, Cespedes would start to take over. Asdrubal Cabrera summoned all he could with his injured knee to leg out an infield single to get on in front of Cespedes. Cespedes then did his thing:

  

The ball just cleared the center field wall to give the Mets a 4-3 lead. 

In the eighth, Cespedes wouldn’t let the Reds get something going. Mets killer Brandon Phillips lined a ball to the left field wall off Addison Reed. Cespedes fielded the ball cleanly as it ricocheted off the wall, turned, and delivered a perfect strike to Johnson. 

From there, Alejandro De Aza hit a pinch hit homer, the Mets 11th of the season, to give the Mets a 5-3 lead. That two run cushion was more than enough for Jeurys Familia who recorded his 46th save of the year. 

This game was another example of how important Cespedes is to the Mets, and how much they need him healthy down the stretch. 

Game Notes: Collins made six pitching changes with the expanded rosters. Gavin Cecchini, T.J. Rivera, Eric Campbell, and Brandon Nimmo joined the team today, but would not enter the game. 

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Matt Reynolds Awakens the Dreary Mets

Terry Collins and the Mets made the best out of an awful situation with the Mets playing a late Sunday night game followed by an early Monday afternoon game. 

Bartolo Colon flew ahead of the team to make sure he was well rested.  Jose Reyes, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Yoenis Cespedes, i.e. veterans with some nagging injuries, were given a day off. Curtis Granderson was also given a day meaning the Mets were without the top four hitters in they’d lineup. With that in mind, an extremely tired Mets team went to their bench to ask them to win one. They did. 

Matt Reynolds, who took the red eye from Las Vegas, and Kelly Johnson each hit solo homers to give the Mets a 2-0 lead. 

That was enough for Colon who navigated his way out of trouble for most of the day. He was aided by two double plays in the first few innings. Twice he stranded a runner on third with no outs. His best feat was in the sixth when he stranded Hernan Iribarren at third after a lead off triple. This was in part due to his unwillingness to test Jay Bruce‘s arm. Coincidentally, Bruce’s throw would go to the backstop. 

His final line was six innings, five hits, no runs, none earned, one walk, and two strikeouts. 

Fortunately, he gave the Mets some much needed depth with both Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia unavailable. 

On the bullpen front, Hansel Robles had another good outing, but Jerry Blevins struggled. Blevins would get bailed out by Fernando Salas in the eighth. Salas would finish out the game. 

Still, even with the win, it’s not like the Mets were crisp. Reds starter Robert Stephenson struck out nine in 5.1 innings. The only Mets player with a multiple hits off the Reds stater was Wilmer Flores, who no one was quite sure what he was doing on the bases:

In the first, he was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double. In the fourth, he was thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple. Finally, in the sixth, he had the good sense to stop at first bases much to the delight of Phoebe:

The Mets put the game on ice in the seventh. Reynolds hit an RBI single scoring Travis d’Arnaud, who walked to start the rally. Cabrera pinch hit for Colon, and hit an RBI single scoring James Loney. Alejandro De Aza capped off the rally with a sacrifice fly scoring Reynolds making the score 5-0. 

While it was Flores that was perfect at the plate, it was Reynolds who was the offensive star of the game. Reynolds would go 2-3 with two runs, two RBI, and a home run. With the insane scheduling and the veterans’ nagging injuries, the Mets needed someone to step up. It was an exhausted Reynolds who stepped up and powered the Mets offensively. 

With that Reynolds and the entire Mets team earned a well needed rest. 

Game Notes: This was Bruce’s first game back in Cincinnati since the trade, and the team had a pre-game ceremony honoring him. Bruce would go 0-3 with two strikeouts leaving two men on base. 

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Terry Collins – You Genuis, You

There’s just something about August and September that Terry Collins’ insane decision making just seems to work. Tonight, it was Curtis Granderson: Cleanup Hitter. 

There is no reason to think this was a good idea. Granderson entered the game with only 40 RBI despite hitting 22 homers. He has a .126 batting average with runners in scoring position. It’s .070 with two outs. Yet, there he was – the Mets cleanup hitter. Naturally, it worked. 

First, he came up in the bottom of the first with Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera on second and third with one out. Naturally, when Yoenis Cespedes couldn’t deliver, Granderson did. He would hit a sacrifice fly scoring Reyes to make it a 1-0 game. 

The Nationals would tie the game at one in the second on a Danny Espinosa solo shot against Seth Lugo. 

It was the lone blip on the night from Lugo, who just got stronger as the game went on. He navigated his way out of a bases loaded first inning jam getting Wilson Ramos to ground out. After the Espinosa homer, he completely shut down the Nationals. What was impressive again wasn’t just his curveball, but also his ability to dial up the fastball when he needed it. In a sixth inning strikeout of Ramos, Lugo dialed it up to 97. In fact, he got stronger as he went deeper into the game:

 His final line was seven innings, six hits, one run, one earned, no walks, and four strikeouts. Once again, he was economical throwing 101 pitches. 

Lugo got the win, in part, because Granderson emerged again. Granderson would hit a two run home run to give the Mets a 3-1 lead. They wouldn’t look back. 

In fact, they would tack on runs with the help of another strange Collins decision. 

Despite going 1-3 with a walk and a GREAT defensive play, Collins benched Michael Conforto in favor of the slumping and ill at ease in New York Jay Bruce. 

The move initially backfired as Bruce made the last out in the second trying to go first to third with two outs on a Lugo single. He would be nailed by Trea Turner. In fairness to Bruce, he was probably relying on Tim Teufel, who has been a bad third base coach. 

In the sixth, he would make up for that and a lot of frustration with an opposite field two run shot:

With that, the Mets jumped out to a 5-1 lead.  On a related note, Conforto may never play again.  

Ultimately, however, this night was about Lugo who continues to get better and better. The Mets could’ve fallen apart after losing Steven Matz to the disabled list and Jacob deGrom missing starts with an arm injury that still has not been fully disclosed. 

Instead, Lugo has stepped up, and he has arguably been the best starter on a Mets team one game out of a playoff spot. For those that truly believe and/or are off their meds, the Mets are 8.5 games out in the division. 

By the way, Collins left on an insane note pitching Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia to close it out because they haven’t been overworked enough and because the four run lead was in serious jeopardy. It was more so in the ninth with the bottom of the Nationals roster due up. He also left a hobbled Cabrera out there in the ninth. 

Guess those moves “worked” too because the Mets won. 

Game Notes: James Loney is scorching going 1-3 tonight. 

Pennant Race: The Cardinals beat the Reds 5-2. The Pirates lost to the Brewers 10-0. The Giants lost to the Cubs 3-2. The Marlins lost to the Indians 6-5. 

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Mets Consistently Did the Improbable 

If you took a poll asking Mets fans to ask who was the player who got the big two out hit with the bases loaded to give the Mets the lead, the most popular guess would be Yoenis Cespedes. 

It wasn’t Cespedes as he was intentionally walked by Tanner Roark to load the bases. It wasn’t Jay Bruce as he was sitting. It wasn’t James Loney. Even though he played, Terry Collins finally had the good sense to stop hitting him clean up and move him to the eighth spot in the lineup. In fact, the batter who got the hit might’ve been more unlikely than Loney. No, it wasn’t Bartolo Colon. It was Curtis Granderson:

The two run single scoring Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera was a long time coming. Granderson was 0-22 in his last 22 at bats with runners in scoring position. He was 2-42 with runners in scoring position and two outs all season. It was his first two RBI game without a homer since July 6th (hat tip @themainemets). 

Even more impressive than that was two of Robert Gsellman‘s feats. 

The first was being a Mets pitcher who actually holds on runners and pays attention to the running game. He has a good move to first. The result of which was him picking off . . . sorry catching Bryce Harper stealing. Seriously, the pickoff/caught stealing scoring rule is as it gets. 

More impressive than that was his escape in the sixth. 

The Nationals had two on and no out after an Anthony Rendon double and a Wilson Ramos walk. Both would advance on a Ryan Zimmerman ground out. 

It was a precarious situation not just because Gsellman is a young pitcher, but also because he isn’t a strikeout pitcher. He’s a ground ball pitcher in the ilk of a Chien-Ming Wang. 

Naturally, Gsellman would get a huge strikeout of Ben Revere, who is a tough batter to strike out. Gsellman then induced Danny Espinosa to groundout to end the inning. Incredibly, Gsellman got out of the jam, and he preserved the 2-1 lead.

It would be Gsellman’s last inning. Like his other starts, it was never pretty with him, but he managed to find a way. His final line was six innings, six hits, one run, one earned, three walks, and four strikeouts. 

Even more amazing than the aforementioned Granderson and Gsellman contributions was Loney’s. Loney came into the game not having hit an extra base hit in over a month and having gone 1-13 over the past week. Naturally, he hit an RBI double off Matt Belisle scoring Travis d’Arnaud making it a 3-1 game. 

It would stay that way in large part because of Michael Conforto‘s center field defense. 

Paint-by-number Collins brought in Jim Henderson because it was the seventh inning. Henderson allowed a one out single to Jayson Werth creating a hazardous situation with Daniel Murphy and Harper due up. With the two lefties coming up, Collins went to Josh Smoker. 

It was a huge appearance for Smoker not just because of the situation, but also because who he was facing. The Nationals were the team that made him a first round pick and the team that released him after his injuries. 

Murphy would hit a sinking line drive off Smoker that was almost assuredly a base hit until Conforto did this:

Smoker responded the same way we all did:

Smoker made the play stick by getting a huge strikeout of Harper to end the inning on a pitch that wasn’t in the next next batter’s box – it was in the next county.  

Smoker was equally pumped after that strikeout:

After Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia combined to pitch a scoreless eighth and ninth, Mets fans were celebrating like Smoker. 

With the Cardinals losing, it was a huge win that brought the Mets within one game of playoff position. It also kept their faint NL East hopes alive. 

Game Notes: Give Dusty Baker credit, he tried to win the game making an estimated 350 pitching changes to get the right match ups in critical spots. It was really six, which is still a lot. Olympic Gold Medalist Laurie Hernandez threw out the first pitch:

Pennant Race: The Cardinals lost to the Reds 9-1. The Marlins lost to the Indians 8-3. The Pirates trail the Brewers 6-3 in the eighth. 

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Gavin Cecchini Needs to Be Up Here Now

Last night, the Mets received some devastating news when it was discovered that Neil Walker was going to miss the rest of the season due to a herniated disc that is going to require surgery.  With Walker done for the year, the Mets are missing not only a good defender, but also a good bat.  Someway, somehow the Mets are going to have to replace Walker’s .282/.347/.476 batting line and his 23 homers.  It is no easy task.

The obvious solution is a Wilmer Flores – Kelly Johnson platoon.  That tandem should be able to replicate Walker’s production as both are incredibly hot at the plate.  Flores hit .306/.346/.542 in August with five homers and 19 RBI.  Better yet, he is hitting .340/.386/.691 with 10 homers and 26 RBI off lefties this season.  For his part, Johnson is hitting .289/.353/.511 with eight homers and 20 RBI in 60 games for the Mets.  Over the last month, he is hitting .288/.348/.576 with five homers and 14 RBI.  Johnson also had that game winning bases clearing RBI double last night that helped the Mets win the game.

If second base were the only issue, that would be fine.  However, the Mets have issues at first base and shortstop that needs to be addressed.

At first base, the Mets have a floundering James Loney.  In the month of August, he hit .213/.222/.447 with just one extra base hit.  Worse yet, these numbers were with Terry Collins shielding him against left-handed pitching.  As we saw last night, Collins is going to be forced to play Flores at first and Johnson at second.  When you couple that with Asdrubal Cabrera dealing with a knee injury, the Mets do not have much margin for error.

Even with the rosters expanding today, that remains to be true as the players on the 40 man roster leave a lot to be desired as an everyday replacement.

the 40 man roster, the Mets have enigmatic options.

Eric Campbell is once again dominating AAA hitting .297/.396/.428 with 13 doubles, four triples, five homers, and 40 RBI. Yes, four triples. However, this follows a stint where he didn’t hit in the majors going .159/.270/.222.

Ty Kelly is coming off a decent stint in the majors where Collins shielded the switch-hitter against left-handed pitching.  Since his demotion Kelly is hitting .258/.314/.290 with only one extra base hit in the extremely hitter friendly Pacific Coast League.

Finally, there is Matt Reynolds who hit .211/.231/.382 in 37 games with the Mets. After the AAA All Star Break, Reynolds has been hitting .255/.333/.294 with only four doubles in 102 at bats.

Keep in mind, T.J. Rivera is not an option at the moment as he needs to remain in the minors until next week because he was sent down to make room for Rafael Montero‘s spot start.  This means that even though the Mets have warm bodies available to play the middle infield, they do not have players who can play everyday at the major league level.

With these three not hitting or having established they are not capable of hitting at the major league level, the Mets need to turn in another direction for help. With that in mind, the Mets best option is their 2012 first round draft pick Gavin Cecchini.

While playing shortstop this season, Cecchini has been hitting .327/.388/.449 with 27 doubles, two triples, seven homers, and 53 RBI. Over the past month, Cecchini is hitting .358/.378/.480 with nine doubles, two homers, and 12 RBI. While many have knocked his defense as he has a woeful .929 fielding percentage, it is notable that Cecchini has gone his last 14 games without an error.

For what it is worth, Cecchini has only played one game at secondin his minor league career, and that was Thursday.  It should be noted with the rise of Amed Rosario and the trade of Dilson Herrera, Cecchini’s future will be second base.  Given the fact that Collins had no issue throwing Reynolds into left field in a game without him having ever played there before, the concerns about him not being a second baseman are a bit overblown.

In reality, the only thing preventing the Mets from calling up Cecchini right now is the fact that he’s not on the 40 man roster.  However, with the Jon Niese and Neil Walker injuries, the Mets have the opportunity to move either of them to the 60 day disabled list freeing up a spot for Cecchini.  Keep in mind, the Mets are going to have to add Cecchini this offseason anyway to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.

With the Mets needing to patch things together on the right side of their infield, they need as many options as possible.  They also need some insurance for Cabrera’s knee.  They could use another shortstop who could take over for Cabrera late in games to allow him to rest his knee.  Furthermore, given the Mets team speed, they could use someone who could be available to pinch run late in games.

Cecchini could fulfill each of these roles quite well.  Furthermore, if given the opportunity, he might just prove more valuable than that.  At this point, there is really no good reason to keep Cecchini in AAA.  He needs to be up in the majors now helping the Mets return to the postseason.

Editor’s Note: this article also appeared on Mets Minors

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Nationals Are a Better Team

Tonight, there were only two Mets who played well in a huge series against the Washington Nationals – Asdrubal Cabrera and Noah Syndergaard. It wasn’t enough. 

Cabrera homered off Nationals starter A.J. Cole in the fourth to narrow the gap to 2-1. Overall, Cabrera was 2-3 with the homer and a walk. Jay Bruce was the only other Met to get a hit off of Cole. 

In reality, the Mets did nothing against a young pitcher who has struggled in his limited major league appearances. In his five major league appearances, he was 0-1 with a 5.32 ERA and a 1.318 WHIP. At 24 years old, he’s still just a prospect who could conceivably break out at any time. However, he’s really seen as a mid to back of the rotation guy. This was just another case of the disappearing Mets offense. 

It is a shame too because it spoiled a very good Syndergaard start. Syndergaard’s final line was seven innings, three hits, two runs, two earned, one walk, and four strikeouts. Seeing that line, it begs the question – how did the Nationals score two runs with only four baserunners and no extra base hits. 

Simple, Syndergaard cannot hold base runners. 

In the first, Trea Turner led off the game with a single. He then proceeded to steal second AND third. No, Travis d’Arnaud wasn’t catching; it was Rene Rivera showing yet again the stolen base issue lies with the starting pitchers. Turner would then score on a Bryce Harper sacrifice fly. Daniel Murphy would also steal a base in the inning, but he would not score. 

In the fourth, Harper hit a one out double, and he stole third. That set up yet another sacrifice fly. This time it was Wilson Ramos. 

Just like that, the Nationals “manufactured” both of their runs. They got the guys on, got them over, and got them in. It’s something the Mets offense has struggled with all year. 

The Mets would have one chance to tie the game in the seventh. 

Marc Rzepczynski (your guess is as good as mine as to whether that is spelled correctly) relieved Cole, and he made quick work of Curtis Granderson and Kelly Johnson. Rzepczynski would then issue a free pass to Rivera, and he would plunk d’Arnaud. 

At that point, Terry Collins and Dusty Baker would go to their benches. Collins would tab Ty Kelly to pinch run for Rivera. Baker would bring in Koda Glover (definitely no relation to Danny or Donald) to pitch to Jose Reyes making sure Reyes was hitting from his much weaker side. Glover would blow a 98 MPH fastball past Reyes to end the inning. 

But, hey, Reyes did this to a ball earlier in the game:

The game was then out if reach in the ninth before the Mets would bat. Jerry Blevins started the inning to face the left-handed Murphy and Harper. A single and a double later, and Collins turned to Hansel Robles. Robles immediately gave up a two RBI single to Anthony Rendon making it a 4-1 game. 

What we all observed was the difference between the 2015 and 2016 Nationals. The Nationals have a manger that has a reputation in bringing out the best in his guys. They also gave a much better bullpen. During the stretch run last year, they had Jonathan Papelbon. This year it’s Mark Melancon. 

It’s a huge difference. It’s the difference between losing the division by seven games and having a 10.5 game division lead. Well, that and having Murphy. 

Game Notes: Even with the righty on the mound, James Loney would sit, and Wilmer Flores played first. Michael Conforto did not start, but he made a PH appearance in the ninth. Fernando Salas pitched another scoreless inning. 

Pennant Race: The Pirates lost 1-0 to the Brewers. The Marlins are lost 6-2 to the Indians. The Cardinals lost 3-2 to the Reds. 

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Yelich Finally Beat The Mets

On a team that traditionally kills the Mets, Christian Yelich is the ultimate Mets killer. 

It started in the second inning when he robbed Jacob deGrom:

At the time, the Mets had Jose Urena on the ropes with two outs and the bases loaded. Between last night and tonight, the Mets have loaded the bases four times, and Kelly Johnson is the only one who has gotten a base hit. 

In the following half inning, Yelich struck again hitting an RBI single off deGrom scoring Ichiro Suzuki giving the Marlins a 1-0 lead. 

In this series, the Mets responded each time the Marlins took a lead, but not tonight. It would be the Marlins who struck next, and once again Yelich would be in the mix. 

In the top of the fifth, Yelich got the rally started with a two out single. He would come around to score on a Jeff Francouer double. Francouer would score off a Xavier Scruggs double. 

That would be it for deGrom. His final line was five innings, six hits, three runs, three earned, four walks, and six strikeouts. Considering he has struggled recently and the Mets skipping a start, it was hard to tell if he was rusty or if he’s just lost right now.  Whatever it is, the Mets need him, and he hasn’t been able to help. 

In the sixth, the Mets would narrow the gap with a Jay Bruce solo home to to make it 3-1. 

Yelich would once again be a factor. So would Terry Collins. 

Despite a well rested bullpen and newly acquired Fernando Salas available, Collins would push Josh Smoker to pitch a second inning. Smoker didn’t record an out in the seventh, and he gave up an opposite field home run to Yelich giving the Marlins a 6-1 lead. It was Yelich’s third opposite field home runs in as many days. 

Credit should be given to Keith Hernandez here. During the Yelich at bat, he noted how well Yelich goes the other way, and he noted Smoker should pitch Yelich inside. Smoker didn’t. 

Salas would then make his Mets debut pitching a scoreless inning. 

The Mets would build a rally in the eighth. Curtis Granderson and Johnson would lead off the inning with opposite field singles off Nick Wittgren. Bruce followed suit hitting an opposite field RBI single. 

Don Mattingly would bring in Kyle Barraclough. Wilmer Flores battled back from an 0-2 count to draw a walk loading the bases bringing up Michael Conforto. Barraclough threw him nothing but breaking pitches, and Conforto hit into the 1-2-3 double play. Despite going 2-4 with a double reaching on an error and making a nice play in the field, knowing Collins, Conforto won’t play in another game this year. 

Yoenis Cespedes, who didn’t start the game due to the slick field conditions, would pinch hit for James Loney. He struck out to end the inning and the rally. Again, the Mets couldn’t score a run with the bases loaded. 

To the Mets credit, they didn’t go down without a fight. Travis d’Arnaud led off the inning an infield single thanks in part to a lacksadasical Dee Gordon. Asdrubal Cabrera, who also sat due to field conditions, hit his first career pinch hit home run making it 6-4.  The Mets would get no closer. 

Fittingly, the last three batters would all fly out to left with Yelich getting all three put outs. On the night, Yelich was 3-4 with two runs, four RBI, one walk, a homer, and a sparkling defensive play in center. He was the lone Marlin who came to beat the Mets this series, and he finally accomplished his goal tonight. 

With the loss, the Mets missed an opportunity to gain some ground on the idle Cardinals, and yes, for the delusional fan, the idle Nationals. 

Game Notes: For some reason or other, Rene Rivera played first tonight even with Ty Kelly getting recalled with the expanded rosters. 

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Reyes & Cabrera Spark the Offense Again

Much like last night, the Marlins would not have a lead against the Mets for very long. 

In the top of the first, Christian Yelich hit a two run homer off Seth Lugo giving the Marlins an early 2-0 lead. After that, Lugo would shut the Marlins down including robbing Ichiro Suzuki of a base hit to get out of the first. Lugo grabbed the ball dribbling down the line and threw a dart over Ichiro’s head. 

His final line was six innings, five hits, two runs, two earned, one walk, and four strikeouts. 

Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera would set out to make sure Lugo got the win. With Cabrera playing after missing a game with a knee issue, the two once again served as sparks at the top of the lineup. They started immediately. 
After Reyes leadoff the bottom of the first with an infield single, Cabrera brought him home on a game tying two run homer. 

On the night, Reyes would go 4-5 with two runs and a double. Cabrera was 2-3 with a run, two RBI, a walk, and a homer. With them going like this, you can believe the Mets have what it takes to get back to the postseason.

The first inning rally would continue on a Jay Bruce double. Yes, that actually happened. He would then score on a Wilmer Flores RBI single. It was part of a big night for Flores who was 2-4 with a double and an RBI. 

Just like that, a Marlins lead became a 3-2 deficit. The Mets wouldn’t look back. 

After the first, the Mets kept threatening against Tom Koehler, but they couldn’t quite plate another run. Shocking, I know. The Mets not getting hits with runners in scoring position. 

Things changed in the sixth with Curtis Granderson hitting a pinch hit leadoff home run. It sparked a rally with the Mets loading the bases. Alejandro De Aza singled scoring Reyes making it 5-2, but that’s all the Mets would get that inning. 

On the De Aza single, Cabrera took a wide turn around third, but he did not appear as if he was really trying to score. Rather, it looked as if he was positioning himself in case there was a bobble or something. In any event, he tried to get back to third but he couldn’t because Bruce was standing there. 

Granderson would stay in the game and go to right. He would come back up in the seventh, and he would hit another home run. This was a two run shot scoring Rene Rivera making it a 7-2 game. 

With the Mets now having a big lead, Terry Collins decided to let Hansel Robles stay out there for a second inning because Collins is the only one who hasn’t figured out that Robles is overworked.Fortunately, Robles was able to pitch two scoreless helping to preserve the Mets win. 

The Mets had to turn to Jeurys Familia for the save as Jim Henderson just couldn’t lock down the 7-2 win. Henderson allowed a starting a J.T. Realmuto solo home run, a Jeff Francouer triple, and a Dee Gordon RBI single. Just like that it was a 7-4 game. Familia came in and put an end to the nonsense striking out Marcell Ozuna to record his 43rd save of the year tying the club record he shares with Armando Benitez. 

With the Mets second straight win against the Marlins, they are now a game ahead of them in the standings.  Things are starting to get interesting. 
Game Notes: Neil Walker missed the game with his lingering back injury. It’s now serious enough that Collins no longer believes Walker can play everyday. James Loney stayed consistent by going 0-3. Before the game, it was announced Steven Matz will not be ready to pitch when his disabled list stint is over because he is still having shoulder issues. 

Pennant Race: The Pirates are losing to the Cubs 3-0 in the seventh. The Cardinals are tied with the Brewers 1-1 in the eighth. The Nationals beat the Phillies 3-2. 

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The Mets Need Gavin Cecchini

The Mets are in a bad situation right now with their infield depth during a pivotal series against the Miami Marlins.  Asdrubal Cabrera has re aggravated the same knee injury that previously landed him on the disabled list after a collision with Phillies first baseman Tommy Joseph.  Neil Walker has been in and out of the lineup with a back issue.  With the Mets having sent down T.J. Rivera to make room for Rafael Montero to make last night’s start, it means the Mets have no infield depth.  They are literally one injury away from figuring out if Rene Rivera or Travis d’Arnaud is capable of playing third base.

With that, the Mets are desperate for someone middle infield help until the rosters can expand on Thursday, and on the 40 man roster, the Mets have enigmatic options.

First is everyone’s least favorite Met Eric Campbell.  Campbell is once again dominating AAA hitting .297/.396/.428 with 13 doubles, four triples, five homers, and 40 RBI.  Yes, four triples.  This follows a stint where he didn’t hit in the majors going .159/.270/.222.  The only thing Campbell has going for him is his ability to play multiple positions and his ability to pinch hit.

The next option is Ty Kelly.  Like Campbell, Kelly is versatile and has been dominating in AAA.  Unlike Campbell, he is a switch hitter who has had some recent success in the majors.  Keep in mind before he had back-to-back two hit games before being demoted again, he was hitting .186/.280/.256.  It’s something to keep in mind as he hasn’t been raking in AAA like he was when he was first called up.  Since being sent back down to AAA, Kelly is hitting .259/.323/.296.

Finally, there is Matt Reynolds.  Between him, Campbell, and Kelly, he is the only one that can play SS.  However, he is in the same boat as Campbell and Kelly in that you cannot trust him to hit at the major league level.  In his 37 games with the Mets, he hit .211/.231/.382.  After the AAA All Star Break, Reynolds has been hitting .250/.321/.292 with only four doubles in 96 at bats.

With these three not hitting or having established they are not capable of hitting at the major league level, the Mets need to turn in another direction for help.  With that in mind, the Mets best option is their 2012 first round draft pick Gavin Cecchini.

While playing shortstop this season, Cecchini has been hitting .329/.391/.454 with 27 doubles, two triples, seven homers, and 53 RBI.  Over the past month, Cecchini is hitting .368/.390/.500 with nine doubles, two homers, and 12 RBI.  While many have knocked his defense as he has a woeful .928 fielding percentage, it is notable that Cecchini has gone his last 12 games without an error.  Overall, Cecchini is playing the best out of these four players making him the Mets best infield option.

There is just one problem.  Cecchini isn’t on the 40 man roster.  The Mets would have to make a move to put him on; a move the Mets are going to have to make in the offseason anyway to protect Cecchini from the Rule 5 Draft.  Looking at the above options, there is no reason to keep Campbell or Kelly on the 40 man roster.  If the Mets are really interested in putting the best team on the field, and giving themselves the best chance to win, they will go with Cecchini.

But no.  Instead, the Mets are going to go with Logan Verrett because the Mets need another pitcher to address their infield situation.  Hopefully, d’Arnaud can play third base.

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