Jay Bruce

Mets Wouldn’t Be Denied a Third Time

With the way the Mets season has gone, you knew they were going to regret not scoring with bases loaded and no outs. The issue was whether they would be able to rebound. 

At the time, the Mets were up 2-1 after a Wilmer Flores two run homer in the second scoring the clean up hitter Curtis Granderson. The home run was off the right-handed Jake Esch, who was making his major league debut. It was an important homer for Wilmer as he needs to hit righties more with the uncertainty surrounding Neil Walker and his back. 

As in the first two games of this series, the Mets scored the half inning immediately after the Marlins too the lead. 

The Mets had their chance to blow things open but failed. Jay Bruce started the rally with a single. Travis d’Arnaud singled himself leading to the Mets loading the bases. The rally was killed and the Mets scored no runs as Bartolo Colon hit into a double play. Which inning was this? 

It was the second and the fourth. 

In the second, Colon came up with one out, and he hit into the 3-6-3 inning ending double play. In the fourth, there were no outs as Colon hit into the rare 5-2-3 double play. Colon had two at bats leading to four outs. 

The second failure with the bases loaded was especially notable as there are no outs and Bruce’s decided not to test Ichiro Suzuki‘s arm despite Tim Teufel waving him in. Kelly Johnson didn’t get the RBI, and after a Jose Reyes groundout, no one scored. 

The Mets would regret missing out on these chances after Christian Yelich hit a game tying solo homer in the sixth. 

The homer was a blip for Colon who was great on the night. His final line was seven innings, seven hits, two runs, one earned, no walks, and three strikeouts. However, he wouldn’t get the win, in part, due to his offense. Addison Reed  would after pitching a scoreless eighth. 

In the bottom of the eighth, the Mets would not be denied again. The bases were loaded with two outs as Johnson stepped to the plate. He would hit a 3-2 pitch for a bases clearing double giving the Mets a 5-2 lead. 

Jeurys Familia came on and closed it out recording his 44th save of the season. With the save, he broke the tie he shared with Armando Benitez for saves in a single season. He is assured to only add to that. 
With that, the Mets have taken three of the first four from the Marlins. They also finish the month over .500 for the first time since April. 

Game Notes: Old friend Kirk Nieuwenhuis did his part to help the Mets hitting a three run home run against the Cardinals. 

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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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Mets Roster Management Is Horrendous

There’s having a short bench due to injuries, and then there is what the Mets did last night.

With the Mets needing to skips Jacob deGrom start, the Mets needed to call up a starter to take his place in the rotation. The corollary to that is the Mets needed to send someone down to make room for Rafael Montero on the roster.

The obvious choice was Robert Gsellman. Gsellman had just started on Sunday meaning he was not slated to pitch until Friday. However, he wasn’t going to start on Friday. That start is going to go to Steven Matz, who by all accounts, will be ready to come off the disabled list. With Matz reclaiming his rotation spot, Gsellman was not needed.

Instead, the Mets sent down T.J. Rivera.  They sent down T.J. Rivera even though Neil Walker has had to miss a few games with a lingering back injury.  Rivera was sent down despite Asdrubal Cabrera having to leave Sunday’s game due to a re-aggravation of his knee injury.  Rivera was sent down even though he was the only thing resembling healthy versatile infield depth on the Mets roster.  Rivera being sent down meant the Mets had no margin of error on the infield.  It was something that was almost a huge issue last night as A.J. Ramos fell on Jose Reyes‘ shoulder as Reyes scored on a wild pitch.

It also meant the Mets had a short bench last night.  With Rafael Montero only being able to go five innings, Terry Collins had to use Jacob deGrom to pinch hit.  In an effort to win the game with one swing, Collins burned Rene Rivera and then turned to Jay Bruce.  When Bruce didn’t deliver, the Mets best pinch hitting option remaining was Noah Syndergaard.  Fortunately, like he has done so many times in the past, Yoenis Cespedes bailed out the Mets with a tenth inning walk off home run.

Like it has most of the season, the Mets handling of the roster has been left a lot to be desired.  It might not have cost them last night’s game, but it has cost them games this season.  With only two more days before rosters expand, hopefully, the days of the Mets purposefully playing with a short roster are behind us.

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Montero Started It and Cespedes Finished It

There was little optimism for tonight’s game. The Marlins were starting Jose Fernandez, who absolutely owns the Mets. Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera couldn’t play due to injury. That left the Mets with an extremely short bench as the team sent down T.J. Rivera to make room for Rafael Montero. 

Yes, that Rafael Montero. In the biggest game of the biggest series of the year, the Mets led off with Montero against Fernandez because Jacob deGrom needed to have a start skipped with his recent struggles. In the biggest undersell of the century, this was far from optimal. 

Also suboptimal was the strikezone. Montero, who has not dealt well with adversity in his career, was squeezed all night. He issued six walks in five innings. In four of the five innings he pitched, he was on the verge of a meltdown. But then something funny happened. Montero bore down. 

He got out of a jam in the first by striking out J.T. Realmuto. In the fourth, he got out of a bases loaded jam by getting the opposing pitcher, Fernandez, to ground out. In the fifth, he induced a ground ball from Marcell Ozuna, and third baseman  Kelly Johnson started the inning ending 5-5-3 double play. 

It was ugly at times, but Montero pitched an effective five innings to give the Mets a chance. His final line was five innings, two hits, no runs, none earned, six walks, and three strikeouts. It may not be an outing that would earn him another start, but it was a courageous outing that shows he may still yet have a major league future. 

Sean Gilmartin and Jerry Blevins each followed Montero’s effort with a scoreless inning if their own meaning the Mets got through seven scoreless innings. It also meant the Mets successfully outlasted Fernandez, who was brilliant again. 
Fermandez’s final line was six innings, three hits, no runs, none earned, four walks (one intentional), and six strikeouts. While not particularly noteworthy against this team, the Mets were 0-6 with RISP against him. 

It became a battle of the bullpens, and the one guy you counted on most was the one who sprung a leak. Ichiro Suzuki hustled his way to a two out double off Addison Reed. Alejandro De Aza made a good play on the ball, but Ichiro is just that fast. Ichiro would then score on a Xavier Scruggs RBI double. 

The Scruggs double was an absolute laser that Yoenis Cespedes didn’t have a real chance to get even at 100%. Still, he took a real baffling route to the ball. 

The Mets, specifically Jose Reyes, would respond in the bottom half of the inning. Reyes lead off with a double off reliever A.J. Ramos. Ichiro misplayed the ball, but Reyes was getting to second regardless. Reyes tagged and moved up on a deceptively deep De Aza fly ball. Normally, you’d question running on left fielder Christian Yelich who has a cannon. However, with him back pedaling, Reyes made a great read and took third. 

Cespedes then stepped to the plate with the crowd a buzz. Ramos would throw a wild pitch allowing Reyes to score. Ramos would come down on Reyes’ shoulder, but Reyes would stay in the game. 

Cespedes and Curtis Granderson would follow with singles, but the Mets couldn’t push either home. 

Jeurys Familia pitched a 1-2-3 ninth. He wasn’t available to go deeper as he was due up third in the bottom of the ninth. Terry Collins couldn’t double switch him in as he had no bench to do that. 
After the ninth, the Mets really had no bench. With two outs in the ninth, Rene Rivera was announced as the pinch hitter against the lefty Mike Dunn. Don Mattingly countered with the right-handed Nick Wittgren.  Then in a move that made no sense Collins went to Jay Bruce as Collins was the only one who expected Bruce to hit one out of the park. He didn’t meaning the lone position player left was Walker, who couldn’t play due to his lingering back issues. 

Josh Smoker picked the Mets up with a lights out 1-2-3 tenth where he struck out two of the three batters he faced. Smoker has gotten progressively better with each and every outing since he was recalled, and he earned his first major league win because, well, Cespedes. 

 With two outs in the tenth, Cespedes hit the walk off at a time the Mets desperaty needed it. They were almost out of pitchers. They had no more bench players, and he bailed them out evening the Mets with the Marlins in the standings. 

Game Notes: With the short bench, deGrom grounded out while pinch hitting for Montero in the fifth. 

Pennant Race: The Nationals beat the  Phillies 4-0. The Cardinals beat the Brewers 6-5. The Pirates lead the Cubs 6-3 in the seventh. 

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Gsellman Gave the Mets a Chance to Win – They Didn’t 

Through the first six innings, Robert Gsellman did his job even though he needed a lot of help with the Phillies getting two runners thrown out at home. 

In the third, the speedy Freddy Galvis tried to sneak home from third when Cesar Hernandez grounded out to Gsellman. An alert James Loney nailed Galvis at the plate. Again, it seems like everyone wants to pull this play off against the Mets since Eric Hosmer surprised everyone, including Lucas Duda, in the World Series. 

In the fourth, Aaron Altherr wasn’t exactly busting it from first on a Jimmy Paredes RBI double. The Jay Bruce to Kelly Johnson relay nailed Atherr at the plate. Instead of it being 2-1 Phillies. The game would be tied at one. 

Still, it was 1-1 heading into the seventh inning. With Gsellman due to leadoff the next inning, Terry Collins left him in the game. Collins might’ve left him in because Gsellman pitched reasonably well, and he had a reasonable low pitch count. He could’ve left him in because the Mets already lost Asdrubal Cabrera earlier in the game with a knee injury after a collision with Phillies first baseman Tommy Joseph (initially, it appeared to be a wrist injury). He might’ve left him in because he wanted to give a still hobbled Yoenis Cespedes and a presumably tired new father, Neil Walker, a full day off. Whatever the case, Collins decision was defendable if not risky. It was a fateful decision.

The Phillies led off the seventh with three straight singles. The rally started when Joseph singled past Loney, who has shown himself to have little range and not quick to the ball. The three singles loaded the bases bringing up new Phillie A.J. Ellis. As usual, Ellis is struggling at the plate this season, but the catcher has a penchant for big hits. With that in mind, Collins went to Hansel Robles to get out of the bases loaded no out jam. To build off the meme, Hansel is so cold right now. 

Ellis hit a two RBI double that one hopped the wall giving the Phillies a 3-1 lead. After an intentional walk to re-load the bases, Robles got ahead of Peter Bourjos 0-2. He would then hit the lite hitting Bourjos on the wrist making it a 4-1 game. Jerry Blevins came on and allowed a sacrifice fly making the score 5-1. 

Jim Henderson relieved Blevins, and he got the last out of the inning. Henderson just pitched the eighth even though he pitched yesterday and he’s coming back from ANOTHER shoulder injury. 
Gsellman took the loss after he gave the Mets a much better start than they probably anticipated. His final line was six innings, seven hits, four runs, four earned, one walk, and five strikeouts. Keep in mind, he allowed three hits without recording an out in the seventh, and Robles allowed all of his runners to score. Arguably, Gsellman deserved a much better fate. 

However, the Mets, as a team, did not deserve a better fate. 

The only major threat they built was in the first inning when they loaded the bases with one out. They would only get one run on a Curtis Granderson sacrifice fly scoring Wilmer Flores, who came on for the injured Cabrera. The Mets then did little against Vince Velasquez and then for the following four innings against a pretty weak Phillies bullpen. 

In the bottom of the sixth, before the ill fated seventh inning, Travis d’Arnaud battled back from an 0-2 count only to ground out thereby stranding Alejandro De Aza at third.  Once again, hitting with runners in scoring position was the difference between winning and losing. 

The Mets lost a game that was in front of them to win. If they want to get that second Wild Card, they are not only going to need to win games like these, but they are also going to have to sweep series against bad teams like the Phillies. If not, they’re not going to make up the necessary ground they need to make. 

Game Notes: Bruce again did nothing much at the plate going 1-4 with a strikeout. 

Pennant Race: The Marlins lost to the Padres 3-1. The Nationals lost to the Rockies 5-3. The Pirates beat the Brewers 3-1. The Cardinals lost to the Athletics 7-4. 

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Asdrubal Cabrera Was Golden (Haired)

Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera let everyone know right off the bat the Mets were not going to take a second division club lightly by hitting back-to-back homers to start the bottom of the first.

They also brought their gloves. After Cabrera made a nice play in the fourth, Reyes followed up with a better one:

At the time, it preserved a Bartolo Colon no-hitter. Colon would lose it in the fifth on an Odubel Herrera hustle double. Herrera scored after the Mets gamble of intentionally walking Peter Bourjos, who is hitting .179 in the second half, to get to the pitcher Adam Morgan. Morgan hit an RBI single to close the gap to 2-1. That’s as close as the Phillies would get. 

In the bottom of the fifth, Wilmer Flores made it 6-1 with a grand slam off Morgan:

Once again both Flores and this iteration of the Mets lineup just crushes lefties.  

In the sixth, the Mets would put the game out of reach off Phillies reliever Frank Herrmann. Travis d’Arnaud hit an RBI double, and he would come around to score on Cabrera’s second home run of the game. It was the first time he homered from both sides of the plate. It gave the Mets a 9-1 lead effectively ending the game. 

The Phillies would touch up Colon a bit in the eighth to close the gap to 9-4, but in reality it was just putting lipstick on a pig. Colon was terrific in every way tonight starting with a quick defensive reaction in the first:

He didn’t just help himself in the field, he helped himself at the plate going 2-3 with two runs and a double . . . yes, a double. 

His final line was seven innings, six hits, four runs, four earned, two walks, and six strikeouts. 

On what was a terrific day for the Mets, Cabrera put the capper on the night with a terrific defensive play in the eighth. Reyes tried to bare-hand a ball at third, and he missed it. Cabrera backed him up, and dive to tag out Aaron Altherr. 

  
After a second lackluster appearance by Sean Gilmartin and his bleeding thumb, Terry Collins wasted no time in bringing in Jeurys Familia even though it wasn’t a save situation. Familia got out of the first and second no out jam to preserve the Mets 9-4 win. 

Game Notes: Neil Walker was activated from the paternity list, and he went 1-3 with a run and a walk. T.J. Rivera was sent back down. Jay Bruce returned to the lineup as well, and he went 0-4 with the golden sombrero. Curtis Granderson sat against the left-handed again. 

Pennant Race: The Nationals beat the Rockies 8-5. The Marlins are losing to the Padres 6-3 in the ninth. The Pirates are leading the Brewers 5-4 in the sixth. The Cardinals lead the Athletics 3-1 in the seventh. 

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Jacob deGrom Didn’t Have It Again 

You can point to whatever you want, but the simple fact is the Mets lost this game because Jacob deGrom didn’t have it for the second straight game.  That much was made apparent when Matt Carpenter led off the bottom of the first with a home run. 

He would only last 4.2 innings allowing a whopping 12 hits with two walks while only striking out three. The scary part is it could have been a lot worse than the five runs he allowed. 

In the second deGrom caught a wandering Yadier Molina off second after a leadoff double. The Cardinals still rallied that inning, but they wouldn’t score. Randal Grichuk tried to score on a Greg Garcia single, but he would be gunned down by Curtis Granderson to end the inning. The play was really made by Travis d’Arnaud, who made a terrific tag. 

https://twitter.com/statcast/status/768659716088016897

That would keep the game at 1-1. The Mets sole run of the game was scored off an Asdrubal Cabrera double scoring Alejandro De Aza. It scored De Aza because he was pinch running for Jay Bruce, who injured himself on a leadoff double. The Mets are calling it a cramp. Given their ability to diagnose injuries, I’m sure it’ll be much worse:

In the fourth, the Cardinals expanded their lead to 3-1 on a Grichuk solo shot. They continued to rally, and they had first and second with one out. Carpenter then ripped a line drive right at James Loney, who then beat pitcher Carlos Martinez back to the bag for the inning ending double play. 

In the fifth, deGrom allowed another home run. This one was a two run shot to Stephen Piscotty. After that deGrom would allow a hit and a walk all but forcing Collins to pull him after 95 pitches and the Mets down 5-1. Erik Goeddel came on and got the Mets out if the jam without allowing any further damage that inning. 

It’s understandable why Terry Collins would try to push deGrom. He’s the ace, and he’s the guy who can get people out when he seemingly has nothing. On top of that, the Mets bullpen went 8.2 innings yesterday and needed a break. It should be noted the Mets were in that predicament because they started Jon Niese with full knowledge he had a bum knee, which could mean he would need to be pulled early. 

What is strange is Collins pushed Goeddel, who put in a yeoman’s effort. Goeddel has a history of arm injuries, and he’s not a long reliever. Meanwhile, Hansel Robles was well rested and has had experience and success going multiple innings.

Collins wouldn’t go to Robles until the seventh until Goeddel hit a walk after 1.2 solid innings of work. He did allow a run on a Jhonny Peralta RBI triple that Granderson had some trouble with in right. 

For what it’s worth, Robles wasn’t sharp like most of this over worked Collins’ bullpen has. Robles’ final line was 1.2 innings, five hits hits, one run, one earned, no walks, and one strikeout. He did allow an inherited runner to score tagging Goeddel with a second earned run allowed. 

Through all of this the Mets could not solve Martinez who was great all night. His final line was eight innings, four hits, one run, one earned, three walks, and five strikeouts. 

Overall, this story was about deGrom. Over his last two starts, he has allowed 25 hits to the 52 batters he’s faced while allowing four homers. It marked the first time a Mets pitcher has allowed 12 or more hits in consecutive games. This was deGrom’s third straight bad start against a Wild Card contender. 

As it stands, the Mets lost 8-1, and it wasn’t really that close. The Mets are back at .500 . . . again. They are back to 4.5 games behind the Cardinals for the second Wild Card. 

The loss makes tomorrow’s game all the more important. No matter what happens tomorrow, the Mets need to get deGrom to get back to his dominant self. 

Game Notes: Neil Walker missed his second straight game as he is with his wife and newborn daughter. Yoenis Cespedes looked hobbled again out there in left. He went 0-4 with a strikeout. 

Pennant Race: The Pirates lost to the Astros 5-4. The Nationals lost to the Orioles 10-8. The Marlins beat the Royals 3-0. Jose Fernandez appeared to leave that game with an injury. The Marlins are calling it a cramp. 

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Keep Michael Conforto’s AAA Production in Mind

Currently, the Mets outfielders are Jay Bruce, Yoenis Cespedes, Alejandro De Aza, Curtis Granderson, and Justin Ruggiano.  Not on this list is Michael Conforto as the Mets have no intention of calling him up until September 1st.

Conforto is absolutely raking in AAA.  In the 10 games since his demotion, Conforto is 22-40 with four doubles, four homers, eight RBI, and two walks.  That is a .550/.581/.950 batting line.  Offensive statistics in the Pacific Coast League are typically inflated, but they aren’t that inflated.

Better yet, over his two stints in the minors this year, Conforto is hitting .500/.559/.633 with a double, a homer, and seven RBI in 30 at bats.

No, the Mets have no interest in that production right now even with them playing in a crucial three game set against the Cardinals that will have a dramatic impact upon their chances of winning the Wild Card.  Instead, the Mets want to go with the following:

  • Bruce who is hitting .169/.263/.282 in 19 games as a Met
  • De Aza who is hitting .192/.287/.308 on the season and .133/.264/.311 in August
  • Granderson who is hitting .224/.312/.428 on the year and .186/.240/.347 since the All Star Break
  • Ruggiano who was released from the Rangers while he was in AAA and is a career .258/.322/.438 hitter

Overall, the only player who deserves to be in the lineup day-in and day-out is Cespedes.  After that, the Mets have to pick two other outfielders who are playing best to man center and right.  Looking at the Mets 40 man roster, it is hard to believe that Conforto isn’t one of those players right now.

Hopefully, the Mets will sweep the Cardinals and get terrific production from their center and right fielders.  If not, we will all be left asking why were the Mets willing to field their best possible team and best possible lineup in the most important series of the year.

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Cespedes Is Back!

Hopefully, all the suddenly (if relatively) healthy Mets needed to get going was to get one game under their belts. It certainly seemed to be the case as the August 2015 Yoenis Cespedes returned:

Cespedes powered the Mets offense to nine runs by going 3-5 with two runs, a double, two homers, and three RBI. He was just one of the Mets to tee off on Matt Moore and Jake Peavy. Even more amazing was the fact that the Mets were 5-9 with runners in scoring position. 

Like it once did a decade ago, it all started with Jose Reyes, who doubled to leadoff the game en route to going 1-4 with two runs, a walk, a double, and a stolen base. He was the only Met to score in a first inning that saw the first four Mets get on base with two of the Mets hitting doubles. 

The reason for the one run was partially a TOOTBLAN from Asdrubal Cabrera and his Ryanochte hair dye trying to go to second on what really didn’t amount to a wild pitch. At the time, the out loomed large. However, he’d make up for it with a third inning sacrifice fly scoring Reyes and his overall solid day at the plate going 2-4 with an RBI. 

Soon to be dad, Neil Walker, was 2-4 with two runs, one walk, and one double. Justin Ruggiano was 2-3 with a run, a walk, and an RBI. Ruggiano needed a good day at the plate as he had some miscues in the field as he is apparently learning how to play alongside Cespedes. 

The icing on the cake was an Alejandro De Aza three run sixth inning homer which capped off a four run inning. At the time, it put the Mets up 7-2, and they seemed to be in control. 

It certainly was enough for Bartolo Colon, continued his good start, bad start pattern with a good one with a final line of 6.1 innings, nine hits, two runs, two earned, one walk, and five strikeouts. He departed with a runner on first. Josh Smoker came on and got Colon out of the inning. 

While the lead was safe for Colon, it initially seemed the lead wasn’t safe for the bullpen.  Hansel Robles was brought in to pitch the eighth, and he sandwiched walks to Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford around a Buster Olney line out. Even with the big lead, Collins was right to move to get the recently slumping Robles out of the game. However, Collins went to Addison Reed as Collins is the only one who doesn’t know Reed struggles with inherited runners. 

Reed would allow both inherited runners to score on an Eduardo Nunez two RBI double. Reed would allow another run to score before getting out of the inning. Reed would settle in in the ninth shutting the Giants down ensuring the Mets 9-5 win. 

Game Notes: Jim Henderson was activated off the disabled list but did not pitch. Erik Goeddel was sent down in his place. Slumping Jay Bruce sat against the lefty Moore. It was classified as day to get himself going than a benching. 

Despite Travis d’Arnaud catching, there were no stolen base attempts once again showing there are more forces at work in a stolen base other than a catcher’s arm. 

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Is the Mets Window Closing?

Right now, the Mets are four games out of a Wild Card spot, and they are desperately hoping with Yoenis Cespedes and Asdrubal Cabrera coming off the disabled list this week that the team goes on a run that will bring them back into the postseason.  Whether or not that works, it is fair to ask if this is the Mets last chance to win the World Series.

The foundation of this team is its starting pitching.  Matt Harvey has gone from Opening Day starter to question mark with his season ending surgery to address his thoracic outlet syndrome.  There is no telling how effective he will be if he is able to come back.

Zack Wheeler was supposed to be back by the All Star Break.  Now, it appears that he will miss his second consecutive season.  While rehabbing from the surgery, Wheeler has had to have a second surgery to deal with forearm irritation caused by stitches, sensory nerve irritation, and now a flexor strain.  He had been treated by Dr. Dave Altchek, and he sought a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews.  We are continuously assured there are no structural issues, and yet, time and again there is a new excuse why he can’t pitch.  At the end of the day, it does not matter if he is unable to pitch due to his elbow or for other reasons.  Who knows when he can return or how effective he will be when returning.

There are more question marks in the rotation.  Steven Matz has yet to have a healthy season in the majors.  Bartolo Colon will be 44 years old next year meaning there is no guarantee that he pitches beyond this year.  Even if he does, there is no guarantee he will be this effective.  Logan Verrett has shown he is not capable of being a member of the starting rotation.  Sean Gilmartin‘s season ended early with shoulder problems.  The Mets aren’t going to pick up Jon Niese‘s option, and even if they did bring him back, you should probably expect more of the same from him.

The Mets other options are Gabriel Ynoa and Robert Gsellman, both of whom are probably not ready to start in the majors.  Even if they are, both realistically project to be middle to back of the rotation starters.  That certainly helps, but that also a huge drop off from someone like Harvey.

As if the starting pitching wasn’t a big enough issue, there is the issue of the Mets offense.

As we saw this year, you cannot rely upon David Wright at all.  The Mets have no internal options to replace his bat in the lineup.  Worse yet, there is a lack of very good options on the free agent market choices available even if the Mets were so inclined to add a bat.  Keep in mind, they may also have to replace Lucas Duda at first base.  In 2015, Duda had a disc issue.  This year, Duda will miss almost the entire season with a stress fracture in his back.  There is a very real chance that he is a non-tender candidate.  The Mets do not have a first base option in the minors who is on track to play in the majors next year, and again, the free agent market is less than promising.  That means James Loney can once again be the Mets best option, and as we have seen, he is not a terribly good everyday option.

This isn’t even the Mets biggest problem, not by a long shot.

Cespedes can opt out of his contract at the end of the season, and he will easily become the best free agent available.  The narrative coming out of last offseason was how much Cespedes wanted to be a Met, and that is why he returned.  That’s the hope why he will stay.  However, it’s more narrative than fact.

The fact is Cespedes didn’t get a fair market value offer on the free agent market.  Judging from the free agent contracts handed out, teams placed a higher value on Jason Heyward and Justin Upton.  The teams you would think would be interested in Cespedes gave the money to somebody else.  The Nationals were interested, but due to budgetary constraints, they only offered Cespedes a largely backloaded deal. It is possible that after another postseason berth, and Jonathan Papelbon‘s salary off the books, the Nationals could make another run at Cespedes in the offseason.  It is also possible that the Giants, Dodgers, Rangers and/or the Angels could emerge as suitors for Cespedes.  There’s always the phantom mystery team that could join the bidding.

It is certainly plausible the Mets get outbid from Cespedes, or they simply move on from him.  Keep in mind, there were rumblings all over that the Jay Bruce trade was made, in part, as insurance for Cespedes leaving in the offseason.  If that is the case, the Mets outfield will yet again be left without a true center fielder.

The main task may first fall to Curtis Granderson, who has struggled mightily this year and should not be counted on to rebound in 2017.  The Mets could go with a Juan Lagares/Brandon Nimmo platoon in center, but that would leave no room for Michael Conforto to play everyday.

Speaking of Conforto, there is another major issue with this Mets team.  Both Conforto and Travis d’Arnaud have regressed this year.  Certainly, Conforto’s wrist and d’Arnaud’s shoulder are factors, but the fact remains, they have regressed.  Couple that with Kevin Plawecki not progressing at all, there is a major issue.  Either the Mets young talent is not as good as anticipated, or there are impediments at the major league level that is preventing them from reaching their full potential.  In order for the Mets to remain contenders, they will need their young players to step up.

Between the aforementioned free agent market and lack of major league ready prospects, the Mets only real hopes of improving the roster is on the trade front.  The problem there is the cupboard is getting bare.  The Mets have already moved big pieces in Michael Fulmer and Dilson Herrera.  They’re not willing to move Amed Rosario, and they are really unlikely to move Dominic Smith.  The Mets could move Nimmo, but that depletes from their depth for next season, and as we have seen, the Mets need all the depth they can get.

Keep in mind that over the past two seasons, the Mets have also moved Robert Whalen, Luis Cessa, John Gant, Akeel Morris, and Casey Meisner.  They lost Matthew Bowman and Dario Alvarez without getting anything in return.  Their departures leaves a gap of mid-tier prospects the Mets could move for upgrades.

Yes, the Mets can field a very competitive baseball team next year.  As long as you have pitchers like Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, you are going to have a chance to compete.  With another year of Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia, it is a seven inning game for the Mets.  It’ll become a six inning game if Hansel Robles takes the next step.  But after that?

You’re counting on Neil Walker returning, which is not a guarantee.  You’re counting on Asdrubal Cabrera developing more range at shortstop while hitting better than .255/.308/.410.  He was a .249/.307/.405 hitter from 2013 – 2015.  You’re counting on Jose Reyes to hit better than his .250/.302/.466 and be healthy all of next year.  Reyes hit .274/.310/.378 while hitting in two of the best hitter’s parks last year.  You’re counting on Wilmer Flores being able to learn to hit righties.  You’re counting on the Mets not having to rely on the Eric Campbells and Ty Kellys on the world for prolonged stretches of time over the next season.  It’s all possible, but it’s not likely.

As things look right now, the Mets better start winning some ballgames and make a run because there is no guarantee that the Mets window to contend will remain open past this season.

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