Juan Lagares
The Mets walked 13 times . . . THIRTEEN . . . and only scored one run in a 13 inning game they lost 2-1.
The Mets once again trotted out an ugly lineup reminiscent of July 2015. David Wright is still unavailable with the neck injection, so Terry Collins decided to go with Ty Kelly over Wilmer Flores. Yoenis Cespedes was out of the lineup as he informed Terry Collins he needed a day off. It was an ugly lineup reminiscent of a July 2015 lineup. It doesn’t help that Michael Conforto is still struggling. With today’s 0-6 with the golden sombrero, Conforto is now one for his last 21. With that said, the Mets had to win the 2015 way. They needed deGrom to be dominant. He was, but it wasn’t enough.
Jacob deGrom‘s velocity continued to tick up a bit with him getting it back up to the 95 MPH range on occasion. He had a season high 10 strikeouts. He had allowed only three hits and no runs over six, and he was at 92 pitches, and due up to lead off in the seventh inning. Terry Collins let him go back out there.
For the second day in a row, Todd Frazier hit a homerun. He tied the score at 1-1.
That matched the Mets offensive output. James Loney got a second inning rally started by walking. He moved to second on a Juan Lagares sacrifice bunt (really looked more like a bunt for a base hit, but that’s official scoring for you). Rene Rivera then came up and hit a one out RBI single to make the score 1-0. It was the first time Loney reached base and scored a run as a Met.
The Mets tore through their bullpen, including but not limited to, an injury to Hansel Robles. Logan Verrett came in, and he eventually gave up the winning run in the 13th in a rally started by a double hit by Matt Albers, an American League relief pitcher.
It was a bad loss capping off a poor 2-4 home stand. The Mets bench is inexcusably bad even with the injuries. The Mets need to make some moves.
Game Notes: Don Draper took his hatred of the Mets to the next level by sending Roger out there to interfere with Melky Cabrera resulting in interference being called costing Loney a chance at bat. It is the four year anniversary of Johan Santana’s no-hitter.
So far, Chase Utley is 5-16 with two walks, three runs, two doubles, one homerun, and four RBI. It’s one thing not to exact revenge, it’s a whole other to let him be this comfortable at the plate. The last double was a bases clearing double off of Jeurys Familia, who was in in a non-save situation, turning a 5-1 easy win for Jacob deGrom and the Mets and turning it into a frustrating 5-5 game. It was annoying. It was aggravating. It was the perfect theater for Curtis Granderson:
The Grandy Man can … and did. https://t.co/T1F9f5V9Wk #Walkoffhttps://t.co/aqzN95mxph
— MLB (@MLB) May 28, 2016
Granderson took the second pitch of the ninth inning and hit a walk off homerun giving the Mets a 6-5 win.
Granderson needed it. He’s been having a rough May. He had been 0-3 with three strikeouts and one walk before the game winning at bat. In fact, Granderson started his night striking out against Dodgers 19 year old phenom Julio Urias.
Fortunately for the Mets, it was downhill from there for Urias. Asdrubal Cabrera and Neil Walker doubled off of him. Juan Lagares had a two RBI single making it a 3-0 game before Urias could even blink. Urias threw 35 pitches against eight Mets batters in the first. His final line was 2.2 innings, five hits, three earned, four walks, and three strikeouts. He left due to a mixture of his pitch count and his effectiveness.
Urias was bested by deGrom. On the night deGrom pitched seven innings allowing only three hits, one earned, and three walks with seven strikeouts. His velocity was back in the early innings, but it faded in the later innings. The only two blips on the radar for him was his making his first career error in the third followed by Chase Utley not literally sacrificing himself. It was a sacrifice fly, not a sacrifice to appease Mets fans.
deGrom wasn’t the only Met who had a good night. Lagares went 3-4 with one run, three RBI, and one homerun. The homerun was an opposite field shot off righty to boot.
Speaking of homeruns, David Wright homered in his third consecutive game. His homerun was a vintage David Wright shot to right center. Speaking of vintage, the Mets delivered tonight while wearing the 86 racing stripe jerseys as the Mets celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the 1986 World Series Champions.
The Mets win tonight, absent failing to plunk Utley, was a nice homage to that team. An even better one was the Mets moving into first place in the NL East (tied with the Nationals).
Game Notes: It was the second walk-off homerun of Granderson’s career. Cabrera made a decent play in the field
Any hopes of this being a Happy Harvey Day was shattered when Daniel Murphy launched a fifth inning two run homerun into the upper deck off of Matt Harvey making it a 5-1 game. Murphy really pimped that homerun too.
Murph has left the building, ladies and gentlemen. #Nats 5, Mets 1. pic.twitter.com/6qD4pNtccy
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) May 25, 2016
It was the third homerun hit against Harvey on the night. Given Harvey’s pattern this year, it should come as no surprise that the first two homeruns were back-to-back shots by Ryan Zimmerman and Anthony Rendon. Overall, Harvey had another career worst night in what had been a nightmare of a season:
Elias: Matt Harvey surrendered a career-high 20 bases tonight.
— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinMedia) May 25, 2016
Prior to 2016, Harvey had never allowed 2 or more runs in 5 straight games.
This year, he's allowed 2 or more runs in all 10 of his starts.— Ed Leyro (@Studi_Metsimus) May 25, 2016
For the night, Harvey pitched five innings allowing eight hits, five earned, and two walks with a career worst one strikeout. He has an MLB worst 6.08 ERA.
Unfortunately, Harvey didn’t get much help. The Mets 6-8 batters were Eric Campbell–Kevin Plawecki–Ty Kelly. Kelly was making his debut with David Wright getting a scheduled day off. It’s hard to question Collins’ handling of Wright so far this year because it has been superb. With that said, if it was an either/or situation, it’s surprising he wouldn’t trot out his best possible lineup for a Harvey start; last night’s Wright homerun notwithstanding.
With this lineup, it’s not much of a surprise that Stephen Strasburg had a good night. He pitched 6.2 innings allowing four hits, two earned, and two walks with 11 strikeouts. It should be noted that Strasburg found himself in the same shoes last year that Harvey finds himself now. Strasburg finished last year going 6-2 with a 1.90 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP. This year he’s a sure fire All Star and an early Cy Young candidate with an 8-0 record with a 2.79 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP.
The Mets offense was an Asdrubal Cabrera homerun fourth inning homerun and a short lived rally in the seventh. The Mets had a first and third with no outs with the aforementioned Campbell-Plawecki-Kelly triumvirate due up. Campbell got an RBI ground out making it 5-2. Plawecki walked, and Kelly struck out. In his big league debut, Kelly was 0-4 with three strikeouts. Juan Lagares then pinch hit for Hansel Robles (who was great again), and he struck out against Felipe Rivero ending the rally.
Any hopes that the Mets would come back were dashed by the bullpen. In consecutive innings Antonio Bastardo and Jim Henderson allowed solo homeruns. It snapped the Mets’ bullpens 16.2 inning scoreless inning streak.
Campbell hit a one-handed two run homerun in the ninth (yes you read that right) to make it 7-4. That would be the final score. It wasn’t really that close, but it was just one game, albeit a game that leaves the Mets once again looking for answers across the board. The Mets play another one tomorrow.
After Terry Collins stated he doesn’t believe the prognosis of Lucas Duda‘s back is good, it has caused many to speculate on how the Mets will proceed in fulfilling the first base vacancy. Many of those thoughts are creative as the Mets may need to get creative to fill the void. Unfortunately, most of the suggestions will not work. Here’s why:
Move Michael Conforto to 1B
The thinking here is Michael Conforto was deemed to have all the tools to be a great 1B by his biggest fan – Keith Hernandez. This move would allow Juan Lagares and Alejandro De Aza to platoon in CF while moving Yoenis Cespedes to LF.
Admittedly, this sounds great. It’ll improve both the offense and the defense. However, the problem is the Mets never even sought to have Conforto to play RF. Why should we now believe they’re willing to move him to the infield mid-season. They’re not.
Move Alejandro De Aza to 1B
This one makes sense as De Aza is languishing away on the bench. He went from a platoon player to a fifth outfielder with the Cespedes signing. However, he hasn’t played there in over a decade, and he has just recently started working with Tim Teufel to get acclimated to first. He needs more than a week to get ready.
Slide David Wright to 1B
The idea here is David Wright is better suited to first now with his back and throwing issues. In actuality next to catcher, first is the last position Wright should play. The amount of twisting and stretching involved is harder on the lower back and would only exacerbate his stenosis. Furthermore, even if he could play first base, all you’ve accomplished is reshuffling the deck chairs as you’ve now moved the hole to third instead of first.
Slide Neil Walker to 1B
In this scenario, the Mets move Neil Walker to first and call up Dilson Herrera to play second. The argument is this is exactly what the Mets would do if they had Daniel Murphy.
The problem with that thinking is Walker isn’t Murphy. Walker has never played first base in the majors. He last played first in AAA in 2009 and that was only for seven games. It’s not fair to expect him to be able to slide over with no preparation. It’s also not fair to add more things to his plate while he’s in the midst of a bad slump.
Move Asdrubal Cabrera to 1B
The thought is Asdrubal Cabrera was once a utility player who is capable of playing multiple positions. In addition, the Mets have Matt Reynolds on the roster who is a SS. There are two problems here. First, Cabrera is one of the few Mets producing day in and day out. You don’t want to mess with that especially when he’s never played first. Second, Reynolds was in the middle of a slump in AAA, and he hasn’t shown any signs he’s getting out of it in his limited major league duty.
Move Kevin Plawecki to 1B
This is a holdover from Spring Training when the Mets were looking for ways to keep both of their young catchers in the lineup while letting Duda sit against lefties. Doing this now would also open up more playing time for Rene Rivera, who has shown himself to be a terrific catcher.
The problem is this really damages your offense. Kevin Plawecki has hit .203/.300/.291 this year. Rivera is a career .209/.258/.329 hitter. It’s one thing to have either one of them in the lineup. It’s a whole other thing to have both of them in the lineup.
Call Up Dom Smith
The thinking here is if the Mets don’t have the answer at the major league level, they should go into the minor leagues to solve their problems. Who better than one of, if not the, best Mets prospect. The problem is he’s just not ready. He’s only played 41 games in AA. While the obvious counter-argument is Conforto, it must be noted, Conforto was much further along in his development offensively.
Call Up Brandon Nimmo
The thought process here is Brandon Nimmo is absolutely raking in AAA right now. He’s on an eight game hitting streak that’s seen him hit .364/.462/.636 with three doubles, three triples, and six RBI. While he has played CF almost exclusively, he should be athletic enough to play first. While these are valid points, it should be noted he’s never played first, and like with Conforto, the Mets do not appear inclined to let either one play first.
Trade for Yangervis Solarte
Yangervis Solarte makes a lot of sense for the Mets. He can not only play first, but he can also play third. In his career, he’s also played at second, short, and left. In essence, he’s a much better version of Eric Campbell. In his first full major league season last year, he hit .270/.320/.428. He’s hitting .250/.379/.375 this year. This is all the more impressive when you consider he plays most of his games at Petco.
Here’s the rub. The Padres have no incentive to trade him. He’s not arbitration eligible until 2017, and he can’t become a free agent until 2020. If the Mets were inclined to even trade for Solarte, it’s going to come at a high cost, and the Mets most desirable trade assets were traded away last year. No, if the Mets do make a move your looking at the In the interim, the Mets can inquire about the Kelly Johnsons and Ike Davises of the world.
Overall, that’s the issue. The Mets don’t have what it takes right now to address the first base position internally or externally. Although, the idea of having Travis d’Arnaud work at first during his rehab assignment is intriguing given his shoulder problems and injury history (hat tip Brian Mangan). However, short of that happening, it’s more of the same for the Mets.
This means Campbell is your everyday first baseman until Flores comes off the DL. At that point, the Mets will probably go with Flores until Duda is healthy. Ultimately, Duda needs to be the answer there because in reality any other solution is unrealistic or just a question mark.
The Mets bullpen blew a lead, and they found themselves trailing going into the eighth inning needing to score a run to tie the game.
Because there was a lefty on the mound, Terry Collins pinch hit Juan Lagares for Michael Conforto. It paid off as Lagares hit a one out double. The Rockies then intentionally walked Yoenis Cespedes as he’s hitting lefties harder than Rougned Odor hit Jose Bautista. That brought Lucas Duda to the plate, who has been struggling of late. What ensued was an umpire making a horrendous call for the second straight game.
Duda hit a groundball directly at Nolan Arenado. Arenado lunged to tag Lagares, but Lagares juked out of the way. Arenado then threw the ball to first to get Duda for an inning ending double play. You tead that correctly. The umpires ruled Duda hit into an inning ending double play. The reason was the umpires determined Lagares ran out of the baseline.
Before commenting further, there are two things to keep in mind. First, Josh Harrison wasn’t deemed to be out of the baseline in this play against the Mets last year:
Second, Lagares gets three feet:
https://twitter.com/jschapiro_sbr/status/731976606835740672
It’s hard to tell from the angle, but it would appear Lagares was within the allotted three feet. Put it this way, Lagares didn’t step on the infield grass like Harrison did. What happened was the umpire made a horrendous call that potentially affected the outcome of the game.
Terry Collins ran out to argue, but he didn’t exactly get his money’s worth. Based upon his ejection and post game rant Saturday, I’m assuming the umpire told him that if Collins doesn’t pick his words carefully, the Mets won’t get another call the rest of the year.
Mostly, that play was a lot of bad luck for the Mets. First, Duda goes the other way with the pitch, and he hits a sharp grounder away from the shift. Unfortunately, he hits it right at Arenado. Lagares then runs right at the fielder. Now, Lagares could’ve read that ball better and either chose to go behind Arenado or stop thereby ensuring no double play. Instead, he busted it to third presumably hoping he could score.
What happened was Lagares was in a position that Arenado could make a play and the umpire could make a call. It seems when you’re struggling like the Mets are, the ball finds the lone fielder on the left side of the infield, and the umpire makes a bad call.
In any event, the Mets got swept by the Rockies and are returning home for an already over-hyped three game set against the Nationals. With the day off, the Mets should play much better. Hopefully, the umpiring will be much better too.
Yesterday, the bases were loaded with one out in the third inning. We then saw Yoenis Cespedes do something incredible. He got doubled off second base.
Juan Lagares had hit a flyball to left center. It wasn’t terribly deep, but it was certainly deep enough to score David Wright from third. Wright never scored because Cespedes drifted a little too far off of second, and he went back into the base standing. Wright’s run wouldn’t count, and it was all because Cespedes made an inexplicable bone headed play. It wasn’t the first time.
Last year, we saw him allow not one:
but two:
Little League homeruns.
It’s as bizarre. It’s inexplicable.
That’s the problem with him. For as great and as talented as he is, he makes some bone-headed plays. He can look lazy out there at times. Cespedes gets away with it due to his immense talent. The quintessential Cespedes play is the time he threw Sean Rodriguez out at third:
He took a bad angle to the ball. He never reached full speed in pursuing the ball in the air or on the ground. But that arm! His arm was incredible, and it bailed him and the Mets out. It was his arm that got me excited in Game One of the NLCS.
The Cubs were finally making contact against Matt Harvey. They had tied the score at 1-1, and they were still rallying when Javier Baez singled to left. Sitting in the left field Promenade, I was excited because I knew Cespedes was going to do this:
Cespedes is a uniquely talented player. He’s got great speed. He has a great arm. At the plate, he hits for power. There’s a reason why his nickname is La Potencia.
But still, at the plate he can drive you crazy. He swings at balls out of the zone. He especially likes them low and outside. Furthermore, he likes them high. To a certain extent, he lacks plate discipline as is evident from his career .321 OBP or the fact that he has struck out over 100 times each year he has been in the majors. When he does strike out, I’ve yet to see him run to first on a pitch in the dirt. It’s enough to drive you crazy. But then, in typical Cespedes fashion, he does this:
He has the ability to change the entire course of the game with just one swing. We saw it after the trade deadline, and we saw it again this year:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cWsfXqxPNao
That’s what is frustrating with Cespedes. He is extremely talented. Perhaps, he is singularly most talented player in the game right now. If he’s not, he’s certainly up there. It’s why I love watching him play. You never know what amazing thing he’s going to do next.
You also don’t know what bone-headed thing he’s going to do next. I hate it when he makes inexplicably bad plays like that. Through it all, I’ve developed a love/hate relationship with this remarkably talented and mistake prone player.
The funny thing is, right now, I wouldn’t change a thing.
There’s a lead late in the game. It’s a save situation. Terry Collins makes the switch. Juan Lagares goes into the game to play center. Yoenis Cespedes shifts over to left. The Mets put out their best possible outfield to try to preserve the lead. In the infield, the Mets do nothing.
Maybe it’s time the Mets changed that.
For all the great things David Wright has done this year, he’s still having some trouble in the field. While it’s still a small sample size, the defensive numbers are ugly. He has a -7 DRS and a -5.1 UZR. In terms of more traditional numbers, he’s got a .945 fielding percentage. It’s a far cry from his Gold Glove days. Frankly, these are poor numbers.
It’s exacerbated by his throwing issues. He is dropping his arm a bit, throwing it sidearmed more. The ball doesn’t have as much zip as it once did. With his throwing issues, it could be argued the Mets would benefit from a defensive replacement at third base.
There’s another good reason to lift Wright during games. He’s got spinal stenosis.
As Marc Carig wrote in Newsday, Wright pushed himself last month, and as a result, he could not stand straight. He had played four games in a row. It was one too many. Wright thought it might be going into that game, but he pushed it anyway. He learned his lesson. He can’t do it again. As Wright said, “I learned right then that if I tried to do this during the whole course of the year, I’m not making it. It’s just not happening.”
That’s the point. The Mets need Wright for the full season. They need him for important games in September when the division and/or a playoff spot may be on the line. The Mets will need him for the postseason. Despite his defensive struggles, Wright has played well this year. He’s getting on base ahead of the Mets big boppers. Given the eulogies being written on Opening Day, it’s fair to say Wright has been better than expected.
The Mets need Wright. They need him to stay healthy. They have to help him to the finish line. They have to keep him fresh. The games off here and there will help. Finding an inning here or there should help as well. It’ll be beneficial for Wright and his back. That will allow him to play at a high level deeper into the season. Ultimately, that’s the goal.
Besides, if we’re being honest, it’s not like Wilmer Flores or Eric Campbell would be any worse than Wright has been this year. They should be a defensive replacement now so Wright can take the field in October.
In a couple of days, Josh Edgin is about to learn that one of the oldest axioms in sports is false. Time and again, we’ve seen it. You can lose your job due to injury.
In 2014, Edgin made that leap from prospect to a bona fide Major Leaguer. In his 47 appearances, he had a 1.32 ERA, 0.915 WHIP, and a 9.2 K/9. That was good for an ERA+ of 266. He limited lefties to a batting line of .185/.217/.323. These are very good numbers for a lefty out of the pen. As such, he was expected to be a big part of the bullpen in 2015.
He wasn’t. He needed Tommy John surgery. While the Mets were winning the pennant, he was rehabbing. He’s currently in the minors on a rehabilitation stint. Under the rules, he has to be activated from the DL on Sunday.
When he’s activated, he will be optioned to Triple-A. There’s no room for him on the Major League roster. The Mets bullpen has been lights out. Jerry Blevins has done the job as a LOOGY. The bullpen’s other lefty, Antonio Bastardo, has been effective against righties and lefties. Aside from that, he has a two year $12 million contract. There’s no room for another lefty.
Edgin lost his job due to injury . . . just like Juan Lagares did with his elbow injury.
Coming into 2015, Lagares was coming off a Gold Glove season. Mostly due to his defense, he had a 5.5 WAR. The Mets saw a huge future for him, so they gave him a four year $23 million extension.
Lagares had an elbow injury that hindered him in 2015. There were debates as to whether he needed Tommy John surgery. It affected his throws, and it most likely affected him at the plate. His WAR dipped from 5.5 to 0.6. The Mets sought an upgrade, and they brought in Yoenis Cespedes, who went on an absolute tear at the plate.
In the offseason, the Mets wouldn’t trust a potentially healthier Lagares with centerfield again. First, they signed Alejandro De Aza to platoon with him. Then as the market knocked down Cespedes’ contract demands, they re-signed Cespedes. Lagares lost his job due last year due to an elbow injury.
Edgin is about to officially lose his as well for the same exact reason. The reason? Well, that is the Mets obligation to put the best team out on the field as possible. Before their injuries, that meant Lagares and Edgin. Now, it doesn’t.
You can lose your job due to injury.
Today is Star Wars Day (May the Fourth – get it?). In celebration of the day, here are the Mets alter egos from Episode VII: The Force Awakens:
Yoenis Cespedes – Poe Dameron
- Both Poe and Cespedes were renown for their incredible air power (Cespedes- HR, Poe – pilot). Both were thought to be gone only to return to the joy of everyone. We now know victory is certain.
Matt Harvey – Kylo Ren
- Both were once the most powerful apprentices only to have a younger one with long hair and more powers usurp them. Despite their most recent losses, they will be heard from again.
Noah Syndergaard – Rey
- Both were lost in the desert (Thor – Vegas, Rey – Jakku). Neither knew when they were going to be able to find their next lunch. Both are extremely powerful and are only now starting to realize it.
Michael Conforto – Finn
- Neither were supposed to be here. Neither were supposed to show any signs of greatness. Instead, they broke the mold and carved out a new path for themselves.
Curtis Granderson – Han Solo
- They’ve been around a long time, but they are still as cool as ever. It may be surprising, but they are in the thick of things like they always were. The only problem is there are some young upstarts (Granderson – Conforto, Han – Kylo Ren), who may push them aside. However, before that time comes, they will be heard from again.
Bartolo Colon – Chewbacca
- All these years later, they may be a step slow, but they still are large and in charge. One moment you’re questioning what something so old can do to you. The next, you’re getting your arm or bat taken from you.
Captain David Wright – General Leia Organa
- Years ago, they thought they had accomplished it all as the young, brash good looking people they were. Unfortunately, they didn’t. There’s still more work to be done. The difference is now they have to be the leaders and show a new generation how it’s done.
Logan Verrett – BB8
- Both are taking over for someone else’s role (Verrett – Sean Gilmartin, BB8 – R2D2), and they are performing admirably.
Zack Wheeler – R2D2
- Both are sitting around, shut down, but both still have a very important role to play.
Jacob deGrom – C3PO
- Both have problems with their arms (deGrom – decreased velocity, C3PO – it’s red) and no one knows how it happened. No worries. They’re back and better than ever.
Dan Warthen – Maz Kanata
- Both seem to have the secrets needed to unlock people’s secret powers and lead them on the path to greatness. Plus they kinda look alike.
Terry Collins – Admiral Ackbar
- Both seem like this has all passed them by, but they have returned. They came back and led their people to great victories (Collins – NL, Ackbar – blowing up the Starkiller Base). Now if only Collins had screamed, “It’s a trap!” in Game 5 of the World Series . . . .
Lucas Duda – Captain Phasma
- Their roles are relatively overlooked. Both are large and intimidating presences that can destroy you in the blink of an eye.
Juan Lagares – Snap Wexley
- Both have been here since the new generation’s fight began, but they’ve been pushed aside by Poe/Cespedes who gets all the focus and glory.
Mike Piazza – Luke Skywalker
- The time has come where their greatness has now become the stuff of legends. They are now at the shrines where it all began (Piazza – Cooperstown, Luke – first Jedi temple)
Note, there are no Mets compared to Supreme Leader Snoke or General Hux as they just seem pure evil with no chance for hope. With that said, I think there’s enough room here for one more:
Chase Utley – General Hux
- Their sole intent is to destroy everything for their victory regardless of the consequences. Actually, that’s not true. The more amoral pain and violence inflicted the better. The good news is that no matter what they do, they will ultimately fail.