One of the reasons the Mets went out and obtained Jay Bruce at the trade deadline is the team felt they needed another power bat in the lineup other than Yoenis Cespedes. Unfortunately, that trade hasn’t panned out well with Bruce hitting just .192/.271/.315 with just four homers and 11 RBI in 36 games as a Met. Worse yet, the Mets gave up Dilson Herrera, who could’ve taken over as the second baseman when Neil Walker required season ending back surgery and Wilmer Flores injured his neck.
Bruce’s struggles could be alleviated if the team was getting production at first base. However, James Loney has similarly struggled. Since the All Star Break, Loney is hitting .249/.276/.329 with only eight extra base hits in 51 games. These numbers are even worse when you consider Terry Collins has done all he could do to help Loney offensively by playing Flores at first against left-handed pitching. Worse yet, Loney’s reputation as a Gold Glove caliber first baseman has been greatly overblown. While defensive metrics for first base can be seen as imperfect, and cannot be fully trusted in a single season sample size, Loney has a -3.2 UZR and 0 DRS. Combining that with the prior two seasons, Loney has averaged a -2.4 UZR and a -1 DRS. Overall, these numbers speak to Loney’s lack of range and his failure to stretch on balls thrown to first base.
The solution to both of these problems would be Lucas Duda. In 2014, Duda beat out Ike Davis to become the Mets first baseman. In his two seasons as the Mets first baseman, Duda was a .249/.350/.483 hitter who averaged 28 homers and 82 RBI. Entering the season, Bruce was a .248/.319/.462 hitter who averages 26 homers and 80 RBI. Accordingly, Duda was a better power hitter and “run producer” who also got on base at a higher clip. Naturally, Duda far surpasses Loney has a hitter.
Defensively, Duda’s poor defensive reputation really rests on one bad throw in the World Series. Over his career, he has a 2.5 UZR and an 11 DRS. Over the two seasons he was the everyday first baseman, Duda averaged a 0.1 UZR and a 5 DRS. Using these advanced metrics, Duda is a much better defender than his reputation suggests, and he is a better defender than Loney. More importantly, as Keith Hernandez consistently pointed out over the past few seasons, Duda cheats to get to each and every ball thrown by an infielder. He stretches as far out as he can to help the Mets get the out calls on the close calls at first base.
Offensively and defensively, Duda is exactly what this Mets team needs for the stretch run and the postseason. Unfortunately, Duda suffered a stress fracture in his lower back. With a few setbacks during his rehabilitation, Duda was supposed to be gone for the season.
As it turns out, he wasn’t. Duda was able to get enough stationary bike riding and batting practice in for the Mets to feel comfortable activating him from the disabled list on Saturday. Even better, he got the surprise start on Sunday.
He would go 0-2 with a strikeout looking rusty at the plate. He was eventually lifted for Asdrubal Cabrera when the Twins brought in the left-handed Buddy Boshers to pitch the sixth. In the field, Duda was back to his normal form stretching out to give his team the best chance possible to get the base runner.
Getting on the field was a good start. However, if the Mets are going to make a run in the postseason, they will need Duda’s bat. There are 13 games left in the season for him to get into form. Hopefully, Collins will give him every opportunity to get going before the Wild Card Game.
If so, we have seen a hot Duda bat carry the Mets for long stretches. It just might carry the Mets to the World Series.
What possesses people of a certain age to wake up and go, “You know what, let’s go to the children’s zoo today!” I would like nothing better than hanging out with a bunch of kids all day. Maybe we can go to Chuck E. Cheese for pizza afterwards!
Technically, yes, you’re permitted to go, and the zoo is happy to take your money.
However, unless you’re Adrian Balboa, why are you there?
Better yet, why do the people who go to the zoo forget it is really intended for kids?
Too frequently, these teenagers, young adults, or just out and out old people have no issue pushing ahead of children to see the penguins, or my favorite reaching past a child to prevent them from feeding the birds.
It’s cute and fun for a toddler to get the bird on a stick. You’re an adult – you need more in your life if you’re either trying to catch the bird a toddler is trying to get, or you’re excited to catch the bird. I mean it’s food on a stick. You’re not exactly baiting and trapping an animal – you know, a real accomplishment.
Also, please explain to me why you feel the need to smoke everywhere. First off, you know it’s not permitted. The laws prevent it. Furthermore, the signs are present telling you you’re not allowed. Simply put, if you’re smoking in a children’s zoo, you’re an awful human being.
Look, I don’t bring my son to nice restaurants like Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse because he doesn’t belong there. As well behaved a child as he is, he’s still a toddler that is prone to acting up, which is similar to how you act looking in the aquarium making Finding Nemo and Finding Dory jokes:
He doesn’t belong there. That’s why I don’t bring him there.
It’s part of the societal contract. I don’t bring my son to adult places where he doesn’t belong. The reciprocation is supposed to be you not being an idiot hanging out at a children’s zoo, forcing your way to the front to see the animals, not paying attention to the kids running around, and even taking a ride on the train.
Overall, there’s just something wrong with you if you’re idea of fun is hanging out in a children’s zoo. Regardless of whether or not you’re on some kind of registry, you know you shouldn’t be hanging out at children’s places. Don’t go to them.
In turn, I will continue to not bring my son to nice restaurants and bars.
Next time you feel the urge to hang out with a bunch of little kids, just go ice skating.
Last week, Terry Collins failed to pinch run for Wilmer Flores in the eighth inning because, as he said, “I was trying to get the pitching set up and get a pinch hitter in and got distracted, my fault.” (New York Post).
As a result of Collins being distracted, Flores, one of the slowest runners on the Mets, stayed in the game. T.J. Rivera hit a pinch hit single that would’ve scored almost any other Mets player. Instead, there was a play at the plate. Flores slid headfirst into Braves catcher A.J. Pierzynski. Not only was Flores out at the plate, he was knocked out of the game with a neck injury. With his ensuing wrist injury, he might be gone for the season.
With that in mind, you figure Collins would be sure not to get that distracted again. You’d figure wrong.
The Mets were down 1-0 in the seventh, and they loaded the bases. With the pitcher’s spot due up, Collins was looking at his deep bench to pick his second pinch hitter of the inning. As you have to pinch hit for the pitcher, you also have to get your pitching lined up for the next inning. Ultimately, Collins would pick Michael Conforto to pinch hit.
While all of this “hysteria” was occurring, Collins left James Loney, who is perhaps the slowest position player in all of baseball, standing on second base. If Flores wasn’t scoring on a single, you know Loney wasn’t either.
It wasn’t until after Conforto took a first pitch strike that Collins figured out he needed a pinch runner. Naturally, he wouldn’t go to one of his faster runners, but to Ty Kelly. Ultimately, it didn’t matter as Conforto, who has been ice cold since being put on ice by Collins, struck out leaving the bases loaded.
Fortunately, the Mets would go on to score in the eighth and win the game in extras behind two Curtis Granderson home runs.
Still, you have to be worried that the Mets manager made the same mistake twice in the same week. You have to be even more concerned when you consider these are errors most managers don’t even make.
It doesn’t matter that the Twins are one if the worst teams in baseball. When you’re fighting for a postseason spot, the games are going to be tough. Tonight, the Twins showed a lot of fight. It certainly helped them that they were sending their ace, Ervin Santana, to the mound.
And you know with him being a former Brave, he’s pitches well against the Mets. That’s exactly what happened tonight.
The Mets did absolutely nothing against Santana for the first four innings. T.J. Rivera got things started with a single, and he moved to second on a balk. Because Paul Molitor apparently had no idea James Loney isn’t good, he ordered an intentional walk. It wouldn’t burn the Twins. First, Rene Rivera struck out. Then, Terry Collins gambled a bit pinch hitting Kelly Johnson for the starter Seth Lugo. Johnson popped out to end the inning.
It also closed the door on Lugo. It was the typical bend but don’t break Lugo outing where he found an extra gear on his fastball and three more curves when he was in trouble. The only run the Twins were able to score off of him was an Eddie Rosaro solo homer in the fourth.
Lugo’s final line would be five innings, four hits, one run, one earned, four walks, and two strikeouts.
The Mets had a chance to get Lugo off the hook in the seventh. T.J. got the rally sterted with a cue shot double down the first baseline followed by another inexplicable intentional walk to Loney. Alejandro De Aza pinch hit for Rene and walked to load the bases. Terry Collins then made two strange decisions.
The second, but most puzzling, was his waiting for a pitch to be thrown before having Ty Kelly pinch run for Loney. The other curious decision was going to Michael Conforto to pinch hit. It was strange because Conforto has been idle for too long and because he’s been uncomfortable pinch hitting. Furthermore, the Mets activated Lucas Duda just for spots like this. Collins went with Conforto, who had a bad at bat striking out on four pitches.
The bad news was the Mets missed out on another huge scoring opportunity. The good news was Santana was done for the night.
Jose Reyes gave a rude welcome to Twins reliever Ryan Pressly by hitting the first pitch by Pressly for a single. Reyes would quickly find himself on second after a wild pitch and an Asdrubal Cabrera groundout. With the game on the line, Yoenis Cespedes was at the plate with a 3-2 count, and he would lunge at a ball off the plate:
Of course, he came through in that spot tying the game at one. Molitor went to his left in the pen Taylor Rogers. Rogers would make quick work of the two lefties Collins was so nice to stack in the middle of the lineup, Curtis Granderson and Jay Bruce. By the way, Bruce, the man Collins has the utmost confidence, was 0-5 with a strikeout.
The game would go into extras as:
The trifecta of T.J. Rivera, Ty Kelly and Kevin Plawecki were not able to drive in a run in the bottom of the ninth. I'll pause for gasps.
— Laura Albanese (@AlbaneseLaura) September 18, 2016
Lost with the Mets practically emptying their bench was terrific work out of the bullpen. Josh Smoker, Fernando Salas, Jerry Blevins, Addison Reed, Jeurys Familia, and Hansel Robles combined to pitch five shutout innings allowing only three hits and one walk with striking out eight.
However, they wouldn’t get a sixth shutout inning. Byron Buxton would hit a long home run off Robles to give the Twins a 2-1 lead in the 11th. It wasn’t a bad pitch, and it shows why people think Buxton is going to be a great player. None if that matters.
What matters is Granderson led off the bottom of the 11th with an opposite field home run to tie the game at two.
After Granderson’s homer, and the obligatory Bruce out, the Mets, sorry, Las Vegas 51s, continued the rally. T.J. and Brandon Nimmo hit back-to-back singles. Kevin Plawecki almost ended the game. However, instead of his liner going into center, it hit the pitcher leading to the fielder’s choice. It put the game in Matt Reynolds hands. After fouling a ball off his foot, Reynolds was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Reyes worked out a nine pitch at bat, but he would strike out looking ending the inning and sending the game into the 12th.
Granderson once again hit the huge extra inning home run.
This one was a game winner – off a lefty to boot. It was the first time in Mets history a Mets player hit a game tying and game winning home run in extra innings.
With that, the Mets won a tough game and will make up ground on someone tonight.
Game Notes: Granderson’s homers wrre the Mets’ 200th & 201st of the season, which is the new Mets single season record.
The Mets have had a number of players serve as admirable replacements and stop gaps to help lead the Mets charge back to the postseason.
Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman have replaced the injured Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz in the Mets rotation, and they have combined to go 6-3 with a 2.64 ERA and a WHIP in nine starts and 10 relief appearances. James Loney had a terrific first half to help cushion the blow of the loss of Lucas Duda. Wilmer Flores and Kelly Johnson have helped to replicate the offensive production of Neil Walker who is done for the season after having season ending back surgery. After Flores went down with a neck injury, T.J. Rivera had the game of his life. When Juan Lagares needed surgery to repair a torn ligament in this thumb and Yoenis Cespedes found himself unable to play center field with his injured quad, Curtis Granderson began playing center field and hitting again. Same goes for Alejandro De Aza. For the very few games Justin Ruggiano played, he mashed left-handed pitching.
However, while each of these players have done a better than expected job, there is no doubt the Mets would be better off with their regulars. Fortunately, the reinforcements are on their way with Lagares being activated off the disabled list.
With the minor league seasons having been over for about a week, Lagares has not had the benefit of being able to face live pitching. That shouldn’t matter much as Lagares’ true value has always been as a center fielder. This season the 2014 Gold Glover has returned to form with a 4.5 UZR and a 7 DRS in 59 games this season. This will allow the Mets to put out their best defensive alignment of Cespedes in left, Lagares in center, and Granderson in right late in games.
This was the alignment the Mets used effectively in the stretch run last season and in their run to the World Series. Speaking of which, Lagares was a tremendous contributor to the Mets postseason run last year. Lagares appeared in 13 postseason games last year playing a Gold Glove caliber center field while hitting .348/.375/.435 with two stolen bases. If Lagares is again able to play and raise his game again, the Mets chances of returning to the World Series will greatly improved.
And as if that wasn’t enough, Duda will be activated later today, and at a minimum, he will be available to pinch hit. On Sunday, deGrom will return to the rotation. He will start to work his way back as he’s limited to 75 pitches. Finally, Matz has been throwing off a mound.
The reinforcements are coming, and with them the Mets chances of winning a World Series has vastly improved.
The Mets are where they are in the season because Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia. The tandem have managed to hold the lead in all but seven games in which they have been entrusted with the lead. They do it despite being used game after game after game. As it stands right now, Reed ranks third in appearances with 71, and Familia ranks fifth with 70. Terry Collins keeps sending them out there to face the stampede:
As it is the nature of the position, Familia is the one that gets the glory. He is the one setting save records this season, and the is the one that gets to stand on the mound celebrating when the Met win a game. However, most of the time, he only gets the save opportunity due to Reed “holding” the lead before the ninth.
So far this season, Reed has 36 holds which is far and away the most in the major leagues. It should come as no surprise due to the frequency in which he has been used and because of how great he has been. In Reed’s 71 appearances, he has gone 4-2 with a 1.82 ERA, a 0.947 WHIP, and a 10.3 K/9. With these numbers, Reed has accumulated a 2.9 WAR, which ranks only behind Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, and Yoenis Cespedes this season. It’s astounding when you think about it. Reed has had a greater impact in 69.2 innings than most of the Mets have made having played in many more innings.
Overall, Reed has statistically been the best reliever in the Mets bullpen this year. When he combines with Familia, they protect almost each and every lead. While people complain about how inane the save rule is and how made up the hold is, fact is the Mets have made every game a seven inning game. Reed is a large part of that.
No matter it is who steps in the batter’s box, so long as that player is wearing a Mets uniform, you are going to root for that player. At times, that can be tough as we have seen with Bobby Bonilla, Vince Coleman, Bret Saberhagen, and many other Mets past and present. These experiences make you relish the opportunity to root for a good player and an even better person like Curtis Granderson.
For the second straight season, Granderson was nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award for his being a “player who best represents the game through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.” (MLB.com). Major League Baseball announced Granderson was nominated for being:
One of the sport’s greatest ambassadors on and off the field, he makes a major difference for inner-city kids with his Grand Kids Foundation, backs many other causes and donated $5 million to his alma mater at the University of Illinois-Chicago to help create a new baseball complex.
The Grand Kids Foundation runs youth baseball programs in Florida (site of the Mets Spring Training), Chicago (his hometown), Detroit (his first major league team) and New York. Granderson doesn’t forget anyone or any place. In his career, Granderson has used the wealth he has accumulated due to his tremendous baseball talent, and he has helped children who are less fortunate than him. Recently, Granderson posted an example of the fun and learning that happens in his baseball programs:
Ever wonder what happens behind the scenes at our #GrandKids youth camps? Here's a sneak peak, thanks to @GoPro! pic.twitter.com/Bt0fGiw9lb
— Curtis Granderson (@cgrand3) September 14, 2016
Overall, the Grand Kids Programs stated mission is “Through play, education and sportsmanship, participants gain invaluable skills they can carry with them for a liftetime.”
This past year, Granderson has expanded beyond these baseball clinics and safe spaces for children to learn and play baseball by starting Grand Giving. Grand Giving is “an annual hunger relief program” that has the goal of providing “one million meals during November for families in New York and Chicago.” (New York Post). The program has been a success in Granderson’s native Chicago, and now he has brought it to New York this year. This program is near and dear to Granderson’s heart, as he said, “I remember days of not having a meal, trying to focus in the classroom and to be able to do things I wanted to on the baseball field and basketball court. Imagine if you did not have a meal for a couple days.”
However, Granderson is much more than these foundations. He has also donated his time during this season to read to school children:
Here are Curtis Granderson and Eric Campbell reading "Green Eggs and Ham" to children today at PS 92 in Corona. pic.twitter.com/RNPYqdJO08
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) May 3, 2016
Even with Granderson taking his time out to help others, he still remains an important and productive player for the New York Mets. Last year, he was far and away the team’s MVP keeping an injured Mets team in the race until reinforcements were able to arrive. He would also be the Mets best player in the World Series hitting three home runs. This year has been more of a struggle for him, but during the Mets charge for the postseason, he has been hitting .245/.387/.673 with a double, a triple, six homers and 14 RBI over his last 15 games. During that stretch, he has moved over to center field because that is what the Mets needed him to do.
Couple that with his taking time to sign autographs before and during games, Granderson is about an easy a Mets player there has ever been to root for. With that in mind, the least we can all do is tweet #VoteGrandy so he can get the recognition he so richly deserves for being a terrific player on the field and an even better human being off of it.
Some organizations regularly produce power hitting outfielders. The Mets aren’t one of those organizations. In fact, the 30 home run season from an outfielder is quite a rare feat. Well, it did happen again this year. Can you name the player who did it and all the outfielders that have accomplished this task in Mets history? Good luck!
Frank Thomas, Dave Kingman, Darryl Strawberry, Bernard Gilkey, Mike Cameron, Cliff Floyd, Carlos Beltran, Yoenis Cespedes