Daniel Murphy

Be Quiet KC

There’s an old saying, “Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”  After losing to the Mets 9-3 yesterday, the sound you heard was glass breaking, or whining you decide. 

Let’s rewind before the series. Daniel Murphy was the hottest hitter on the planet. When asked about how to pitch to him, here’s how Dave Eiland, the Royals pitching coach, responded, “He stands very close to the plate. I’ll leave it at that.” In Game 1, Murphy was pounded inside including this pitch from Edison Volquez:

 

Since Game 1, the Royals have continued pounding Murphy inside. It’s baseball. 

Now coming into the World Series, Alcides Escobar was the American League version of Daniel Murphy. He was coming off an ALCS where he hit .478/.481./.652. The Royals leadoff hitter swung at the first pitch of every game. According to the official scorer, he lead off Game 1 of the World Series with an inside the park homerun. 
Both he and the Royals have been comfortable at the plate. In Game 2, the Royals were very comfortable at the plate winning 7-1. To combat this, Noah Syndergaard said he would “have a few tricks up [his] sleeve” to deal with the free swinging Escobar and the Royals. Here was Syndergaard’s first pitch:

Here’s the still of where the ball was when it passed by Escobar:

 

Escobar would strike out in the at bat.  He would strike out twice. The Royals lost 9-3. After a loss like that, any team would be upset. The Royals were no exception. However, I was startled by the reason. They thought Syndergaard was head hunting. 
Escobar accused Syndergaard of throwing at his head. The whole team felt that Syndergaard was head hunting. For his part Syndergaard said it was the plan to go high and tight first pitch and then to drop a curveball. He would strike out out Escobar on the first pitch. When Syndergaard was informed of the Royals objections, his response was perfect:

Now, I will never, ever defend head hunting. Personally, I have called out the Mets for bush league tactics.  Syndergaard responsibly threw inside yesterday. It was above Escobar’s head and the ball never entered the batter’s box. Syndergaard was just keeping a red hot Escobar uncomfortable. 

If Kansas City has a problem with that maybe they shouldn’t have thrown at Murphy like they inferred they would do. Until they stop throwing in high and tight on Murphy, they can be quiet. 

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An Apology to My Son

Hey Buddy,

Tonight, Daddy is going to Game 3 of the World Series with your Uncle Pat and your grandfather, the man who you recently started calling “Pop.”  Where you came up with Pop instead of Grandpa or Daideo, I’ll never know. 

It crushes me that I can’t bring you with me. You’ll never know how much it does. You always come first. That’s why I wanted to bring you. I don’t know how many chances you will have to go to the World Series. It took me 35 years to go to the World Series. Your Uncle Pat 33 years. It took “Pop” 68 years. Hopefully, it won’t take that long for you.

However, I can’t bring you tonight. It’s going to be too cold. It’s too crowded. It wouldn’t be fair to you to have you sit there shivering. The FanFest area has been overcrowded during the postseason. I can’t even let you go there to run the bases or hang out with Mr. Met. It wouldn’t be fair to you to not let you be able to run around for a bit. 

I know you love going to Mets games. You’re a good boy, and you actually sit there and watch the game. You’ve tried to stay up and watch these postseason games with me. I always wanted a son. I’ve always wanted him to be a Mets fan. I always wanted to go to games and share the experience of being a Mets fan with that son. 

You’ve made it better than I ever could’ve imagined. It’s probably because you’re more amazing, smart, and adorable than anyone could’ve imagined. I love you more than anything, and that’s why ultimately, I can’t bring you tonight.

However, I’m going to wear the same Mets hat I wore the day you were born. I’m going to wear the Lucas Duda jersey you got me. I’m sure I will be bringing you home a souvenir of some kind. I will be making it up to you. How does Opening Day sound?

So when you’re watching the game with Mommy tonight keep an eye out for me. You never know if I’m going to be in one of the several hundred of Fox’s fan shots. Keep on cheering for Murphy and Duda. We’re going to watch the game together tomorrow night. I promise. 

Love,

Daddy

P.S. Lets Go Mets!

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Stop Overthinking It

All I’ve heard everywhere today is the Mets need to get Juan Uribe in the lineup. People are starting to question at what point you sit David Wright. Do you rearrange the lineup?  Stop. 

Let’s start with Uribe. He’s not a good postseason player. You’re looking to substitute Wright’s .171/.320/.220 triple slash this offseason with Uribe’s career postseason stats of .204/.241/.338. It’s not exactly a massive upgrade especially when you consider Uribe hasn’t played in a month and the fact that he still may not be ready:

Another consideration is defense. Wright is a much better defensive player. Yes, he made one error in Game 1, but he’s been very good in every game. 

With respect to the lineup, what are you changing?  Yes, I know Wright’s not hitting. However, go over the stats. The only Mets hitting this postseason are Curtis Granderson, Daniel Murphy, and only recently, Lucas Duda. You still want to go L-R-L in the lineup, so who’s the right that’s hitting?  If anyone was tearing it up, if consider it, but they’re not. 

David Wright is the captain. He waited a long time for this. He worked hard to get back here. What effect would have on the team if he’s benched or put lower in the lineup. It’s a real consideration. 

I’m probably harder on Wright than anyone, but I respect him and his game. That probably goes a million times over for his teammates and the organization. I still hope he comes through in a game. He needs to be in there. 

Lets Go Mets!

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I Can’t Kill Wright

Last night was a mixed bag for David Wright. He made some good plays during the game, but ultimately he wasn’t there when the team needed him most. 

He  2-7 at the plate last night. In the 9th, he came up and got a basehit off of Luke Hochevar. He seemed to be getting a rally started to get an insurance run in a 4-3 game. However with Daniel Murphy at the plate, he was caught stealing. It was close, but he was out. The Mets didn’t get the insurance run, which would haunt them. 

Wright then came up in the 11th with runners on first and second with two outs. He was facing Ryan Madson, who he has had success against. Coming into the night, Wright was hitting .308 with 3 homers and five RBIs. He struck out to end the rally. It was the last time the Mets threatened. 

In the field it was a similar story to what happened at the plate. He had one web gem:

However, as we know, he made a throwing error in the 14th. It allowed the go-ahead run on base, which scored. 

 

If Wright comes through last night in any of three spots, the Mets win the game. He didn’t, and the Mets lost. However, I’m not killing him. The loss was a team effort. 

He didn’t allow the Alex Gordon homer. He didn’t blow a two run lead. He didn’t allow the base hits after the error. He wasn’t the only one who failed. 

There was some good things that Wright did in last night’s game. If he continues to play good defense, as he has all postseason, and he has a .286 series average, good things will happen. 

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Sheer Torture 

Coming into this game, neither the Mets nor the Royals had won the first game in the World Series. Last night into this morning, they turned it into an art form. 

Ultimately, the game came down to Chris Young and Bartolo Colon. One was as tall as the other one was wide. While Young was mowing down the Mets, Colon was on a tightrope. He finally fell through allowing a sac fly in the 14th. The winning runner was on base after a Wright error and no challenge. The game was just sheer torture. Prior to this, there was an actual baseball game. 

The game did not start the way Matt Harvey and the Mets wanted. Yoenis Cespedes misplayed a fly ball out into an Alcides Escobar inside the park homerun. The first in the World Series since a player named Mule Haas in the 1929 World Series. 

This would kill most teams, but these Mets have shown themselves to be resilient. Travis d’Arnaud singled in Daniel Murphy in the fourth. Curtis Granderson homered in the fifth. Conforto hit a sac fly scoring Cespedes in the sixth. 

Harvey was good tonight. Not great. Not bad. Just good. He pitched six innings allowing five hits, three earned, two walks, and two strikeouts. He was handed a two run lead in the sixth and couldn’t hold it.

After one run scored, he had a chance to get out of it with Mike Moustakas at the plate. Harvey stuck with the offspeed pitches and was seemingly pitching around him to get to Salvador Perez with first base open. A changeup caught too much of the plate, and Moustakas got the RBI single an inning after he made a diving stop to prevent a possible RBI double. From the seventh inning on, it was a battle of the bullpens. 

Remember, the biggest advantage the Royals had this series was the bullpen and team defense. Kelvin Herrera was lighting up the radar gun. He had two outs in the eight when Juan Lagares came to the plate. He was in the game as a defensive replacement for Michael Conforto. Mets fans collectively groaned. 

Lagares had a terrific at bat fighting off everything Herrera had. He got a single. He then barely stole second, and then this happened:

Actually, no, but it was close.

Wilmer Flores hit a chopper towards Eric Hosmer, who tried to backhand it. It went through him, and the Mets grabbed a 4-3 lead.  In a shock to everyone, Jeurys Familia blew the save on a Alex Gordon to homer in the ninth. It was a rare blown save:

Jon Niese came on to pitch in the game he was born to pitch in. Niese was born the day the Mets won the World Series. Well, he pitched like he was born for the moment. He went three innings holding the Royals at bay. 

As we know it wasn’t enough. After watching it part of me wishes the TV stayed off. 

 

However, the Mets hung in there. They’re resilient, and they have Jacob deGrom tonight. All they need is a split. It’s still on the table. I just hope Collins is better. The Mets generally need to be better. 
They will. They just need to show the same resiliency they’ve shown in this game and all year. 

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Granderson Starting it All

First pitch is slated for 8:07, which means the game will probably start around 9:00. It doesn’t matter the time because Mets fans have been waiting for that pitch seemingly all their lives. Stepping up to the plate will be Curtis Granderson. 

It’s fitting that it’ll be Granderson. Granderson was the first offensive player to sign on. Yes, the Mets had David Wright, but he had not signed his extension yet. We didn’t know if Daniel Murphy would be traded or not. Lucas Duda had not yet wrestled first base away from Ike Davis. Seriously, all we knew at that time was Granderson was going to be the RF for four years. 

Granderson was the first offensive player to really sign on for all of this. Except for Wright and Murphy, the team has changed all around him. He has been the Mets regular season MVP. He has been terrific this postseason. This year he’s been everything you could’ve asked him to be. 

He’s going to step in the box and kick off the World Series for the Mets. It’s fitting since he was the first position player to sign on for this. 

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Worth the Wait?

The Mets have been waiting 15 years to go back to the World Series. They’ve been waiting 29 years for a World Series title. Many Mets fans haven’t seen or don’t remember 1986. Mets fans aren’t the only ones who have been waiting. 

There are players who have played their whole careers without playing in a World Series. The usual example is the late, great Ernie Banks. While none of the current Mets will be joining that group, there are many who have waited a long time to get here:

Bartolo Colon 18 years
Michael Cuddyer 15 years
David Wright 12 years
Tyler Clippard 9 years
Jon Niese 8 years
Daniel Murphy 7 years
It’s a long time to wait. These guys have earned it. They should each be proud of themselves. Twenty-four hours from now, they’ll be playing in their first World Series game. 

It’s been a long time, but I can’t wait. 

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Mets Against Edison Volquez

The Royals named Edison Volquez as their Game One starter. The Volquez-Johnny Cueto decision wasn’t like what the Mets faced before in the playoffs. However, it merited consideration, and the Royals went with Volquez. 

This year Volquez was 13-9 with a 3.55 ERA, 3.82 FIP, 1.308 WHIP, and a 7.0 K/9. That’s where the good ends for Volquez. In his career, he is 1-4 with a 6.56 ERA, 1.543 WHIP, and a 6.9 K/9. He’s been slightly better this postseason going 1-2 with a 4.32 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and a 8.1 K/9. In the end, what matters most is how he’s pitched against the Mets:

Curtis Granderson 3-12 with 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 4 K
David Wright 6-25 with 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5 BB, 4 K
Daniel Murphy 3-17 with 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Yoenis Cespedes 0-2 with 1 K
Lucas Duda 3-15 with 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 10 K
Travis d’Arnaud 0-0
Michael Conforto 0-0
Wilmer Flores 1-6 with 1 double
Juan Lagares 2-12 with 1 BB and 2 K
Combined 18-99 (.182 BA), 12 BB (.270 OBP), 1 double, 4 HR (.253 slugging), 11 RBI, and 22 K

Here’s how the bench has fared against Volquez:

Michael Cuddyer 1-6 with 1 double
Kelly Johnson 4-14 with 1 double, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K
Kirk Nieuwenhuis 1-3 with 2 K
Kevin Plawecki 0-0
Matt Reynolds 0-0
Bench 6-23 (.263) with 3 BB (.346 OBP), 2 double (.467 slugging), 2 RBI, 1 K

In essence, Volquez had pitched well against the Mets. However, the Mets players have gotten to him. When the Mets have made contact, they’ve hit homeruns. It’ll be tough to hit homers in a stadium like Kauffman. 

Fortunately, the Mets have better pitching than the Royals. If the Mets pitch how they should, they will need just one of those blasts to win the game, similar to the NLDS. 

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Cueto is Hittable

Sometimes, there’s no rhyme or reason for things. I think this sums up Johnny Cueto‘s 2015 season. He went from a hitters’ ballpark with poor defense to a pitchers ballpark with terrific defense and got worse. It doesn’t make sense especially when you consider he left the best division in baseball for one of the worst. 

With the Reds, Cueto averaged 6.2 innings per start going 7-6 with a 2.62 ERA, 3.20 FIP, 0.934 WHIP, and a 8.3 K/9. With the Royals, he averaged 6.0 innings per start with a 4.76 ERA, 4.06 FIP, 1.461 WHIP, and a 6.2 K/9. Sure, he was incredible in the clinching game of the NLDS, but his two other starts were terrible. In Game Three of the ALCS, he took the loss allowing six hits, eight earned, four walks, and two strikeouts over two innings. 

Historically, Cueto hasn’t faired well against the Mets either. In his career, he is 3-4 against the Mets with a 4.02 ERA, 1.369 WHIP, and a 10.0 K/9. At Citi Field, he is slightly better with a 2-2 record, 3.60 ERA, 1.267 WHIP, and a 10.5 K/9. The Mets will face him at Kauffman Stadium in Game One. There he is 3-5 with a 3.88 ERA, 1.294 WHIP, and a 6.9 K/9. He’s prime to get hit by the Mets. The only issues is how do these Mets hit him?

Here’s the numbers against the presumed Game One starting lineup:

Curtis Granderson 3-12 with 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 4 K
David Wright 6-25 with 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5 BB, 4 K
Daniel Murphy 3-17 with 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Yoenis Cespedes 0-2 with 1 K
Lucas Duda 3-15 with 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 10 K
Travis d’Arnaud 0-0
Michael Conforto 0-0
Wilmer Flores 1-6 with 1 double 
Juan Lagares 2-12 with 1 BB, and 2 K
Combined 17-89 (.191 BA) with 12 BB (.287 OBP), 1 double, 4 HR (.337 slugging), 11 RBI, and 21 K

Here’s how the projected bench has hit against him:

Kelly Johnson 1-6 with 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K
Michael Cuddyer 1-6 with 1 double 

Kirk Nieuwenhuis 1-3 with 2 K
Kevin Plawecki 0-3 with 1 K
Matt Reynolds 0-0
Bench Combined 3-15 (.200 BA) with 2 BB (.294 OBP), 1 double, 1 HR (.467 slugging), 2 RBI, and 4 K

In case the Mets make a roster change, here’s Uribe’s numbers:

Juan Uribe 2-6 with 1 double, 2 RBI, 2 K

Overall, the Mets have not hit Cueto well. However, prior to Cueto being a Royal no one did. Just last year, Cueto limited batters to a triple slash line of .195/.261/.313. So, where’s the discrepancy in all this?  Where’s the hope for Mets fans tomorrow?  It’s that Cueto’s numbers are actually no fluke at all. In his career, as the year progresses, he tired and gets hit harder:

March/April .208/.269/.349

May .222/.282/.364

June .235/.298/.367

July .252/.324/.365

August .243/.305/.412

September/October .275/.335/.426

Given these numbers, it’s clear that Cueto can be hit . . . hard. This gives the Mets a Game One advantage. When the goal is to split in Kansas City, the Mets need to utilize this advantage. I think they can and will. 

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We Wanted Ben Zobrist in the World Series but . . . 

In June if you told Mets fans Ben Zobrist would be traded, and his new team would make the World Series, they would’ve been excited. At one point, it seemed a foregone conclusion Zobrist would be a Met. Thankfully, that deal fell apart, and the Mets made better trades that provided the Mets with better talent and depth. 

In any event, Zobrist became a Royal for a hefty price. It’s no surprise the Royals were going for it after losing the World Series last year by 90 feet. Since this trade, Zobrist has played LF and 2B for the Royals. As a Royal, he has hit .284/.364/.453. These are good numbers, but the Mets were better off without Zobrist. 

If he played second base, he would have surplanted Daniel Murphy at second base. That would’ve mean no #Murphtober, and quite possibly, the Mets lose the NLDS. 

If the Mets moved him to LF, that probably would’ve meant no Yoenis Cespedes. Cespedes was an immediate spark plug after the trade. He was so good early on, there was talk of him becoming the NL MVP.  The Mets went on 37-22 after the trade, which is a .627 winning percentage or a 102-60 pace. 

Zobrist in LF also would’ve meant no Michael Conforto. He made the jump from A ball to the majors. He hit .270/.335/.506. He was much better than advertised defensively. He had good range with a strong, accurate arm. He’s got a bit of the clutch gene homering in his first postseason game off of Zack Greinke. 

Also, you don’t know what the A’s were asking for Zobrist. Some of the other deals that took place may not have happened. One of the strengths of the Mets have bee a deep bench giving Terry Collins the ability to platoon. 

There was a time if Mets fans had heard Zobrist was traded in season and helped his new team into the World Series, they would’ve been giddy. It was largely assumed he would wind up with the Mets. He didn’t. 

Because of that, both the Mets and the Royals made the World Series. 

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