Erik Goeddel

Mets Solution for Pitcher Injuries Has Been to Pitch More

The entire Jon Niese situation is just another unforced error in a series of unforced errors during the entire Mets season in how they have dealt with pitcher injuries.

It started with Matt Harvey.  From the beginning of the season when he had his medical issues, there was something wrong with Harvey.  However, even with his missing time due to it, he started on Opening Day.  He struggled somewhat on Opening Day as he would most of the season.  He consistently complained of issues with his mechanics, and on a few occasions, the Mets actually debated whether or not he should be sent down to the minors.  Even with his velocity drop, the Mets pinned it on mechanics.  As it would turn out, Harvey has thoracic outlet syndrome requiring him to have season ending surgery.

Next up was Steven Matz.  Matz has bone spurs in his elbow that are very painful.  Matz wanted to have the surgery, but the Mets talked him out of it.  Instead, the Mets shot him up with painkillers before every start, and they put him on the mound.  The Mets did this despite Matz not pitching anywhere near as well as he had been pitching before the bone spurs became an issue.  When Matz finally did seem to turn things around, he went on the disabled list with a shoulder strain and rotator cuff irritation.  For what it’s worth, it does not seem like he is going to miss the rest of the season.  However, given how the Mets have handled him thus far, it is fair to question if this decision is predicated on trying to win as many games as possible or whether Matz really will be ready to return.

Finally, we are back at Niese, who the Mets brought back because they needed another arm with all of the other injuries the Mets had.  When Niese faltered in the bullpen allowing six earned in an inning of relief work, the Mets moved him to the rotation believing starting would be better for him and his knee.  They were of course wrong.  Niese would only last four batters in his last start against the Cardinals before having to come out of the game.  Now, he is going to have surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.  He may very well be done for the season.

The Mets decision to start Niese taxed the bullpen as Mets relievers needed to go 8.2 innings in the game.  Speaking of the bullpen, we again circle back at the Jim Henderson decision.  Henderson is coming off two shoulder surgeries, and he did not pitch in the majors this year.  A day after Henderson threw a career high 34 pitches in a game, Terry Collins went right back to him in a “must-win” April game.  Henderson would have reduced velocity not just in that appearance, but also future appearances.  He would eventually have to go on the disabled list with a right should impingement.

Judging from how Collins has used Erik Goeddel both this season, a pitcher who has had a series of arm issues, it appears the Mets have no intention of learning from past mistakes.

There is no doubt the Mets have had some bad luck on the injury front.  Harvey’s thoracic outlet syndrome wasn’t caused by anything the team did, and bone spurs is a common issue for pitchers.  There is no evidence to suggest the Mets did anything to cause Niese’s injury.  So no, the injuries aren’t the Mets fault.  The issue is how the Mets have handled those injuries.  Instead of the Mets giving these players rest and putting them on the disabled list as a precaution like how the Nationals did with Stephen Strasburg, the Mets told them to go out there and continue pitching.  It created the possibility that each and every single one of these pitchers could have been further injured.

So no, the Mets can’t be blamed for how each of these pitchers got injured.  Rather, the Mets can be blamed for these pitchers might have had further injuries with how the Mets have handled them.

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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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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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Seth Lugo Terrific, Mets Not So Much

Seth Lugo was the surprise starter tonight as Steven Matz couldn’t go due to a shoulder injury (shocking, I know). Lugo would be terrific and efficient. 

Lugo’s final line was 6.2 innings, seven hits, three runs, three earned, one walk, and three strikeouts. The line would’ve looked better had it not been for Collins’ managing. Overall, Lugo only needed 69 pitches. Not bad for a guy that Mets were hoping could provide five serviceable innings. 

One area that Lugo wouldn’t help himself was on the basepaths. After failing to lay down a sac bunt, he found himself in the basepaths and hilarity would ensue on a Kelly Johnson two out single. 

On the single, Tim Teufel first didn’t give a sign, and then threw up the stop sign after Lugo put his head down as Hunter Pence made a good throw home. Lugo saw this, and he headed back to third. Only issue was Jose Reyes broke for third when Lugo broke for home. 

The Giants first got Reyes into a run down. As this was happening, Lugo had pretty much no choice but to break for home as there were two outs. As Brandon Crawford was seemingly the player paying attention in the fifth inning, he caught Lugo trying to sneak home. Lugo would be thrown out in the ensuing rundown. 

The Giants returned the favor in the bottom of the fifth. Pence dropped a “double” between the rangeless Asdrubal Cabrera and centerfielder for the day Granderson. Eduardo Nunez then hit a line drive right at Granderson while Pence took off for home. Easy double play. 

Just to make sure the fifth inning would set back baseball 50 years, James Loney booted a Joe Panik grounder. Lugo would the get the opposing pitcher, Johnny Cueto, out to put an end to the nonsense. 

Still, Lugo would take the loss as the only run support he received was a Granderson second inning homer into McCovey Cove. 

In the seventh, Lugo was lifted after the Giants announced Gregor Blanco as a pinch hitter. Terry Collins countered with LOOGY Jerry Blevins. Bruce Bochy, being a vastly superior manager, countered with the switch hitting Ehire Adrianza. Both he and Denard Span hit RBI singles making it a 3-1 game. 

The Mets rallied in the eighth starting with a Reyes one out single. It was another terrific night at the plate for Reyes going 4-4 with a double. However, despite him getting to second as Brandon Belt threw one into his back on a Johnson pinch hit. Hr wouldn’t score as Jay Bruce hit into an inning ending double play. 

Josh Smoker made his major league debut in the bottom of the inning. He’d get charged with two runs as Jeurys Familia, with some help from a Ryan Lochte neon yellow haired Cabrera made an error, couldn’t get out of the inning.  Erik Goeddel relieved Familia and was greeted with a Conor Gillaspie two run homer making it 8-1. 
With that, the Mets have lost three in a row and are now two games under .500. 

Game Notes: Cabrera and Yoenis Cespedes returned from the DL with the Mets sending down Ty Kelly and T.J. Rivera.  

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Jon Niese and a Terrible Night of Mets Pitching

Well Jon Niese‘s first start since returning to the Mets went about as well as you expected it would go. 

Niese’s defense failed him in the fourth with the Rickie Weeks and Yasmany Tomas homers turning a 1-0 lead into a 3-1 deficit. Niese wouldn’t make it through the fifth departing with two outs in the inning and a runner on second. His final line would be 4.2 innings, four hits, four runs, four earned, two walks and six strikeouts. 

Terry Collins then turned to Erik Goeddel because he obsessively and compulsively overworks relievers with arm issues – just ask Jim Henderson. In a shock to no one but Collins the overworked Goeddel was wholly ineffective needing to be bailed out by Seth Lugo, who was the only effective pitcher in the night. Goeddel recorded no outs while allowing two hits (including a Weeks homer), two runs, two walks, and no strikeouts. 

For the crowd suggesting Gabriel Ynoa should’ve started over Niese (myself included), Ynoa certainly didn’t make his case tonight. He pitched one inning allowing two hits, three runs, three earned, and one walk with no strikeouts. 

Josh Edgin was similarly bad. His final line was one inning, two hits, four runs, four earned, two walks, and one strikeout. He gave up a long homer to Tomas is the eighth. 

Overall, Mets pitching was horrendous allowing 13 earned runs. 

Perhaps the only thing worse than the pitching was the offense. Through the first seven innings, the Mets only mustered one hit off Zack Godley, and that was Jose Reyes single to leadoff the game. Reyes would score later that inning on a wild pitch. 

Godley’s final line was 7.1 innings, two hits, two runs, two earned, two walks, and four strikeouts. To be fair, Godley did enter the game 3-2 with a 5.24 ERA and a 1.366 WHIP. 

After  Curtis Granderson and Rene Rivera applied some lipstick to this pig of a game with a couple of homers, the Mets lost the game 13-5. 

Worse than the pitching and the hitting is just the Mets play in general. They have gone 1-5 against the Diamondbacks, and they have gone 3-6 in the easiest nine game stretch on the schedule. It’s why the Mets are back to .500, and are now four games out in the Wild Card race. 

Game Notes: Neil Walker missed his second straight game with a back injury. Jay Bruce had a RBI double in the eighth. He is no longer the major league RBI leader. 

Pennant Race: The Cardinals beat the Astros 8-2. The Nationals lost to the Rockies 12-10. The Pirates beat the Giants 6-5. The Dodgers beat the Phillies 7-2. The Marlins lost to the Reds 3-2. 

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Seen This Type of Loss Too Many Times

With the Mets seemingly in a roll having finally won two games in a row, most thought Bartolo Colon was set to make big league history by not only being the latest pitcher to beat all 30 teams (first done by Al Leiter) and by winning a game in his 39th ballpark. Well, Colon made history, but it had nothing to do with his pitching:

That walk issued by Diamondbacks starter Robbie Ray set up a run, but it wouldn’t matter as Colon would give the run right back. 

Colon was hit very hard by the Diamondbacks all night. Colon pitched four innings, nine hits, five runs, two earned, and two walks with one strikeout. 

The three unearned runs came in the first on a T.J. Rivera fielding error off the bat of the leadoff hitter Jean Segura. Technically, the runs were unearned, but it was Colon who was hit very hard that inning. 

Rivera’s error was part of a tough night for him. Not only did he make that error, but he would also help kill a two on, no out, second inning rally by hitting into a double play. On the night, Rivera was 0-4 with a sacrifice fly and a strikeout. 

Rivera wasn’t the only one that abandoned Colon defensively. On a Paul Goldschmidt gapper to right center between Curtis Granderson and Jay Bruce in the fourth that Bruce stopped chasing leading to Granderson fielding it which just invited Goldschmidt to go to third. He would score on a Jake Lamb sacrifice fly to make it 5-2. 

It was all part of what was a horrible night for the Mets all around. 

Erik Goeddel pitched in the fifth for his fifth appearance in seven days. He came in despite his arm problems and despite Collins continuously warming up Seth Lugo. Goeddel would be predictably hit hard allowing two runs in the fifth to make it 7-2. Naturally, Collins would then bring on Lugo in the sixth. 
The Mets would have their chance in the seventh loading the bases against the Diamondbacks bullpen with no outs. Randall Delgado quickly got ahead 0-2 against Wilmer Flores, but somehow Flores worked out a walk to make it 8-3. Rivera and Ty Kelly hit a pair of sacrifice flies to make it 8-5. Travis d’Arnaud struck out to end the rally. 

It was the only time d’Arnaud made an out all game. On the night, d’Arnaud was 3-4 with two runs. Each time, he was driven in by Jose Reyes, who also had a terrific night at the plate going 2-4 with two RBI. 

Other than Reyes, the Mets were 1-8 with runners in scoring position with no RBI. It wasn’t enough in a 10-6 Mets loss. 

The failure to hit with runners in scoring position and the Mets failing to beat teams they should beat is a microcosm of the Mets season. 

Game Notes: Neil Walker continued his hot hitting going 3-5 with two runs, an RBI, and a homer.  Flores hit well too against the lefty going 2-3 with a walk and an RBI. He was an adventure at first flat out dropping a ball thrown to him by Walker and almost dropping a throw from d’Arnaud after Hansel Robles struck out a batter. Robles was touched up for two runs on a long Yasmany Tomas two run eighth inning homer. 

Pennant Race: The Marlins beat the Reds 6-3. The Nationals beat the Rockies 5-4. The Cardinals had the night off. 

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Extra Innings = Extra Frustration 

There was no hope until the ninth. Robbie Ray entered tonight’s game 5-11 with a 4.83 ERA and a 1.504 WHIP, so naturally he shut down the Mets allowing just three hits over seven innings.  The Mets lineup couldn’t hit a bad pitcher, but what else is new. It seems like the Mets were going to lose the first two games to an absolutely terrible Diamondbacks team. 

Then Diamondbacks closer Jake Barrett walked a pinch hitting Alejandro De Aza to start the inning. After a Curtis Granderson strikeout, Kelly Johnson was tabbed as the pinch hitter for Ty Kelly:

Tie game, and the Mets went to extras. 

It was notable that Johndon pinch hit for Kelly as he got the start in left over Michael Conforto and Alejandro De Aza. 

In the the tenth, Mets fans were having flashbacks to earlier in the game. 

In the third, Paul Goldschmidt, who has just been killing the Mets in this series, hit an RBI single with first and second open. Jean Segura scored on the play. He was on third as he stole second, and he advanced to third on a Travis d’Arnaud throwing error. 

In the eighth, Segura led off with a double against Addison Reed, and he moved to third off a Michael Bourn sacrifice bunt. Goldschmidt was the batter. The Mets did not walk him to set up the double play. Instead, he hit a sacrifice fly to Jay Bruce who fielded the fly ball awkwardly catching in near the line and not putting himself in position to use his strong arm to even make a play on Segura. 

In the tenth, Segura had a two out single off Jeurys Familia, and he would steal second. The Mets would also pitch to Goldschmidt with first base open. This time Familia would strike him out. 

Collins would help kill a rally in the 10th. After T.J. Rivera led off the inning with his first career hit, Collins ordered d’Arnaud to bunt. For all Collins knew, d’Arnaud could bunt. He couldn’t. He popped it up, and he didn’t advance the runner. The Mets wouldn’t bring Rivera home. 

It was another in a long line of bad decisions in this game and all season from Collins. 

There was the aforementioned decision to not only start Kelly, but also bat him second. In the sixth, he let Bartolo Colon lead off the inning with the Mets trailing 1-0. The there was Collins pitching Familia for a second inning after throwing 25 innings in his first inning of work. In Collins defense, he burned his long man, Jon Niese, to get two outs in the ninth in place of Erik Goeddel. Apparently, Collins never thought to double switch him into the game instead of having to lift Niese for a pinch hitter to lead off the ninth.  

That would leave Jerry Blevins, the LOOGY to start the season, as the last man in the bullpen due to Hansel Robles 32 pitch outing yesterday and Collins not yet trusting Josh Edgin. Blevins gave up a home run to Oscar Hernandez to lead off the 12th. 

The Mets had no rally in them in the bottom of the 12th leading them to lose the first two games in a three game set to a terrible Diamondbacks team. This was supposed to be the time for the Mets to make their move with them facing the soft spot in their schedule. 

Correction, the Mets are making a move. They’re moving their way out of Wild Card contention. 

Maybe tomorrow they can win a game with Noah Syndergaard starting. Then maybe, just maybe, the Mets can win on Friday, August 12th to finally win two in a row. I wouldn’t count on it. 

Pennant Race: The Marlins lost 1-0 to the Giants. The Dodgers lost to the Phillies 6-2. The Nationals beat the Indians 7-4. The Cardinals beat the Reds 3-2. 

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Alexi Ogando Is Worth a Flyer

After being released by the Atlanta Braves this year and having spent almost a month in the Arizona Diamondbacks minor league system, Alexi Ogando has exercised an opt out clause in his contract making him a free agent.  With the Mets whiffing on adding a reliever at the deadline, unless of course you count Jon Niese, the Mets should look to add Ogando.

From 2010 – 2013, Ogando was a weapon for the Rangers with his ability to pitch effectively as a starter and out of the bullpen.  In that stretch, he was 26-13 in 156 appearances and 48 starts with a 3.12 ERA and a 1.136 WHIP. In the postseason, he is 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA.  Unfortunately, Ogando is not that pitcher anymore.  If he was, he wouldn’t be available.

During the 2013 season, he would have a shoulder injury, and he wouldn’t be the same pitcher.  Since that time, he has made 127 appearances over the last two and a half seasons going 7-5 with a 4.56 ERA and a 1.553 WHIP.  The main issue for Ogando has been control.  During his heyday with the Rangers, he was only walking 2.8 batters per nine innings.  Prior to his release with from the Braves, he was walking 6.5 batters per nine leading to an ugly 1.719 WHIP and his eventual release.  It was a long fall from the pitcher who was once an All Star on a team that twice came ever so close to winning a World Series.

However, Ogando is worth a risk.  He can still strike people out striking out 8.2 batters per nine innings.  He still has electric stuff throwing a 95 MPH fastball and an 85 MPH slider.  He is exactly the type of pitcher who Dan Warthen has had success helping over the course of his tenure as the Mets pitching coach.  Maybe with a couple of adjustments, Ogando can get back to being the pitcher he once was with the Rangers.

Fact is he has more upside than Erik Goeddel and his 3.66 ERA, Josh Edgin and his reduced velocity, and Seth Lugo who struggled in his last few appearances before being sent back down to the minors.  None of them has his velocity or strikeout ability.  They also don’t have his postseason success. With all of that in mind, Ogando is certainly worth a flier.  The Mets should act quickly and get him signed to a minor league deal.

At the end of the day, he could be the unlikely difference maker in the pen much like Addison Reed was for the Mets last season.

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Mets Bullpen Blows It Against the Fire Sale Yankees

With Brandon Nimmo being the guy almost traded away in the Jay Bruce trade, he was supposed to be the guy who hit the big homer tonight. In the second inning, Wilmer Flores reminded us all that it was his schtick:

The homer gave the Mets a 1-0 lead they would relinquish in the fourth inning on a Logan Verrett wild pitch allowing Didi Gregorious to score from third.  The Mets would fall behind 3-1 in the fifth. Brett Gardner doubled to right hitting the side wall permitting Rob Refsnyder to score from first.  Gardner would come around to score on a Jacoby Ellsbury RBI single. 

The Yankees should have been up by more, but Gardner killed a first inning rally with his legs:

The final line for Verrett would be five innings, four hits, three runs, three earned, three walks, and two strikeouts. 

The Mets got one back in the bottom of the fifth featuring their two young left-handed outfielders. Nimmo pinch hit for Verrett. He didn’t get his homer, but he hit a single to start a rally. He came around to score on a Michael Conforto one out RBI double off CC Sabathia. It was Conforto’s first ever regular season extra base hit off a left-handed pitcher. Conforto only got the chance because Justin Ruggiano was forced to leave the game with an injury. 

That set the stage for Matt Reynolds in the sixth. 

Flores led off with an excuse me infield single off Yankees reliever Richard Bleier. Travis d’Arnaud, who was not traded for Jonathan Lucroy, hit an opposite field single. d’Arnaud quietly had a good night going 2-5 with a run scored. That run scored would be on an absolute bomb off Reynolds’ bat giving the Mets a 5-3 lead. 

The Mets would lose the lead with Terry Collins getting a little too cute in the eighth inning. 

With two lefties leading off the eighth, Collins turned to Jerry Blevins to start the inning. Blevins allowed a leadoff walk to Gardner before striking out Ellsbury. Collins then turned to Addison Reed, who is traditionally poor with inherited runners.  He was again tonight. 

Brian McCann greeted Reed with a single sending Gardner to third. Ronald Torreyes would take second on a wild pitch.  Gregorious would have a terrific at bat flaring a single into left field scoring both Gardner and Torreyes tying the game at 5-5. It was the first run Reed has allowed since June 23rd. 

Jeurys Familia struggled himself in the ninth. He couldn’t get a feel for the strikezone, and he was giving d’Arnaud a workout spiking his sinker. He was completely bailed out by Curtis Granderson who chased down a ball by the right field line flat of robbing Aaron Hicks of an extra base hit and possibly an RBI. 
Familia navigated his way out of the inning despite allowing the one out walk to Austin Romine. Romine stole second with Familia not paying him any attention. Romine could’ve taken third as d’Arnaud skipped it past Reynolds and into center field, but Romine didn’t notice it in time. Despite all that, Familia bore down and get out if the inning. 

Seth Lugo, the last man in the bullpen, wouldn’t be as lucky. He issued a four pitch walk to Ellsbury, and Mark Teixeira beat the shift with an opposite field single. Ben Gamel laid down a sac bunt Lugo fielded. However, he would reach safely as Rene Rivera, who was double switched into the game, somehow directed Lugo to go to third. Lugo couldn’t get the speedy Ellsbury at third. He would later score on a Starlin Castro sac fly to make it 6-5. 

That set the stage for new Yankee closer Dellin Betances. He was greeted with a Loney double, and he would move to third on a Reynolds sac bunt. It would take a home run to score Loney from third on s fly ball to the outfield. You’re also giving an out to Betances, who is a great reliever. 

Alejandro De Aza was then hit by a pitch. He took off for second on a Rivera ground out to Betances. Betances froze Loney and got Rivera at first. Granderson would then strikeout to end the game. The sac bunt was a strange move at best. 

It was an ugly 6-5 loss helped again with some odd late game Collins decisions. 

Game Notes: Steven Matz pinch hit for Erik Goeddel in the sixth, and he drew a pinch hit walk.  He was needed to pinch hit as the Mets were playing short due to trades, Yoenis Cespedes being unable to play with his quad injury, and the Mets refusal to DL Asdrubal Cabrera for one reason or another. 

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Mets July 2016 Report Card

The Mets entered June six back of the Nationals and a half a game ahead of the Marlins for the second Wild Card.  After a 13-13 month, which was their first month at or above .500 since April, the Mets find themselves 6.5 games back in the NL East race behind both the Nationals and the Marlins.  They not only trail the Marlins in the NL East race, but they are 2.5 games behind them for the last Wild Card spot.  The Mets have also fallen behind the Cardinals in the Wild Card race as well.

Bear in mind, these grades are on a curve. If a bench player gets an A and a position player gets a B, it doesn’t mean the bench player is having a better year. Rather, it means the bench player is performing better in his role.

Position Players

Travis d’Arnaud (D). It has been more of the same for d’Arnaud in July, and as such, the Mets were forced to inquire on Jonathan Lucroy at the trade deadline.  On the bright side, he began to hit for some power hitting two home runs.

Kevin Plawecki (F). Plawecki was sent down to AAA, and he began hitting like everyone else in the Pacific Coast League.  The jury is still out on him.

Rene Rivera (B+).  While his defense has dipped a bit, Rivera has been absolutely raking.  He has clearly benefitted from facing left-hand pitching.  Still, he’s here to be the defensive backup, and he hasn’t been as great as he has been in year’s past.

Lucas Duda (Inc). He missed the entire month with his back injuries, and no one knows when or if he will be able to return in 2016.

James Loney (B). Loney has continued to hit, but his power numbers have regressed to the mean.  He still can’t hit lefties a lick.  Furthermore, his defense hasn’t been great.  His error in the Rockies game helped lead to a loss.

Neil Walker (C).  He was actually hitting worse in June than he had been in May and June, which is saying something.  He was even briefly benched by Terry Collins.  Then he woke up in the Rockies series, and yesterday he hit a home run that just might turn his and the Mets season around.

David Wright (Inc.).  Wright is not going to play again in 2016 due to the neck surgery.

Asdrubal Cabrera (C). Cabrera started out hot to start the month, but he cooled off.  As a result, he put up similar numbers that he did in May and June.  On the bright side, he did break his 0-32 streak with runners in scoring position.  He had a nasty injury yesterday that threatens to end his season early.

Wilmer Flores (B+).  Flores has continued to rake putting up numbers at an unprecedented.  This month he hit seven homers.  He has benefited greatly by mostly facing left-handed pitchers.  The Mets will need his versatility all the more as injuries mounted during the month.

Eric Campbell (Inc.) Campbell did not play in a game during the month, and the Mets are not likely to call him up again until rosters expand in September.

Matt Reynolds (Inc).  Reynolds only played in one game during the month before getting sent down to AAA.

Ty Kelly (Inc).  Kelly did not play in the majors during the month of July, and his 40 man roster spot appears tenuous.  If the Mets make a move for a position player, he will likely be the first to be removed from the roster.

Michael Conforto (C+)  After an initial hot streak when he came back up, he has cooled off, possibly in part to Terry Collins giving him inconsistent playing time again, and possibly in part to him having to learn center field and right field on the fly given Cespedes’ and Lagares’ injuries.  For what it’s worth, he has handled both defensive positions well.

Yoenis Cespedes (B+). While his power numbers have decreased with his injured quad, he has become more patient at the plate putting up a season high .392 OBP in July.  His power is still there with a .530 SLG; it’s just that those balls are doubles now instead of homers.  His injury has hurt the team as he can no longer play center.

Curtis Granderson (C-). Granderson had his second worst month of the season hitting .235/.337/.410, and he is not playing right field at the Gold Glove level he played it last year.

Juan Lagares (D). It turns out Lagares just couldn’t play through the torn ligament in his left thumb hitting .160/.263/.300.  He has shut it down, and he is going to get surgery to repair the problem.

Alejandro De Aza (A+). De Aza had an amazing month of July .300/.500/.531. As you can plainly see, he’s hitting everything including lefties.  It speaks a lot about both him and the Mets that he was their best offensive player during the month.

Brandon Nimmo (B-).  In 13 games, Nimmo was showed signs he could be a major league player in the near future in his two stints with the Mets.  Overall, he hit .229/.325/.314 with one huge home run.  For some reason, even with the gap in center field, Collins still refuses to let him play there.

Jose Reyes (C)  Reyes quickly acclimated to third defensively as he appeared to have been a very good defender at the position for years.  At the plate, he had some uncharacteristically good power numbers while struggling to get on base with a .239/.278/.493 batting line.  He has been unable to hit righties doing most of his damage against lefties.  He is currently on the disabled list with an intercostal strain, and it is unknown when he can return.

Justin Ruggiano (Inc). The Texas Rangers AAA castoff has played in only two games for the Mets going 1-4.

Pitchers

Matt Harvey (Inc).  Harvey only made one start in July before the Mets finally discovered he has thoracic outlet syndrome which may explain the struggles he has had all year.  Harvey had season ending surgery, and he will hopefully return in 2017.

Jacob deGrom (B+).  In a month where the Mets needed someone to step up, degrom heeded the call posting a 3-1 record with a 2.27 ERA including his first shutout.  However, he did have a clunker against the Marlins who are now ahead of the Mets in the Wild Card standings.

Noah Syndergaard (B). Syndergaard has lost some velocity and movement on his pitches since it was discovered he is dealing with a bone spur in his pitching elbow.  For the month, he was a respectable 1-2 with a 2.45 ERA.  The main cause for concern is his walks have gone up.

Steven Matz (C-). Matz has been clearly bothered by the bone spurs, but he is starting to learn how to pitch effectively with him.  He rebounded from a terrible June to post a 1-4 record with a 3.19 ERA.

Bartolo Colon (D-). Aside from one good start in the second end of the double header against the Cardinals, Colon has had a miserable month with a 5.51 ERA and a 1.347 WHIP.

Logan Verrett (B-). Verrett was thrust into the starting rotation with the Harvey season ending injury.  He has performed well enough as a starter going 0-1 with a 4.32 ERA and 1.240 WHIP that the Mets did not feel compelled to go out and get a starter during the trade deadline or call up a pitcher like Gabriel Ynoa to take his place in the rotation.

Jeurys Familia (C-) Familia was walking a tightrope for a while with his struggling command, and he finally blew two saves in back-to-back appearances that were just devastating.

Addison Reed (A+).  In 13 innings, only five people reached base against him, and none of them scored.

Jim Henderson (Inc).  Henderson is still on the disabled list, and he suffered a leg injury during his rehab stint.  There is no telling when or if he will be able to return.

Hansel Robles (A+). When the Mets were looking for a veteran seventh inning reliever, Robles just went out there and took the job.  In 10 appearances he was 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA.

Jerry Blevins (A).  Aside from his last game when he had a minor hiccup, Blevins had a terrific July allowing just two hits and one earned run in 13 appearances.

Antonio Bastardo (F). Bastardo seemed to be slowly turning things around in non-pressure situtations.  However, as we saw Carlos Gonzalez launch one near the Shea Bridge, Bastardo cannot be relied upon in any game that is remotely close.

Rafael Montero (Inc.) Didn’t pitch in the majors in June as he’s been demoted to AA.

Sean Gilmartin (Inc.)  Gilmartin is on the seven day disabled list with a shoulder injury.  There is no timetable for his return.

Erik Goeddel (F).  Goeddel really struggled in the month of July posting a 6.10 ERA in 11 appearances.

Seth Lugo (B) He was electric in this first three appearances even making Anthony Rizzo look silly by striking him out with a curveball that hit Rizzo’s foot.  He has been solid since then, but he has come back to earth a bit.  For the month, he has a 2.60 ERA and a 0.968 WHIP.  He would be helped by getting regular work.

Terry Collins (F). While it could be argued he has been dealing with an injury plagued roster (he has), Collins still does not make sound decisions on a day-in and day-out basis.  For the man who said, the Mets couldn’t be in a position to both win-now and develop players like Conforto, he has managed to do neither.  He also seemingly alienated his players at the All Start Game.

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