Jon Niese
Sure, the Mets are seeking Homefield advantage in the NLDS, but more importantly, they want to enter the postseason healthy. Tonight, the Mets health was seriously called into question with one pitch:
Yoenis Cespedes leaves game after getting hit in hand by pitch.
He has 34 XBH since August 1, 2nd-most in MLB (Matt Carpenter 35)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 1, 2015
For an eternity (which is how long this game seemed to last), we waited for the result of Yoenis Cespedes‘ x-ray:
https://twitter.com/bbtn/status/649398261967659008
Whew! In the meantime, the Phillies hit two more batters before the Mets bothered to retaliate. After the retaliation, and the benches were warned, Hansel Robles threw one near Cameron Rupp‘s head. Note, I don’t think it was intentional, and Ruf swing at it. However, Robles was tossed and:
When benches cleared, Cespedes came in from clubhouse & tried to go on-field. Pat Roessler grabbed his shirt & got him back in dugout. Smart
— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) October 1, 2015
There was no fight, but I’m still happy the Mets held him back. The rest of the game was just bad baseball and bad news:
Wilmer Flores left this game with lower back stiffness, not illness as originally thought. So not all good news for #Mets.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) October 1, 2015
On top of the injuries, a series of relievers, including Jon Niese and Dario Alvarez, showed why they should not be on the postseason roster. It took them five pitchers, including Robles, to get through the sixth. They entered the inning up 5-3 and left it down 6-5.
The Mets would lose by the score of 7-5. At least they came out of the game almost intact. Tomorrow’s game is at 12:05. Hopefully, there will be no carry over from Robles’ last pitch.
I have readily admitted that I have written too much about Dario Alvarez. My blog is about two months old, and I probably have more Alvarez posts than anyone. When Alvarez got hurt, I thought I was done with him, at least for the season. I was wrong:
Heard Alvarez looked good facing batters at instructs the other day. Got off the mound well. Slider was sharp. https://t.co/ouYkqa9O2t
— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) September 30, 2015
Well, Alvarez is back, and he might be coming back just in time. The Mets are still looking for lefties in the bullpen. It’s part of the reason Jon Niese is out there. Unlike Niese, Alvarez is a true LOOGY and bullpen arm.
There’s only five games left to see if Alvarez is ready for game action. This roster selection process just got a lot more complicated.
As the Mets have clinched the NL East winning and losing have taken a back seat to figuring out who will be on the postseason roster. These are almost like Spring Training Games. If you care about the final score, the Mets lost 4-3.
Personally, I was more concerned with Jon Niese‘s relief appearance. He entered the game after Bartolo Colon left after five with the Mets trailing 3-1. In his first inning of work, Niese faced the minimum with some help from Yoenis Cespedes:
Run on @ynscspds at your own risk. http://t.co/UfrGuIYL9r #LGM pic.twitter.com/v4GVzecc7R
— New York Mets (@Mets) September 30, 2015
I was surprised Niese came out for the seventh. I was disappointed it didn’t go well. He would get the first two outs, which included a strike out of Travis d’Arnaud‘s brother. The next two Phillies got on, and Niese was lifted. Erik Goeddel, who’s also battling to be on the playoff roster, allowed an inherited run ER to score before getting a strikeout to end the inning.
Overall, Niese’s appearance was uneven. There was only one hard hit ball, but he was bailed out by Cespedes. Lefties went 2-3 with two singles against him. He seemed to throw a little more sidearm than usual. I would say this is a starting off point, but he did not leave much room for error with only five games left in the season.
In terms of highlights, Lucas Duda hit his 100th and 101st career homeruns. The aforementioned Cespedes throw in the sixth, and the Michael Conforto diving catch in the eighth.
However, the important part of the night was Niese was in the bullpen, and he showed he might be able to handle it.
I thought I knew Jon Niese. I thought he was the guy who was weak mentally and made excuses for his poor outings. After the Mets clinched, we found out he’s a guy that will do whatever he can to win:
Jon Niese approached Terry Collins about pitching out of the bullpen — not the other way around. He'll start doing so this week. #Mets
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) September 27, 2015
Niese has been a starter for his entire career. He made his one and only relief appearance in 2011. This is no small gesture on his part even if he knows it’s his only chance to be on the playoff roster. If he does make the roster, what will his bullpen role be?
Well, for starters, we know, he won’t be a set up guy for Jeurys Familia. Those roles are firmly in the hands of Addison Reed and Tyler Clippard (back willing). If either of them faulter, the Mets could go with multiple inning appearances from Familia or go to Hansel Robles. That means the bullpen spots remaining are long man and LOOGY.
I’m not sure he qualifies as a LOOGY. For his career, lefties hit .262/.314/.397 off of him. This year lefties are hitting .285/.325/.431 off of him. By comparison, lefties are hitting .169/.217/.351 off of Robles. I’m not sure if Terry Collins would be willing to use Robles as a LOOGY in the playoffs.
He may feel inclined to use the only effective lefty reliever he has: Sean Gilmartin. He’s been better than Niese against lefties, but not by much. Lefties hit .264/.316/.341 off of him. It’s probably one of the reasons he became the long man. Gilmartin and Niese will face some competition for that role against Bartolo Colon.
Unlike Colon, Niese is moving to the bullpen now. It’s possible with him being able to max out for one inning, he will be much better against lefties. He may be better against righties for that matter. Niese has occasionally liked to drop his arm angle. If some effectively, he could be another Pedro Feliciano. If not, at least he tried.
Honestly, I hope he makes it. Of all the pitchers on the Mets staff, he’s been here the longest. I’m glad he’s getting his chance. I hope he makes the most of it.
Now that the Mets have clinched the NL East, the time is fast approaching to set the NLDS roster. Keep in mind, this is for the NLDS only. The Mets can the roster if they advance to the NLCS.
I’ve made some changes to my prior analysis. The reason is due to injuries to players like Juan Uribe. Another reason was the possibility that Jon Niese and Bartolo Colon may move to the bullpen.
Note, this is not what I would do, but rather, what I think the Mets will do. I am taking into consideration the Dodgers lefty heavy starting rotation and lineup. Without further ado, here’s my best guess:
Catchers
Infielders
3. Lucas Duda
6. David Wright
7. Ruben Tejada
Outfielders
10. Michael Cuddyer
11. Yoenis Cespedes
12. Juan Lagares
Pinch Runner
14. Eric Young, Jr.
Rotation
15. Matt Harvey
16. Jacob deGrom
17. Noah Syndergaard
18. Steven Matz
Bullpen
19. Jeurys Familia
20. Tyler Clippard
21. Addison Reed
22. Hansel Robles
23. Sean Gilmartin
24. Jon Niese
25. Bartolo Colon
I’m not 100% confident in this. I could see Uribe getting healthy enough to play knocking EY, Lagares, or Johnson out of the lineup. With all the lefties, I could see Eric Campbell or Dilson Herrera (3-4 with a walk, a homer, two runs, and a two RBIs on Sunday) making the team as well.
I also think there is real competition and consideration for the last three bullpen spots. Erik Goeddel has been great all year (when healthy). Carlos Torres is a Terry Collins’ favorite, who may make the team if healthy. Logan Verrett has made his car all year bouncing between starting and reliever. If Colon takes Matz’s spot in the rotation, there will be more bullpen spots because the Mets won’t put Matz in the bullpen.
No matter who is on the roster I’m excited for the playoffs again. Lets Go Mets!
When the Mets clinched today, the person I wanted at my side to celebrate was my son. He means more to me than anything. He must’ve known it was a big game because even though I can never get him in a hat, he wore one today:
After celebrating with this little guy, I then talked to my Dad, who I knew was dying to talk to the two of us. Through the magic of FaceTime, we could celebrate together. It was great to see the Mets players do the same:
— SNY (@SNYtv) September 26, 2015
— SNY (@SNYtv) September 26, 2015
It was especially heartwarming to see Daniel Murphy out there because of all he went through when his child was first born. He was also the guy that gave my son a ball before he was born.
It was also great to see Jon Niese out there with his child as my post about him was the first time my blog was noticed. I smiled when I was on FaceTime with my Dad because I remembered this was the same technology that allowed Niese to let his child being born. My grin was a little wider when I remembered the Mets are in the playoffs. It gets bigger each time I think of it.
However, that wasn’t the highlight of my day. The highlight was when my son counted to 10 with me for the first time.
It’s funny. Never before did I think the Mets in the playoffs would be a distant second to me. I’m not any less of a fan than I used to be. I’m probably a bigger fan.
The difference between now and then is I’m a Mets Daddy.
When the Mets added Addison Reed right before the waiver trade deadline, the Mets had their sights set on a shutdown 7-8-9 featuring three closers. So far, each of them have performed extremely well.
You know what’s shocking? Even though the Mets have had the Addison Reed-Tyler Clippard–Jeurys Familia triumvirate together for three weeks, they only appeared together in the same game only three times. They’ve never collectively blown a lead, but the tandem has only resulted in one save. Like last night, it had more to do with the Mets tacking on eighth inning runs more than anything.
In any event, Mets fans can be confident the bullpen can hold leads and/or keep the Mets in a game. I also believe the Mets will ride this trio hard because the Mets starters go deep into games. Jacob deGrom and Matt Harvey average 6.1 innings per start (average rounded down to nearest third of an inning). Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz average 6.0 innings per start (major league starts only). Bartolo Colon averages six innings per start. Jon Niese isn’t going to start in the playoffs.
If you’re starters are going at least six, you only need your triumvirate. If your starters are going less than five, you’re in trouble anyway. Even if you need to pull a starter early, there are viable options. Hansel Robles has been terrific, especially in the second half with a 2.60 ERA, 0.904 WHIP, 12.4 K/9, and a triple slash of .173/.250/.429. He’s been good enough to consider him as part of a 6-7-8-9 shut down bullpen.
In a do or die game, Terry Collins has shown he will manage accordingly. He will have a quick hook and trust his key bullpen arms. If he will lean heavily on these three or four guys that’s good news. Familia for one has shown the ability to go multiple innings. I imagine Collins is going to ride him like Joe Torre rode Mariano Rivera (calm down, it’s only a usage comparison).
For people worrying about the 11 runs allowed by the bullpen on Sunday, don’t. Robles had a hick up. He’s allowed. Eric O’Flaherty pitched in that game while the game was still in the balance. He won’t pitch in the playoffs. I’m going to discount this game especially with the rough Robles outing and the relievers that appeared in the game.
Overall, the Mets bullpen is in great shape heading into the playoffs. They can stretch out their main four guys in a do or die game. These guys can keep a game close or hold a lead. I’m even confident after the last Nationals series, Collins will deploy them properly and out them in a position to succeed.
Surprisingly, the bullpen is a major strength of this team . . . even if no one is saying it.
If nothing else, Daniel Murphy keeps things interesting. He’s just as likely to make an amazing play as he is to make a routine play look like an adventure. He will hit a double and then get lost on the way to third.
Today was no exception. In the first inning, he singled setting up first and second with no out. After a Yoenis Cespedes single and a Lucas Duda popout, Travis d’Arnaud hit into the routine 5-4-6 double play. It wasn’t really routine, it was a classic Murphy TOOBLAN. Murphy assumed the play was over and he got caught between second and third. He got burned so bad, he had to apply Chapstick. No, that’s not a joke. He literally applied Chapstick after the play.
Since it wasn’t a continuation play, the run counted giving the Mets a 1-0 lead. In the second, the lead would expand to 2-0 on a Michael Conforto opposite field homerun. Actually, it wasn’t a Conforto homerun, it was a:
https://twitter.com/keithlaw/status/646107589948907520
Murphy would redeem himself for killing the first inning rally by hitting a two RBI double in the seventh scoring the pinch running Eric Young, Jr. (8 runs scored, no hits for the Mets) and Curtis Granderson (1-3, two walks, and two runs scored). Once again Granderson was a catalyst. Once again Murphy giveth and Murphy taketh.
On the pitching side, Jon Niese pitched well after eight days of rest. He got a number of groundballs. His final line was six innings, three hits, two walks, and two strikeouts. Some questioned pulling him after six innings and 88 pitches, but I agree with Terry Collins. He’s been so bad lately that you get him out of there whe he’s feeling good, and he gave you enough depth.
The 7-8-9 of Addison Reed–Tyler Clippard–Jeurys Familia combined to preserve the 4-0 win. Nothing like a bad Braves team and some Chapstick to smooth over the rough stretch and help get the Mets a win.
Tonight, Matt Harvey was brilliant for five innings. He allowed one hit and a walk in conjunction with seven strikeouts. As October is more important than Septrmber 20th, especially with a 6.5 game lead in the division, Harvey was lifted.
The Mets then blew the lead. Twitter blew up. Everyone acted like it was Harvey and Boras that was the reason the Mets lost. It wasn’t even close to the reason. Here are some of the bigger reasons why the Mets lost:
- Mets leave the bases loaded in the first.
- Mets only score one run off CC Sabathia, who came into the game with a 4.93 ERA.
- Mets only mustered five hits and struck out seven times against Sabathia.
- David Wright dropping a throw from Hansel Robles after an awful Brett Gardner bunt, which set up a big inning.
- Robles emulating Jon Niese after the Wright misplay.
- Mets committing four errors.
- Terry Collins pitching Eric O’Flaherty.
- O’Flaherty being O’Flaherty (allowing all three lefty batters to get on base).
- Erik Goeddel walking in one of the batters he inherited from O’Flaherty.
- The Mets bullpen in total allowed eleven runs.
The Mets lost this game because their bullpen was terrible. The Mets lost because their offense was terrible. They didn’t lose the game because Harvey was amazing for five innings.
So when the blame game starts tonight, let’s start with where it belongs, which is everyone but Harvey.