Noah Syndergaard

Hansel Wasn’t So Hot

For the first five innings Steven Matz was cruising. He had only allowed three hits and one walk while striking out three. His scoreless inning steak reached 19 innings. He was showing why he’s getting strong All Star consideration and is a leading Rookie of the Year candidate. 

That’s the thing. Seeing how composed and dominant he’s been, it’s easy to forget he’s a rookie who has never thrown more than 140.0 innings in a season. We were reminded he was a rookie in the sixth inning. He was touched up for three runs off five hits, one walk, and a Todd Frazier homerun. Matz was pulled with two outs. His final line was five innings, seven hits, three earned, two walks, and three strikeouts. 

Matz was bailed out by a double play and Jim Henderson. The 4-3 lead was preserved, and the Mets bullpen went to work starting with Noah Syndergaard:

The 94s were sliders, and the 92s were changeups. Syndergaard appeared in the game as Terry Collins wanted to get him some work after Sunday’s ejection. 

The Mets had scored the first two runs off not one but two – TWO! – sacrifice flies. The first was by Yoenis Cespedes in the first. The second was by Curtis Granderson in the third. Granderson has gotten hot of late. Over his last nine games, he’s 10-32 with six walks, a double, triple, and two homers. Speaking of homers, Neil Walker hit his 13th homer of the year for the third and fourth runs of the game. 

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. The Mets bullpen struggled again. Hansel Robles lost the lead in the eighth after allowing a two run homerun to Melky Cabrera. He left two runners on when he gave way to Jerry Blevins. Blevins allowed a walk to Adam Eaton. Logan Verrett relieved him, and allowed an RBI single to Brett Lawrie. Robles took the loss pitching 0.2 innings allowing one hit, three earned, and two walks with one strikeout. 

The natural question is why Collins didn’t let Syndergaard pitch two innings. It’s a fair question, but the Mets bullpen has been great all year. You should expect them to get the job done, but they didn’t, and the Mets lost 6-4. 

Game Notes: It was James Loney‘s Mets debut. As a left-hand batting contact hitter forced into action at first base due to injuries, he was given the number 28. He was 0-4. 

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Time for Rene Rivera

Yesterday, Matt Harvey may have turned his whole season around. His velocity, command, and swagger were back. Much of it had to do with the Mets finally spotting his mechanical flaw and fixing it. Another factor that wasn’t mentioned yesterday was it was the first time Rene Rivera caught Matt Harvey. 

Rivera is a veteran journeyman catcher. He’s a great receiver that calls a good game. He is adept at both pitch framing and throwing out base stealers. He has a cannon throwing 34.4% of would be basestealers, which is second only to Yadier Molina among active catcher with 250+ stolen base attempts.  From behind the plate, Rivera controls the game. He is a calm and steady presence back there. 

This is what a young pitching staff needs more than anything. It’s what Gary Carter did for the 86 Mets. It’s what Rivera did for the Rays. 

With the Rays, Rivera had been part of the development of their young pitchers, specifically Chris Archer. With Rivera behind the plate, Archer limited batters to a 93 OPS+. With all the other catchers, who have caught him, batters have a 100 OPS+ against Archer. The young Archer was just a better pitcher with the veteran behind the plate. 

We’re seeing it again with Rivera and Noah Syndergaard. In the limited time, they’ve worked together, Syndergaard has limited batters to an 87 OPS+. In the four games, they have been combined, Syndergaard has a 1.54 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. Part of that is Rivera controlling the game behind the plate. Part of that is Rivera controlling the running game allowing Syndergaard to just focus on the batter. 

The results with Archer and Syndergaard show Rivera’s value. We may have seen it again with Harvey yesterday. Seeing how Rivera handles a young staff, it’s hard to justify not playing him everyday. 

In fact, the only excuse is his offense. He’s a career .209/.258/.329 hitter with a 64 OPS+.  This year, he’s hitting an even worse .148/.281/.259 with a 50 OPS+. Given the Mets offensive problems, it’s hard to justify putting this bat in the lineup everyday. Unfortunately, Plawecki isn’t a stumbling block. 

For the second straight year, Kevin Plawecki has struggled in Travis d’Arnaud’s absence. He’s hitting .196/.292/.272 with a 57 OPS+. He’s actually worse than he was last year when he had the excuse of getting called to the majors too soon and experiencing dizzy spells during games. Right now, Plawecki is showing the Mets that he either belongs in the minor leagues, or he is nothing more than a backup catcher. 

Given the comparable OPS+ figures, Rivera and Plawecki are effectively the same person at the plate. With that said, the Mets should play the catcher who is better and handling a pitching staff and controlling the running game. There is no doubt that is Rene Rivera. It’s time for the Mets to make Rivera the everyday catcher until Travis d’Arnaud returns. 

Editor’s Note: this was also published on metsmerizedonline.com

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Thoughts on Thor’s Ejection

After some time has passed, I’ve had some time to think about this play:

 https://vine.co/v/iV7BtntdvT7

Here are some quick thoughts:

1.  This Is What MLB Wants

Despite, the 1986 team being there, it’s no longer 1986. For those of us who grew up with that style of ball, Noah Syndergaard getting tossed was an absolute joke. With that said, baseball supposedly wants this out of the sport, and as such, maybe we shouldn’t have been so surprised at the ejection. 

2. Thor’s Ejection Was Still Unusual

With that said, as Ken Rosenthal pointed out, throwing at someone, absent warnings, does not lead to ejections even in today’s modern game. There are many examples where Syndergaard’s pitch doesn’t lead to a quick hook. Syndergaard’s ejection was the outlier. 

3. Thor Is to Blame for the Ejection

Syndergaard threw the ball in an area where it wouldn’t hit or injure Chase Utley. In many ways, that’s more responsible than drilling someone. However, it’s also proof that Syndergaard was unequivocally throwing at Utley. He put a minor league umpire in a position where he could eject Syndergaard. So yes, as absurd as it sounds, the better course of action would’ve been to hit Utley where there could have been some ambiguity. 

4. Thor’s Pitch Was Weak

This was shades of Shawn Estes. Utley broke Ruben Tejada‘s leg, so you make sure you don’t hit him?  This isn’t some 22 year old rookie who pimped a homerun. You’re not looking to send a message. No, you’re looking to get your pound of flesh as retaliation.  You either plunk Utley, or you don’t bother. Instead, Utley knew that not even the enforcer of the Mets rotation wouldn’t hit him, and he went off with a two homerun (one grandslam) five RBI game. 

5. The Timing Was Odd

This was the sixth and penultimate game between these two teams. This was Syndergaard’s second start against the Dodgers. There were plenty of chances to hit Utley. Why now?  Did a member of the 86 Mets get in Syndergaard’s ear?  Was Syndergaard waiting to do it in front of the home crowd?  Did Terry Collins finally give the go-ahead?  Perhaps, we will never know. 

At this point, the only thing we know is nothing was accomplished. Nothing was resolved. Bad blood still remains. Utley is laughing at the Mets. Despite the feeble attempt to intimidate Utley, Syndergaard most likely maintains his mystique as a pitcher who will not be afraid to knock you down. The umpires in baseball still think we pay to watch them instead of players like Syndergaard. 

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Umpires Blew the Call and the Explanation

In the fourth inning, Neil Walker ripped what appeared to be a double down the first base line. Or was it?  No one quite knew initially as the first base umpire, Crew Chief Tom Hallion, failed to make the call. 

He didn’t make the call because, as he was trying to get out of the way of the ball, he didn’t get to see where the ball landed. He looked to the homeplate umpire, Adam Hamari, to see if he saw where the ball landed. As Walker was rounding first and heading to second, Hallion got the call from Hamari. It was a foul ball. This call was made as a result of two umpires conferring with one another while the play was happening. 

It’s strange that Hallion conferred with another umpire on the play because according to him, calls need to be made immediately regardless of whether or not they are the right call. 

You see, when Hallion was questioned post-game about Hamari’s quick ejection of Noah Syndergaard, he said, “We have to make a snap decision. We can’t think about, ok, well this guy did this or he did that in game six of whatever. We don’t have enough time to think that way.” (Adam Rubin, ESPN).  It’s absurd. 

When Syndergaard threw behind Utley, the umpires had three choices: (1) eject Syndergaard; (2) issue a warning to both teams; or (3) do nothing. No matter what the decision the umpires make, it’s going to impact the game. Doing nothing invites the Dodgers to retaliate. Issuing a warning may cause the pitchers to be skittish scout throwing inside. Ejecting Syndergaard would have a profound impact on that game that would seriously alter the Mets chances of winning the game. 

Now, if you’re going to make a decision that could have a profound impact on the game, shouldn’t a discussion, no matter how brief, take place?  There was time. It was a dead ball. No one was on base. Keep in mind, this is the same crew that just one inning later CONFERRED DURING A PLAY! It’s irrational and inconsistent to say a snap decision needs to be made when there’s a dead ball but you can take your time while there is a play happening. 

In the end, they should endeavor to get the calls correct. That includes ejections. Not every ejection requires umpires to confer. Arguing balls and strikes, cursing at an umpire, or making contact with an umpire is grounds for immediate ejection. However, ejecting Syndergaard wasn’t automatic. It was a judgment call. It was a judgment call that not only had an impact on this game, but also the Mets bullpen for the next few games. 

The umpires took time to get the Walker call right. They also should’ve taken the time to get the Syndergaard call right. They didn’t, and they made a bad decision because throwing out a player requires a snap decision whereas judging whether a ball is fair or foul requires time. 

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Chase Utley’s Game Reminded Me of the 1988 Mets

Once again, Major League Baseball showed its umpires are terrible:

That’s right. Noah Syndergaard got tossed for that. No warnings. Nothing. The umpire went from zero to ejection. Best part?  It was a minor league umpire:

Anytime you can have a minor league umpire behind home plate for a nationally televised game, you gave to do it, right?  It’s always a good thing to have a minor league umpire effectively decide the outcome of a major league game.  At least Terry Collins came out and got his money’s worth before getting ejected:

Believe it or not the rest of the game ensued after that #umpshow. 

It should come as no surprise that with an injured David Wright (didn’t start due to neck issues which may or may not be related to the spinal stenosis) and the Mets ace being ejected, the Mets were behind the eight ball. It’s not that Mets fans accept a loss, it’s just that they would’ve understood at least until Chase Utley homered off of Logan Verrett in the sixth to break the 0-0 tie. 

He then hit a grand slam off of Hansel Robles the following inning after Antonio Bastardo loaded the bases with only one out to make it 6-0. 

Now, normally, when you get buzzed, you’re uncomfortable at the plate. Not Utley. Why?  BECAUSE THE UMPIRES PROTECTED UTLEY!  Because the umpires announced the Mets were not allowed to pitch him inside lest they be ejected. It was a joke. But hey, he wasn’t suspended or even called out when he broke another player’s leg for a clearly illegal play:    

  
The Mets lost 9-1. The entire night was ruined. 

It was supposed to be a night when the fans celebrated the greatness of the 1986  Mets. It was supposed to be a night where we remembered their swagger and how they always won the battle whether we were referring to the game or the brawl. That wasn’t what happened tonight.
Instead, we were left with the same bitter taste in our mouths that we had in 1988. 

The only thing that will make me angrier about the ejection and the final score will be when that hack Joe Torre suspends or fines Syndergaard. 

Game Notes: The Mets had a funny take on the Thor pitch:

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Matt Harvey is The Dark Knight

Seemingly out of nowhere, the Dark Knight emerged as not only the protector of Gotham, but also as a figure that gave people hope. After eliminating Gotham of the evils of villains like Ra’s al Ghul, the Falcone crime family, and the Joker, the Dark Knight found his body weary from the constant battles. He took a back seat as other emerged, Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent, to fight the good fight. 

A new villain emerged that neither Gordon, Dent, or really anyone could handle. Bane. Initially, the Dark Knight sought to take on Bane in his own. He was a shell of himself. Bane quickly dispatched of him while breaking his back in the process. The Dark Knight is then left battered and beaten in the Pit prison.  No one ever escapes this Pit. In reality, once you’re here, you’re gone forever. It seems like the Dark Knight we all knew and loved was gone forever. 

Instead, he chose to fight on.  He got stronger. He did the impossible and made his way out of the Pit and back to Gotham. Some of his old friends were gone, but he still had Gordon. He also had John Blake and Selina Kyle. They fought back, and against all odds, they were victorious. The Dark Knight had returned just when Gotham needed it most. 

Looking at all of this, yes, Matt Harvey is the Dark Knight. 

In 2013, Harvey arrived and gave us all hope that the Mets could win another World Series. In 2015, he pushed his body to the limits no one has ever pushed themselves post-Tommy John surgery. He, along with Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, and Jeurys Familia, pitched the Mets into the World Series. 

Whether it was the innings, the bladder problems, or his dietary issues, Harvey isn’t the same. This year he’s 3-7 with a 6.08 ERA and a 1.688 WHIP. He’s getting beat up by hitters, the media, and his Captain. Harvey seems broken. He appears to be at the bottom of a Pit that he has no means to escape. 

Harvey can and will fight back as only the true Dark Knight can. In the interim, deGrom and Syndergaard will continue the good fight. They’re now joined by Steven Matz. In the end, we know the Mets will be victorious. We know Harvey will once again be Harvey. Just remember how this script goes. In the end . . .

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES!

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Shades of 2015

Its astounding how much 2016 is paralleling 2015. This year, like last year, 46 games into the season, they trail the Nationals in the division. Interestingly enough, this is not where the parallels end.

Catcher

Last year and this year, Travis d’Arnaud had a significant injury forcing him to miss a significant period of time. This pressed Kevin Plawecki into assuming the starting catcher’s job, and he struggled. However, Plawecki kept on catching because his backup was a good defensive poor hitting catcher. Last year was Anthony Recker. This year it’s Rene Rivera.

Back Issues

Last year, the Mets faced the prospect of not knowing when or if David Wright could return due to his back problems. As a result, Eric Campbell played many more games than the Mets ever anticipated he would. The same thing is happening now as a result of Lucas Duda‘s stress fracture in his lower back.

Minor Leaguers Not Ready for the Majors

With the rash injuries last year, the Mets trotted out the likes of Daniel Muno and Darrell Ceciliani to try to fill in the gaps. It didn’t work. This year the Mets have pressed Matt Reynolds and Ty Kelly into action. Reynolds and Kelly are having similar difficulties.

Rotation Issues

Last year, Jon Niese and Dillon Gee were having the worst years of their careers thereby putting the pressure on the other starters. The Mets were stuck in a holding pattern about making a change as the obvious replacement, Noah Syndergaard, still needed a little more time. This year it is Matt Harvey struggling while the obvious replacement in the rotation, Zack Wheeler, still needs more time to get ready to pitch in the majors.

Colon Dependability 

At this point last year, Bartolo Colon was 7-3 with a 4.82 ERA and a 1.20  This year Colon is 4-3 with a 3.44 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP.  This year and last year the Mets have been able to count on Colon to take the ball every fifth day and give them a chance to win.

Mid 30’s Corner Outfielder

Through May 25th last year, Michael Cuddyer was hitting .250/.328/.372. This year Curtis Granderson is hitting .204/.304/.413. Like Cuddyer last year, the Mets are relying heavily on Granderson, and unfortunately, they are not getting the production they need from them.

Second Year Starter Stepping Up

Last year, Jacob deGrom went from Rookie of the Year to All Star.  He emerged as the ace of the staff. This year that honor belongs to Syndergaard. Syndergaard has been dominating on the mound like deGrom did last year. He’s a likely All Star, and he’s quickly become the staff’s ace. Honorable mention should go to Steven Matz here as well.

Call for the AA Prospect to Get Called Up

Last year with a rash of injuries and offensive ineptitude, Mets fans shouted from the rooftops that Michael Conforto should be called up to the majors from AA. This year the fans have begun the same with Dominic Smith due to Duda’s injury and Campbell playing there everyday.

Jeurys Familia

Last year, Famila was as dominant as anyone at the end of the game. He started the year a perfect 13/13 in save chances. This year Familia is back to his dominant form. He’s a perfect 16/16 in save chances. As in 2015, Familia is going to slam the door shut.

The Two Team Race

Last year the Braves were the upstarts that faltered. This year will be the Phillies. However, when the dust clears, this is really a two team race between the Mets and the Nationals for the NL East.

Just remember that no matter how bad things got last year, the Mets still won the division by seven games. This year the Mets have a much better team across the board. We may sometimes forget this when the Mets slump or have a couple of injuries. However, this is a much better Mets team that can win the division. This is still a World Series contender.  That’s the overriding lesson from 2015.

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Mets Being Lead by Two Young Stars Again

In 1986, the Mets were lead by two immensely talented players. The first was a 24 year old outfielder named Darryl Strawberry. Coming up, he was thought to be the next Ted Williams. Joining him was a 21 year old young ace named Dwight Gooden. Gooden was unhittable and was starting to do things not even Tom Seaver had done. 

Thirty years later, we celebrate these players and their contributions to the Mets last World Series victory.

Yesterday, there was no greater tribute than seeing 23 year old Noah Syndergaard and 23 year old Michael Conforto lead the way. They were wearing the old racing stripe jerseys to boot. 

Syndergaard pitched seven innings allowing only six hits, one unearned run, and no walks while striking out 11. This year he’s 5-2 with a 1.94 ERA, a 0.978, WHIP, and an 11.3 K/9. He’s doing things not even Dwight Gooden or Tom Seaver have ever done:

Part of the reason he earned the win yesterday was due to Conforto’s homer in the first inning. 

  
For the second year in a row, Conforto is showing no moment is too big for him. He has shown himself to be a natural born hitter. This year he’s hitting .284/.358/.553 with eight homers and 24 RBI. He has an astounding 146 OPS+. 

Overall, thirty years later the Mets are once again led by two budding superstars in their early twenties. History is repeating itself. Hopefully, history will keep on repeating itself straight through October. 

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Thor Wins Pitcher’s Duel

Tonight promised to be a pitcher’s duel, and it did not disappoint. The difference in the game was Max Scherzer made two mistakes and Noah Syndergaard made none. 

Curtis Granderson took the first pitch from Scherzer, and he homered to right. Scherzer would be careful with Granderson the rest of the game. Granderson would finish the night 2-2 with a run, RBI, the aforementioned homerun, and two walks. It appears that Granderson is breaking out of his May slump. 

The Mets needed it too. Before the first pitch, the Mets discovered neither Lucas Duda or David Wright would be available. Wright’s back flared up necessitating he sit. Duda’s own back issues re-emerged requiring him to receive an injection and sit. In their stead, Eric Campbell and Matt Reynolds manned the corners. It was Reynold’s major league debut. He played third, batted ninth, and wore Wright’d glove. Campbell and Reynolds each went 0-3. Campbell struck out twice, and Reynolds struck out once. 

It was a lineup reminiscent of last July. Like last July, Granderson provided the offense. Like last July, Michael Conforto came to the rescue. In the third, he homered to right to make it a 2-0 game. Syndergaard did the rest. 

Syndergaard pitched seven innings only allowing five hits, no earned, and no walks while striking out 10. He had the pitches coming in at 100 MPH. Before the game, Bryce Harper said at the ESPN Upfront event he was curious as to what would happen against the 100 MPH fastball. The answer was an 0-3 night with two strikeouts against Syndergaard. 

Aside from the two mistakes, Scherzer matched Syndergaard pitch for pitch. He allowed three hits, two earned, and three walks while striking out 10. He did all he could do, but he didn’t get much help from anyone other than Daniel Murphy. 

It was Murphy’s first game back at Citi Field since signing with the Nationals in the offseason. In the first inning, he made a sparkling defensive play robbing Campbell of a hit:

After that play, Murphy would get his first official at bat against the Mets. Before the at bat, Murphy would get a well deserved ovation:

Murphy would foul out to third. Before his next at bat, he would be booed. Murphy responded by dropping a single over the head of his replacement, Neil Walker. Overall, Murphy would go 1-3 dropping his batting average from .400 to .399. 

Despite Murphy’s and Scherzer’s efforts, the Mets shut down the Nationals. Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia came on and slammed the door shut. The Mets won 2-0, took sole possession of second place, and moved within a half-game of the Nationals. The Mets can take over first place with a win tomorrow. 

Game Notes: Kevin Plawecki had a nice game going 1-3 and throwing out Ben Revere trying to steal a base. It was only the fourth runner in 33 attempts thrown out while Syndergaard was on the mound. Of course, Oliver Perez entered the game and got his only batter out. Here was the Mets pregame video tribute to Murphy:

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Thor-Scherzer a Pitching Duel Tonight

Lost in Daniel Murphy’s return to Citi Field is the fact that we have a good old fashioned pitching duel between the two best teams in the NL East. 

The Nationals have Max Scherzer who is coming off a historic 20 strikeout game. The last time he faced the Mets he threw a no-hitter. 

The Mets have Noah Syndergaard or 

So far this year, Syndergaard is doing things we’ve never seen before and may never see since. In his last start, Syndergaard allowed two earned over eight innings with six strikeouts. By the way, he also hit two homeruns. In his last start against the Nationals, he allowed only two hits and one run over seven innings while striking out 10. 

Tonight should be a terrific pitcher’s duel amongst two of the game’s best. Looking over the rosters, just about every time these teams meet, we should see a pitcher’s duel. These 19 games are going to be fun . . . especially when the Mets win them. 

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