SBNation.com User Blog: James Kannengieser

Mets vs Reds Recap: Poor first inning, quiet bats doom Mets in 4-0 loss

James Kannengieser — Wed, 22 May 2013 02:46:41 -0000

The Mets lost their second game in a row to the Cincinnati Reds after once again falling behind 3-0 in the first inning. Unlike Monday night, the Mets' lineup was unable to come back and tie the game, and the final result was 4-0. As boring and depressing as this game was, there was one positive to take away: Jon Niese's strong performance after a shaky first inning. Niese's strikeouts have been way down in 2013, so his season-high seven punch-outs in six innings tonight are an encouraging sign that he might bust out of this early-season slump.

Niese looked good against the first two batters of the game. He induced Derrick Robinson to fly out and struck out Zack Cozart, and needed just seven total pitches to do it. Niese then got ahead 2-2 against the great Joey Votto. Things were going well! Unfortunately, the next six batters, including Votto, all reached base. Votto walked, Brandon Phillips singled, and Jay Bruce walked to load the bases. Todd Frazier came up next and hit a hard, but playable, ground ball to David Wright. However, the ball skipped past Wright, allowing two runs to score. Donald Lutz came up next and reached on an infield single that Daniel Murphy could have made a better play on. That re-loaded the bases for Devin Mesoraco, who drew a walk to score a run, appearing to demoralize Niese in the process. Our Opening Day starter rebounded though, as he struck out opposing pitcher Mike Leake to end the nightmarish inning. Niese threw 48 pitches in the frame and long-man Collin McHugh was warming up in the bullpen.

Despite the ugly first inning, there were signs that maybe this wouldn't be a catastrophic night for Niese. He was throwing hard. He threw first-pitch strikes. Good hitters (Votto and Bruce) swung-and-missed at his pitches. Niese continued these trends for the next five innings and managed a pretty good final line: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R (none earned), 3 BB, 7 K. Maybe that line would have looked even better if Wright could have made the play on Frazier. He didn't quite pitch like Matt Harvey -- few do -- but consider me embiggen'd by Niese tonight.

Niese's counterpart Leake enjoyed himself tonight. He threw seven shutout innings, striking out four and allowing just five total baserunners. The Mets' best threat against Leake came in the fourth inning, when John Buck hit an opposite field double with two outs and Lucas Duda on first base. Third-base coach Tim Teufel put up the stop sign for the gigantic Duda, declining to take a risk with two outs and the putrid Ike Davis on deck. Teufel probably should have taken the risk; Ike proceeded to ground out to end the inning. The Mets' offense went into hibernation mode the rest of the way.

LaTroy Hawkins and Scott Rice each threw a scoreless, stress-free inning in relief of Niese. McHugh gave up a home run to Mesoraco on the first pitch of the ninth inning to cap the scoring. Final score: 4-0 Reds.

The final game of the series is Wednesday afternoon at 1:10 pm, featuring a great pitching matchup of Matt Harvey vs Mat Latos. Be sure to tune in, for Harvey doesn't pitch again until next Tuesday.

SB Nation Coverage

* Amazin' Avenue Gamethread
* Red Reporter Gamethread

Win Probability Added

(What's this?)

Big winners: Lucas Duda +1.9%, LaTroy Hawkins +1.6%
Big losers: Jon Niese -14.1% (as pitcher), Ike Davis -8.4%
Teh aw3s0mest play: John Buck double in the fourth inning +4.0%
Teh sux0rest play: David Wright error in the first inning, two runs score, -17.3%
Total pitcher WPA: -12.7%
Total batter WPA: -37.3%
GWRBI!: N/A! First run scored on a David Wright error

Final Score: Reds 4, Mets 0 — Mets bats reek against Leake

James Kannengieser — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:25:35 -0000

Tonight's game had the potential to be an ugly blowout but turned out to be just a boring yawner. Jon Niese needed 48 pitches to make it through the first inning, during which he walked three, gave up two hits, and watched David Wright make a crucial error with the bases loaded which led to three unearned runs scoring. And that all came after Niese retired the first two batters of the game with relative ease. Niese settled down thereafter, though, and didn't allow a run in his final five innings of work. He struck out seven on the night and was throwing hard; both are welcome developments.

Those three first-inning runs, plus a garbage-time solo home run by Devin Mesoraco, were plenty for Reds starter Mike Leake and two relievers. Leake threw seven shutout innings against the Mets lineup, allowing just five baserunners. Our heroes' best chance to score came in the fourth inning, when John Buck hit a two-out double to deep right field with Lucas Duda on first base. Considering the Mets' offensive woes, and on-deck batter Ike Davis, sending Duda home seemed like a worthwhile gamble. However, third-base coach Tim Teufel disagreed and Duda got the stop sign. Ike proceeded to ground out to end the threat and is now hitting .149/.229/.248. The Mets' lineup went down quietly into the night the rest of the game.

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by MetsFan4Decades; her effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

#	Commenter	# Comments
1	MetsFan4Decades	134
2	Terry_is_God	123
3	cstroh8	87
4	omegasupreme44	87
5	robotoverlord	67
6	Sheaoutofluck	60
7	piazza62	60
8	The Nameless One	59
9	IPA	36
10	GetMetsmerized	33

Open Thread: Mets vs Reds, 5/21/13

James Kannengieser — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:57:01 -0000

Jon Niese

#49 / Pitcher / New York Mets

Height: 6-4

Weight: 215

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Oct 27, 1986

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Jon Niese	3-4	9	9	0	0	0	0	48.1	56	33	29	5	24	24	5.40	1.66

Mike Leake

#44 / Pitcher / Cincinnati Reds

Height: 5-10

Weight: 185

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Nov 12, 1987

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Mike Leake	3-2	8	8	0	0	0	0	48.1	59	21	20	5	13	34	3.72	1.49

Lineup

NEW YORK METS	CINCINNATI REDS
Daniel Murphy, 2B	Derrick Robinson, CF
Mike Baxter, RF	Zack Cozart, SS
David Wright, 3B	Joey Votto, 1B
Lucas Duda, LF	Brandon Phillips, 2B
Rick Ankiel, CF	Jay Bruce, RF
John Buck, C	Todd Frazier, 3B
Ike Davis, 1B	Donald Lutz, LF
Ruben Tejada, SS	Devin Mesoraco, C
Jon Niese, LHP	Mike Leake, RHP

Jon Niese

#49 / Pitcher / New York Mets

Height: 6-4

Weight: 215

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Oct 27, 1986

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Jon Niese	3-4	9	9	0	0	0	0	48.1	56	33	29	5	24	24	5.40	1.66

Mike Leake

#44 / Pitcher / Cincinnati Reds

Height: 5-10

Weight: 185

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Nov 12, 1987

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Mike Leake	3-2	8	8	0	0	0	0	48.1	59	21	20	5	13	34	3.72	1.49

Lineup

NEW YORK METS	CINCINNATI REDS
Daniel Murphy, 2B	Derrick Robinson, CF
Mike Baxter, RF	Zack Cozart, SS
David Wright, 3B	Joey Votto, 1B
Lucas Duda, LF	Brandon Phillips, 2B
Rick Ankiel, CF	Jay Bruce, RF
John Buck, C	Todd Frazier, 3B
Ike Davis, 1B	Donald Lutz, LF
Ruben Tejada, SS	Devin Mesoraco, C
Jon Niese, LHP	Mike Leake, RHP

Mets vs Cardinals Recap: Bullpen struggles as Mets lose fourth game in a row

James Kannengieser — Tue, 14 May 2013 03:05:41 -0000

It could be a long week for the Mets in St. Louis. Our heroes are struggling, the Cardinals are playing great, and Matt Harvey will not pitch in any of the four games. So we're stuck crossing our fingers heading into pitching matchups like tonight's: young strikeout machine Lance Lynn vs glorified long man Jeremy Hefner. Tonight's game was not a total disaster but the end result, a 6-3 loss, was no surprise. The Mets have now lost four games in a row and Rick Ankiel is the new center fielder.

Hefner was serviceable in six innings of work. His peripherals weren't pretty -- two strikeouts, four walks -- but he racked up ground-ball outs and held the Cardinals lineup to just five hits. Hefner looked shaky in the first two innings, during which the Cardinals scored their first three runs, but he settled down thereafter. He sent the Cards down one-two-three in each of his final three innings of work. Tonight's loss wasn't really Hefner's fault but he's started seven games this season and the Mets have lost all of them. Now on to the real culprits tonight: the anemic lineup and two Scotts in the bullpen.

The Mets were lucky to score any runs tonight. Carlos Beltran gifted his old mate Daniel Murphy a two-run double with two outs in the second inning. Murph hit a line drive to right field off Lynn that Beltran appeared to lose in the sun, which allowed Ankiel and Mike Baxter to score. David Wright followed with an infield single to shortstop, driving in Murphy. That gave the Mets a temporary 3-2 lead, which disappeared in the bottom of the second inning after a Matt Carpenter RBI single.

Neither team scored again until the seventh inning. Scott Rice made his 22nd relief appearance of the season and induced Daniel Descalso to ground out to start the frame. Then, Ty Wigginton hit a soft line drive to center field that popped out of the glove of a diving Ankiel. It wasn't an easy play but he didn't get a great jump on it. Ankiel was using Rice's glove because his equipment got stuck in transit or something. Wigginton hustled his way to second base on the play. Carpenter then hit a pitch that struck Rice and rolled towards the first base line. John Buck ran to retrieve the ball and Wigginton scored all the way from second base when Rice was late covering home plate. Rice struck out Beltran and was then pulled in favor of Scott Atchison, who gave up a long home run to Matt Holliday that made the score 6-3. That was plenty of run support for the Cardinals bullpen, which gave up just a walk in two innings against the punchless Mets lineup. Atchison is feeling tenderness in his elbow, which might explain his performance tonight:

Atchison said he couldn't feel the baseball, had numbness and tingling. Ruh-roh.
— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) May 14, 2013

Outside of Holliday's bomb, this was a pretty "blah" game. Both teams made defensive miscues, the Mets struck out ten times, and, worst of all, the Mets lost again. It was pretty low on the entertainment scale.

The good guys will try to turn things around on Tuesday at 8:15 pm. The pitching matchup is Dillon Gee vs John Gast, a left-handed pitcher making his MLB debut. Go Mets, beat the Cardinals.

SB Nation Coverage

* Amazin' Avenue Gamethread
* Viva El Birdos Gamethread

Win Probability Added

(What's this?)

Big winners: Daniel Murphy +22.9%, Jeremy Hefner +2.7% (as pitcher)
Big losers: Scott Rice -18.8%, Scott Atchison -17.4%
Teh aw3s0mest play: Daniel Murphy two-run double in the second inning, +19.6%
Teh sux0rest play: Matt Carpenter RBI single in the seventh inning, -17.4%
Total pitcher WPA: -31.7%
Total batter WPA: -18.3%
GWRBI!: Matt Carpenter RBI single in seventh inning

Final Score: Cardinals 6, Mets 3 — Quiet bats, shaky bullpen conspire to ruin Ankiel's debut

James Kannengieser — Tue, 14 May 2013 01:51:18 -0000

It was another quiet game for the Mets' lineup, which managed just three runs on four hits against Lance Lynn and three Cardinals relievers. All three runs came in the second inning, after which the Mets tallied just one base hit.

Jeremy Hefner pitched six so-so innings and Scott Rice came on in relief to start the seventh inning with the score tied 3-3. Things did not go well for the 31-year-old rookie though, starting with a one-out double by Ty Wigginton on a line drive that fell out of the glove of a diving Rick Ankiel in center field. The next batter, Matt Carpenter, lined a pitch that struck Rice and went for an infield single, allowing Wigginton to score the decisive run. After Rice struck out Carlos Beltran, Scott Atchison entered and promptly served up a two-run home run to Matt Holliday. The 6-3 lead was plenty for the Cardinals bullpen and the Mets' losing streak is now four games.

The arrival of Ankiel wasn't enough to jumpstart the offense; Ankiel went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk. The Mets benefited from a misplay in right field by Beltran, who turned a catchable Daniel Murphy line drive into a two-run double. Murphy then came around to score on a David Wright infield single.

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by MetsFan4Decades; her effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

#	Commenter	# Comments
1	MetsFan4Decades	143
2	Terry_is_God	121
3	feslenraster	95
4	stickguy	70
5	JJJ	70
6	blueandorange4life	53
7	nerfan	45
8	Seaver73	40
9	Joveoak	30
10	aparkermarshall	28

Open Thread: Mets vs Cardinals, 5/13/13

James Kannengieser — Mon, 13 May 2013 21:44:58 -0000

Jeremy Hefner

#53 / Pitcher / New York Mets

Height: 6-4

Weight: 215

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Mar 11, 1986

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Jeremy Hefner	0-4	7	6	0	0	0	0	35.0	32	18	18	8	12	25	4.63	1.26

Lance Lynn

#31 / Pitcher / St. Louis Cardinals

Height: 6-5

Weight: 250

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: May 12, 1987

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Lance Lynn	5-1	7	7	0	0	0	0	43.0	29	13	13	3	16	47	2.72	1.05

Lineup

NEW YORK METS	ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Mike Baxter, RF	Matt Carpenter, 2B
Daniel Murphy, 2B	Carlos Beltran, RF
David Wright, 3B	Matt Holliday, LF
Ike Davis, 1B	Allen Craig, 1B
Lucas Duda, LF	Yadier Molina, C
John Buck, C	Jon Jay, CF
Rick Ankiel, CF	David Freese, 3B
Ruben Tejada, SS	Daniel Descalso, SS
Jeremy Hefner, RHP	Lance Lynn, RHP

Time (EDT)	TV	Radio
7:05 PM	SNY	WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WEPN 1050 (Sp.)

Jeremy Hefner

#53 / Pitcher / New York Mets

Height: 6-4

Weight: 215

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Mar 11, 1986

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Jeremy Hefner	0-4	7	6	0	0	0	0	35.0	32	18	18	8	12	25	4.63	1.26

Lance Lynn

#31 / Pitcher / St. Louis Cardinals

Height: 6-5

Weight: 250

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: May 12, 1987

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Lance Lynn	5-1	7	7	0	0	0	0	43.0	29	13	13	3	16	47	2.72	1.05

Lineup

NEW YORK METS	ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Mike Baxter, RF	Matt Carpenter, 2B
Daniel Murphy, 2B	Carlos Beltran, RF
David Wright, 3B	Matt Holliday, LF
Ike Davis, 1B	Allen Craig, 1B
Lucas Duda, LF	Yadier Molina, C
John Buck, C	Jon Jay, CF
Rick Ankiel, CF	David Freese, 3B
Ruben Tejada, SS	Daniel Descalso, SS
Jeremy Hefner, RHP	Lance Lynn, RHP

Time (EDT)	TV	Radio
7:05 PM	SNY	WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WEPN 1050 (Sp.)

Mets vs White Sox Recap: Harvey's nine shutout innings, Baxter's clutch hit in tenth inning give Mets 1-0 victory

James Kannengieser — Wed, 08 May 2013 03:04:41 -0000

There's a good chance no pitcher in MLB will throw as dominant a game this season as Matt Harvey threw tonight. The Mets ace retired 27 of the 28 batters he faced, 12 of them via strikeout. He issued no walks, allowed a lone infield single, and generally tied White Sox batters up in knots all night on his way to pitching nine shutout innings. His game score of 97 is tops in MLB this season and would have trailed only the perfect games thrown by Matt Cain (101 game score) and Felix Hernandez (99 game score) last season.

The Mets offense did not score any runs for Harvey, denying him a "win." However, we don't much care about pitcher W-L record around these parts, with tonight's game a fine example as to why. Bobby Parnell was awarded the "win" by pitching a scoreless inning of relief in the top of the tenth inning before Mike Baxter's pinch-hit single drove home Ike Davis in the bottom of the tenth to end it. Much like on 6/1/2012, Baxter came through on a night featuring a historic pitching performance.

Lingering concerns about Harvey's laborious start last week, as well as the extra days off since that start, were diminished early on in tonight's contest. He came out throwing hard and he came out throwing strikes. Harvey touched 98 mph with his fastball and sat in the mid-to-high 90s. He was throwing so hard, his nose started bleeding in the first inning:

He needed just 54 pitches to make it through the first five innings tonight, and 40 of those pitches went for strikes. Compare to his last start, when he need 121 pitches to get through 5.1 innings. The first 20 White Sox batters Harvey faced all failed to reach base. Alex Rios broke up the perfect game with an infield single to shortstop on which Ruben Tejada made a nice effort. Rios was safe at first base on a bang-bang play. The next seven White Sox batters went down quietly. 28 up, 27 down.

Here are a few stats from tonight to put Harvey's performance in perspective:

Swinging-strike rate of 15.2% (league-average rate = 9.2%)
Strike rate of 72.3% (league-average rate = 63.1%)
First-pitch strike rate of 71.4% (league-average rate = 59.8%)

It was a tremendous night for Harvey and it's fun that Dwight Gooden is also watching:

KKKKKKKKKKKK #MATTHARVEYKCOUNT
— Dwight Gooden (@DocGooden16) May 8, 2013

Harvey overshadowed the strong performance of White Sox starting pitcher Hector Santiago. The Newark native held the Mets lineup scoreless in seven innings of work, striking out eight in the process. The Mets twice put two runners on base in an inning against Santiago but were unable to break through against him. If there was a batting hero in the Mets' starting lineup, it was Ike Davis, who went 1-for-3 with a walk. That's a big game for Ike these days.

The Mets finish up the two-game series with the White Sox on Wednesday night at 7:10 pm. The pitching matchup will be Jeremy Hefner vs Jake Peavy. Harvey's next start is scheduled for Sunday afternoon against the Pirates, if you were wondering.

SB Nation Coverage

* Amazin' Avenue Gamethread
* South Side Sox Gamethread

Win Probability Added

(What's this?)

Big winners: Matt Harvey +64.4% (as pitcher), Mike Baxter +31.1%
Big losers: John Buck -16.1%, Lucas Duda -13.0%
Teh aw3s0mest play: Mike Baxter game-winning RBI single in tenth inning +31.1%
Teh sux0rest play: Ruben Tejada ground out in second inning -6.1%
Total pitcher WPA: +77.0%
Total batter WPA: -27.0%
GWRBI!: Mike Baxter game-winning RBI single in tenth inning

Final Score: Mets 1, White Sox 0 — Matt Harvey is bloody brilliant

James Kannengieser — Wed, 08 May 2013 01:48:04 -0000

Matt Harvey pitched the finest game of his young career, which is saying something given his dominance thus far. He faced one batter over the minimum in nine innings of work, striking out 12, walking none, and allowing just one baserunner on a weak infield single. Unfortunately, the Mets didn't score any runs in regulation, and extra innings were needed. This was no marathon, though; Bobby Parnell tossed a scoreless top of the tenth inning before Mike Baxter won it in the bottom half of the frame with an RBI single.

Back to Harvey. The young stud had a perfect game through 6.2 innings before Alex Rios broke it up with an infield single to shortstop. Harvey's game score was 97; for comparison, Johan Santana's was 90 for his no-hitter last season. Harvey touched 98 mph on the radar gun and pitched the first inning with a bloody nose (see picture above). He's like a real-life Sidd Finch. How many days until his next start?

Harvey's White Sox counterpart Hector Santiago pitched a gem of his own, striking out eight in seven innings while allowing just four hits to a quiet Mets lineup. The Mets finally broke through in the tenth inning off Sox reliever Nate Jones. Ike Davis led off with a walk, moved to second base on a Juan Lagares bunt, and came home on Baxter's pinch-hit single.

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by Steve Sypa; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

#	Commenter	# Comments
1	Steve Sypa	220
2	MetsFan4Decades	137
3	The Nameless One	91
4	Terry_is_God	71
5	omegasupreme44	70
6	painiac	69
7	CTRefJay	59
8	JetsMetsNets	51
9	aparkermarshall	48
10	Hoyadestroya85	47

Open Thread: Mets vs White Sox, 5/7/13

James Kannengieser — Tue, 07 May 2013 19:51:31 -0000

Matt Harvey

#33 / Pitcher / New York Mets

Height: 6-4

Weight: 225

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Mar 27, 1989

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Matt Harvey	4-0	6	6	0	0	0	0	40.1	21	7	7	2	12	46	1.56	.82

Hector Santiago

#53 / Pitcher / Chicago White Sox

Height: 6-0

Weight: 210

Bats: R

Throws: L

Born: Dec 16, 1987

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Hector Santiago	1-1	8	1	0	0	0	0	19.2	15	6	5	2	5	17	2.29	1.02

Lineup

NEW YORK METS	CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Ruben Tejada, SS	Alejandro De Aza, LF
Daniel Murphy, 2B	Jeff Keppinger, 2B
David Wright, 3B	Alex Rios, RF
John Buck, C	Adam Dunn, 1B
Lucas Duda, LF	Conor Gillaspie, 3B
Andrew Brown, RF	Alexei Ramirez, SS
Ike Davis, 1B	Tyler Flowers, C
Juan Lagares, CF	DeWayne Wise, CF
Matt Harvey, RHP	Hector Santiago, LHP

Time (EDT)	TV	Radio
7:10 PM	SNY	WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WEPN 1050 (Sp.)

Matt Harvey

#33 / Pitcher / New York Mets

Height: 6-4

Weight: 225

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Mar 27, 1989

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Matt Harvey	4-0	6	6	0	0	0	0	40.1	21	7	7	2	12	46	1.56	.82

Hector Santiago

#53 / Pitcher / Chicago White Sox

Height: 6-0

Weight: 210

Bats: R

Throws: L

Born: Dec 16, 1987

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Hector Santiago	1-1	8	1	0	0	0	0	19.2	15	6	5	2	5	17	2.29	1.02

Lineup

NEW YORK METS	CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Ruben Tejada, SS	Alejandro De Aza, LF
Daniel Murphy, 2B	Jeff Keppinger, 2B
David Wright, 3B	Alex Rios, RF
John Buck, C	Adam Dunn, 1B
Lucas Duda, LF	Conor Gillaspie, 3B
Andrew Brown, RF	Alexei Ramirez, SS
Ike Davis, 1B	Tyler Flowers, C
Juan Lagares, CF	DeWayne Wise, CF
Matt Harvey, RHP	Hector Santiago, LHP

Time (EDT)	TV	Radio
7:10 PM	SNY	WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WEPN 1050 (Sp.)

Mets OPS by position for April

James Kannengieser — Thu, 02 May 2013 02:49:15 -0000

It's obvious that Lucas Duda and David Wright have been awesome at the plate this season. What's not so obvious is the degree of their awesomeness. How have they performed compared to the rest of the league? This exercise aims to provide context to the Mets' April offensive performance by position. Without context, statistics are meaningless.

Here is the Mets' OPS by position, the National League average OPS for each position, and the Mets' rank by position (Notes: OPS = on-base percentage + slugging percentage; there are 15 teams in the National League following the Astros' departure):

Position	NL AVG	Mets	NL Rank
P	.344	.302	10
C	.735	.817	5
1B	.756	.545	14
2B	.682	.824	2
3B	.708	.932	1
SS	.711	.636	10
LF	.813	.986	3
CF	.706	.516	14
RF	.723	.593	15

Put this together and the Mets posted a .698 OPS in April, 8th-best in the league and below league average OPS of .704. Some notes:

Just over half of Lucas Duda's April plate appearances ended in a walk, strikeout, or home run. Three-true-outcome hitting is heroic when your walk rate is above 20% and you're on pace to hit 30+ home runs. Bryce Harper and Justin Upton ensured that Mets left fielders (led by Duda) were only 3rd-best in the league at the plate though.
It's not in the above table, but Mets outfielders combined for a .692 OPS, good for 11th in the league. However, outside of Duda no Mets outfielder was above average at the plate. The group hasn't been the worst of all time thus far, but factor in generally poor defense and it hasn't been very good either. Dropping Marlon Byrd for Andrew Brown seems like a good idea, for starters. Collin Cowgill hasn't yet justified a spot with the big club and is likely running out of time to do so.
National League second basemen have been brutal in the early-going, so Daniel Murphy's stats look even better in comparison. Justin Turner has also chipped in nicely on the infield. His .800+ OPS probably won't last but good for him so far.
Only Adam LaRoche has been worse than Ike Davis at first base this season. I bought Ike's offseason story about the valley fever he had in spring training 2012 causing his poor start. However, he's repeated that start in 2013 and the story looks more and more like a tall tale with each passing 0-fer. On the plus side, he's yet to swing and miss at a pitch that also hit him. May is an important month for Ike.
David Wright: better than your team's third baseman (in the National League, at least).
John Buck and his mammoth home runs have been a pleasant surprise. He's probably headed for some negative regression but he can still be useful even without hitting nine home runs per month.

Final Score: Phillies 4, Mets 0 — Mets bats go silent in Friday night snoozer

James Kannengieser — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 01:21:48 -0000

The weather was nice and the game didn't drag on too long; that's about the best one can say about tonight's Mets game. The Mets' lineup managed just three hits -- all singles -- against Kyle Kendrick, who threw the second shutout of his career. Maybe all that time spent around Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee has helped Kendrick, who has given up two runs in 15 innings against the Mets this season.

Dillon Gee started the game for the Mets and matched Kendrick zero-for-zero through five innings. However, he gave up four straight hits to start the sixth inning, with the last one being a three-run home run by Ryan Howard. It was a long home run to center field, hit on a high changeup out over the plate. The Mets managed just one baserunner after Howard's home run. Gee struck out four and walked one in six innings of work.

Home plate umpire Brian O'Nora left the game in the first inning due to "flu-like symptoms." The game was delayed for about ten minutes and eventually first base umpire Adrian Johnson took over. If only the entire umpire crew could have had the flu tonight (get well soon, Brian O'Nora).

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by MetsFan4Decades; her effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

#	Commenter	# Comments
1	MetsFan4Decades	127
2	Steve Sypa	104
3	crazyremy	88
4	feslenraster	80
5	Kepler	62
6	stickguy	61
7	Koop87	56
8	The Nameless One	48
9	JJJ	43
10	Evan_S	42

Open Thread: Mets vs Phillies, 4/26/13

James Kannengieser — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 21:35:35 -0000

Dillon Gee

#35 / Pitcher / New York Mets

Height: 6-1

Weight: 205

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Apr 28, 1986

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Dillon Gee	1-3	4	4	0	0	0	0	19.2	23	13	13	4	8	14	5.95	1.58

Kyle Kendrick

#38 / Pitcher / Philadelphia Phillies

Height: 6-3

Weight: 210

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Aug 26, 1984

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Kyle Kendrick	1-1	4	4	0	0	0	0	24.2	26	9	9	3	7	19	3.28	1.34

Lineup

NEW YORK METS	PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Mike Baxter, RF	Jimmy Rollins, SS
Ruben Tejada, SS	Chase Utley, 2B
Daniel Murphy, 2B	Michael Young, 3B
David Wright, 3B	Ryan Howard, 1B
Lucas Duda, LF	Domonic Brown, LF
John Buck, C	John Mayberry, CF
Ike Davis, 1B	Laynce Nix, RF
Jordany Valdespin, CF	Erik Kratz, C
Dillon Gee, RHP	Kyle Kendrick, RHP

Dillon Gee

#35 / Pitcher / New York Mets

Height: 6-1

Weight: 205

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Apr 28, 1986

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Dillon Gee	1-3	4	4	0	0	0	0	19.2	23	13	13	4	8	14	5.95	1.58

Kyle Kendrick

#38 / Pitcher / Philadelphia Phillies

Height: 6-3

Weight: 210

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Aug 26, 1984

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Kyle Kendrick	1-1	4	4	0	0	0	0	24.2	26	9	9	3	7	19	3.28	1.34

Lineup

NEW YORK METS	PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Mike Baxter, RF	Jimmy Rollins, SS
Ruben Tejada, SS	Chase Utley, 2B
Daniel Murphy, 2B	Michael Young, 3B
David Wright, 3B	Ryan Howard, 1B
Lucas Duda, LF	Domonic Brown, LF
John Buck, C	John Mayberry, CF
Ike Davis, 1B	Laynce Nix, RF
Jordany Valdespin, CF	Erik Kratz, C
Dillon Gee, RHP	Kyle Kendrick, RHP

This Week In SNY: Part Two, featuring Ralph Kiner, Keith Hernandez's jazz hands, and a Phillies fan who loves David Wright

James Kannengieser — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 03:05:01 -0000

We're back for part two of This Week In SNY. Click here for part one, which ran yesterday. Let's jump right in:

Sunday, April 7th

The legendary Ralph Kiner made his 2013 season debut:

Ralph turned 90 years young last October. It's nice to see him feeling good and looking great. He offered praise for Giancarlo Stanton and suggested that if Stanton wants to be an elite power hitter he'll have to notch 50 home runs in a season. None of this weak 30 home run stuff. Ralph hit at least 40 home runs in a season five times and twice topped 50. It was a long time between visits to the booth for Ralph, and we hope he drops by several more times this season.

Sure, robot umpires would be better at getting the calls right but could they clean up garbage on the field like humans can?

Actually, the robots could probably do that too. Robots it is.

Keith had the day off but decided to stop by the booth in the seventh inning to surprise Gary and Ron with some jazz hands:

"Keith, we only wake you up for the important games."

Monday, April 8th

Even Phillies fans want to reach out and give David Wright a big fat kiss:

Let's check in with Kevin! SNY debuted a new screen graphic which informs viewers exactly what Kevin is talking about at that moment. Here is an example:

Kevin might get a little off topic from time to time, but it's rare when we can't decipher what he's reporting on. We predict this new graphic won't last, much like the Twitter graphic from two seasons ago:

The season is only a few weeks old and SNY has already started mailing in the Verizon Text Poll:

Ron Darling: Our next text poll -- is Matt Harvey going to be a good pitcher in his career with the Mets? Yes or no.

Last season, we noticed a ratty-looking bulletin board in the Phillies' booth:

The board is still there this season:

On a related note, it looks like the Phillies' booth is among the more cramped and uncomfortable that Gary, Keith, and Ron inhabit during the season. We would love to hear a discussion among the trio about the best and worst booths in which they work. Someone needs to ask that the next time "Ask The Booth" happens.

Wednesday, April 10th

This next item requires some background information. After the 2010 season, we wrote a half-serious post called "Mets-Related SNY Programming," in which we came up with ideas to bolster the underwhelming non-game SNY offerings. An excerpt:

I love game shows, especially those involving trivia. SNY's current trivia show Beer Money has run its course. It was intriguing at the outset -- a New York sports trivia show featuring the man/woman-on-the-street as contestant. But each contestant can only answer a maximum of three questions and there is no finale, like Jeopardy!'s Final Jeopardy and the eventual Tournament of Champions. Plus there is no vetting process for the contestants. It's frustrating to watch Big Johnny from Bayside, the self-proclaimed die hard Mets fan, fail to answer correctly something like "Who hit the groundball that went through Bill Buckner's legs?"

Enter the Stump The Schwab-inspired Get After Gary Cohen. Gary seems to have a Rain Man-esque memory of Mets history. Put him up against three contestants in a Mets trivia show, with an eventual championship between Gary and the best players from the multiple episode series. The exact format can be finalized at a later date. An initial entry test and personality screening take place before a contestant is put on-air. Big Johnny wouldn't make the cut.

It appears that SNY finally took the suggestion, albeit two-and-a-half years later:

Think you can stump Gary Cohen? Submit your @att trivia question with #StumpGary & watch tonight’s game to see if Gary really knows it all!
— SportsNet New York (@SNYtv) April 10, 2013

We'll be expecting a royalty check in the mail. Here was the first question for Gary:

Gary knew the answer immediately (Joe Torre) and cockily added "that one's a bit of a layup." If done well, this has a chance to be a decent recurring feature which doesn't take away attention from the game for very long.

Friday, April 12th

We'll close with Kevin going to the bullpen to replace his winter hat. Before:

And after:

Voilà! Welcome back to warm(er) weather, Gary, Keith, Ron, and Kevin.

That's all for now. Send any tips or suggestions to ThisWeekInSNY@gmail.com. You will be credited if we run the material. Have a great weekend.

This Week In SNY: Part One, featuring the return of GKR, the first check-in with Kevin, and actress Emmy Rossum

James Kannengieser — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 01:40:59 -0000

This Week In SNY is back for the 2013 season! We hope you'll follow along with us as we (mostly) celebrate Gary, Keith, Ron, Ralph, Kevin, and all the rest at SNY. This is part one; check back tomorrow for part two.

Monday, April 1st

Here's the first shot of Gary, Keith, and Ron back on Opening Day during warmer, snow-free times:

This is the eighth season GKR has been together, and we are eternally grateful to whoever thought to put the trio in the booth.

Let's check in with Kevin! Kevin spoke with actress Emmy Rossum, who sang the national anthem before the game. You might know her from Showtime's Shameless, as well as movies like Mystic River and The Phantom of the Opera:

Both Kevin and Emmy were charming. Emmy shared her favorite part about attending a baseball game:

Kevin: What do you like about baseball?

Emmy: From here I have a nice view of the players' butts.

That had Kevin in stitches:

It wasn't the first time an interviewee had him chuckling, and it likely wasn't the last:

It's time for Nitpicking With TWISNY. Ike Davis hit 32 home runs in 2012, which tied for fifth-most in the National -- uh, make that "Naitonal" -- League:

SNY figured out how to spell Jon Niese's last name correctly by Opening Day but was still struggling with it as of his final spring-training start:

Checking in with Kevin and eagle-eyeing irrelevant misspellings, that's what TWISNY does.

The Verizon Fios replay of the Mets' Opening Day victory replaced the Mets and Citi Field with the Cubs and Wrigley Field, respectively:

Probably not SNY's fault but we'll go with it anyway (hat tip to Michael Donato).

This has been Nitpicking With TWISNY.

We've long been amused by Keith's use of the word "bulge" in various contexts. He went to it once again on Opening Day:

Keith: As an offensive unit, you always want to give your pitchers a little bit of a bulge.

Gary and Ron: [muffled laughter, followed by silence]

MetsBlog's Michael Baron has a history of photobombing SNY broadcasts from the photographer's box. That's him on the right from two seasons back:

He showed up again on Opening Day:

Speaking of MetsBlog, it's still presented by Verizon and long-time Mets blogger/friend of TWISNY Andrew Vazzano has been appearing on the site since recently starting work at SNY. We could be wrong, but we think MetsBlog's editing has improved since Vazzano started. Maybe it's just a coincidence. Either way, smart hire by SNY.

Wednesday, April 3rd

Let the cold weather fashion show begin! Here's Kevin in a ski hat:

GKR was looking dapper, as always:

There was some discussion about staying warm during these frigid April games:

Gary: Do you have any additional armor against the cold?

Keith: If I have to go buy some, I'm going to expense it. I used to have a Russian hat. I also had one like Hamid Karzai has. I don't know where they are now.

Ron: All of a sudden it'll be like a Pushkin novel up in Minnesota.

2013 Mets: Come for Matt Harvey, stay for Keith Hernandez talking about Hamid Karzai.

Friday, April 5th

The "Mets Viking" sat behind home plate, possibly in support of the viking-esque Lucas Duda. Here's a screenshot of them both:

Okay then.

Kevin shared his favorite exercise music:

Some artists just get me going at the gym. I can't go wrong w Linkin Park or Kid Rock. Who's on your workout playlist?
— Kevin Burkhardt (@KBurkhardtSNY) April 5, 2013

We'd bet that Kid Rock's hit "Bawitdaba" features prominently on Kevin's playlist. Here are the opening lyrics:

MY NAME IS KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEvin Burkhardt, and I'm once again speaking with big-time Mets fan John Leguizamo. So John, you've got a new one-man show on Broadway....

Finally, these fans made a sign in hopes of locating Keith's mustache, which disappeared last September:

Unfortunately for them, Keith confirmed that it would remain MIA:

Gary: Is it ever coming back?

Keith: I was told at a young age to never say never. But it's gonna stay off this year.

That's all for now, but stay tuned for part two tomorrow. Thank you to Rob Castellano, Chris McShane, and Steve Lepore of SB Nation for keeping their eyes peeled. Send any tips or suggestions to ThisWeekInSNY@gmail.com. You will be credited if we run the material.

Final Score: Rockies 9, Mets 8 — Rocky Mountain Cry

James Kannengieser — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:03:23 -0000

"There's snow blowing around... It's cold..." -- An exasperated Gary Cohen in the ninth inning tonight

There is plenty of blame to go around for tonight's game two debacle at Coors Field:

Josh Edgin, for giving up four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning after the Mets had taken an 8-2 lead in the top half of the frame;
Mike Baxter, for turning a catchable fly ball by Yorvit Torrealba into a two-run double in that fifth inning (not Baxter's first defensive miscue of the season);
Brandon Lyon, for failing to snag a routine ground ball which would have been the third out in the eighth inning with the Mets winning 8-6. The Rockies tied the game 8-8 two batters later;
Ruben Tejada, for making the throwing error which allowed two runs to score in the eighth inning, tying the score 8-8; and
David Wright, for misplaying a Michael Cuddyer ground ball (it was changed from an error to a hit, strangely) with two outs in the tenth inning which extended the game. The next batter, Jordan Pacheco, singled home the game-winning run off Greg Burke, the Mets' eighth pitcher of the game.

Tejada will likely receive most of the grief for this loss, and deservedly so. His error came on a routine grounder that, had he made the play, would have preserved the Mets' two-run lead heading into the ninth inning with Bobby Parnell on the mound. That makes six errors on the season for Tejada already. He also blew a chance to redeem himself in the ninth inning, when he flew out with runners on first and third and two outs. From my non-scout perspective, Tejada looks passive in the field as compared to prior seasons. He's not attacking the ball; rather, he's letting the ball play him. Conditions must improve.

It wasn't all bad for the Mets tonight. They scored eight runs in the first five innings. Collin Cowgill went 3-for-6, snapping out of a slump. Scott Atchison pitched two innings of scoreless relief. Justin Turner continued to produce, going 2-for-5 while starting in place of Ike Davis at first base. However, the Mets' offense went quiet in the second half of the game, just like in game one of the doubleheader. The RBI base hits dried up soon after Rockies starter Jeff Francis departed in the fifth inning.

This is easily the Mets' worst loss of the young season. That's "worst", all things considered. It lasted over four hours, was played in front of a sparse crowd in icy temperatures, featured late errors that cost the team the game, and completed a doubleheader sweep at the hands of the unimpressive Rockies. Oh, and that annoying purple dinosaur Rockies mascot "Dinger" was hanging around home plate again:

Kevin Burkhardt had enough of Dinger as well:

Also, if this game goes to the 11th, I'm going to punch Dinger in the face, just because.
— Kevin Burkhardt (@KBurkhardtSNY) April 17, 2013

Unfortunately, the game didn't go to the 11th inning. We'll see what happens between Kevin and Dinger the rest of the series. Bottom line, Dinger's gotta go.

The Mets played -- and some unlucky Mets fans watched -- close to seven-and-a-half hours of baseball today, with nothing to show for it. It doesn't look like Wednesday will be a day for redemption. The weather forecast calls for up to eight inches of snow by the 8:40 game time. If the forecast is wrong, and the game is played, the pitching matchup will be Jeremy Hefner vs Jon Garland.

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by MetsFan4Decades; her effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

#	Commenter	# Comments
1	MetsFan4Decades	248
2	Steve Sypa	240
3	The Nameless One	161
4	JJJ	154
5	jhMLB	136
6	Koop87	126
7	Bagelz	123
8	painiac	70
9	Terry_is_God	69
10	mzvalaren	65

Open Thread: Mets vs Rockies, 4/16/13, Game Two

James Kannengieser — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:30:42 -0000

Aaron Laffey

#47 / Pitcher / New York Mets

Height: 6-0

Weight: 200

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Apr 15, 1985

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Aaron Laffey	0-0	2	1	0	0	0	0	5.1	10	3	3	0	1	6	5.06	2.06

Jeff Francis

#26 / Pitcher / Colorado Rockies

Height: 6-5

Weight: 220

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Jan 08, 1981

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Jeff Francis	1-1	2	2	0	0	0	0	7.2	12	8	5	0	3	7	5.87	1.96

Lineup

NEW YORK METS	COLORADO ROCKIES
Collin Cowgill, CF	Eric Young, CF
Daniel Murphy, 2B	Josh Rutledge, 2B
David Wright, 3B	Carlos Gonzalez, LF
Marlon Byrd, RF	Michael Cuddyer, RF
Lucas Duda, LF	Jordan Pacheco, 1B
Justin Turner, 1B	Chris Nelson, 3B
Ruben Tejada, SS	Yorvit Torrealba, C
Anthony Recker, C	Reid Brignac, SS
Aaron Laffey, LHP	Jeff Francis, LHP

Time (EDT)	TV	Radio
8:40 PM	SNY	WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WEPN 1050 (Sp.)

Aaron Laffey

#47 / Pitcher / New York Mets

Height: 6-0

Weight: 200

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Apr 15, 1985

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Aaron Laffey	0-0	2	1	0	0	0	0	5.1	10	3	3	0	1	6	5.06	2.06

Jeff Francis

#26 / Pitcher / Colorado Rockies

Height: 6-5

Weight: 220

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Jan 08, 1981

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Jeff Francis	1-1	2	2	0	0	0	0	7.2	12	8	5	0	3	7	5.87	1.96

Lineup

NEW YORK METS	COLORADO ROCKIES
Collin Cowgill, CF	Eric Young, CF
Daniel Murphy, 2B	Josh Rutledge, 2B
David Wright, 3B	Carlos Gonzalez, LF
Marlon Byrd, RF	Michael Cuddyer, RF
Lucas Duda, LF	Jordan Pacheco, 1B
Justin Turner, 1B	Chris Nelson, 3B
Ruben Tejada, SS	Yorvit Torrealba, C
Anthony Recker, C	Reid Brignac, SS
Aaron Laffey, LHP	Jeff Francis, LHP

Time (EDT)	TV	Radio
8:40 PM	SNY	WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WEPN 1050 (Sp.)

Final Score: Rockies 8, Mets 4 — Gee gets an F in game one

James Kannengieser — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:48:26 -0000

Despite two home runs from David Wright, the Mets lost game one of their doubleheader with the Rockies. Dillon Gee couldn't make it out of the fifth inning, making this the second game in a row in which he struggled and didn't give his team much of a chance to win.

Wright put the Mets on the board in the first inning, taking Rockies starter Juan Nicasio deep for an opposite field two-run home run. The Rockies tied it up a few innings later, on a Wilin Rosario RBI single in the second inning and an impressive Carlos Gonzalez solo home run in the third inning. The Mets fought back and took a 4-2 lead by the top of the fifth inning thanks to a Ruben Tejada RBI single and a Wright solo home run. Gee labored in the fifth inning though, allowing three runs in what turned out to be the decisive frame. He hit Troy Tulowitzki, walked in a run, and gave up a two-run single to Todd Helton. It's worth noting that Gee wasn't helped by his defense; Daniel Murphy could have done better in that fifth inning to make a play on two ground-ball singles, one of which was Helton's. Brandon Lyon came on in relief to record the final out of the fifth. The Rockies held a 5-4 lead after the inning. Gee's final line: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 2 K.

The Mets lineup managed just two baserunners against the formidable Rockies bullpen over the final four innings. Meanwhile, the Mets bullpen gave up three runs, one by Lyon and two by Greg Burke. The game started two hours later than scheduled due to the ongoing inclement weather in Colorado, so the Mets went approximately three full days without playing a game.

It stinks to lose a game in which Wright hit two home runs. On to game two.

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by Steve Sypa; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

#	Commenter	# Comments
1	Steve Sypa	215
2	MetsFan4Decades	167
3	The Nameless One	108
4	Koop87	104
5	the caveman	99
6	nerfan	84
7	TKFJ	73
8	Spike Davis	67
9	cstroh8	59
10	foreverknyte	53

Open Thread: Mets vs Rockies, 4/16/13, Game One

James Kannengieser — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:40:54 -0000

Dillon Gee

#35 / Pitcher / New York Mets

Height: 6-1

Weight: 205

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Apr 28, 1986

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Dillon Gee	0-2	2	2	0	0	0	0	9.1	13	8	8	3	3	6	7.71	1.71

Juan Nicasio

#44 / Pitcher / Colorado Rockies

Height: 6-3

Weight: 230

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Aug 31, 1986

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Juan Nicasio	1-0	2	2	0	0	0	0	11.0	12	6	6	1	7	4	4.91	1.73

Lineup

NEW YORK METS	COLORADO ROCKIES
Jordany Valdespin, RF	Eric Young, CF
Daniel Murphy, 2B	Jonathan Herrera, 2B
David Wright, 3B	Carlos Gonzalez, LF
Ike Davis, 1B	Troy Tulowitzki, SS
John Buck, C	Michael Cuddyer, RF
Lucas Duda, LF	Todd Helton, 1B
Kirk Nieuwenhuis, CF	Wilin Rosario, C
Ruben Tejada, SS	Chris Nelson, 3B
Dillon Gee, RHP	Juan Nicasio, RHP

Time (EDT)	TV	Radio
3:10 PM	SNY	WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WEPN 1050 (Sp.)

Dillon Gee

#35 / Pitcher / New York Mets

Height: 6-1

Weight: 205

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Apr 28, 1986

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Dillon Gee	0-2	2	2	0	0	0	0	9.1	13	8	8	3	3	6	7.71	1.71

Juan Nicasio

#44 / Pitcher / Colorado Rockies

Height: 6-3

Weight: 230

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Aug 31, 1986

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Juan Nicasio	1-0	2	2	0	0	0	0	11.0	12	6	6	1	7	4	4.91	1.73

Lineup

NEW YORK METS	COLORADO ROCKIES
Jordany Valdespin, RF	Eric Young, CF
Daniel Murphy, 2B	Jonathan Herrera, 2B
David Wright, 3B	Carlos Gonzalez, LF
Ike Davis, 1B	Troy Tulowitzki, SS
John Buck, C	Michael Cuddyer, RF
Lucas Duda, LF	Todd Helton, 1B
Kirk Nieuwenhuis, CF	Wilin Rosario, C
Ruben Tejada, SS	Chris Nelson, 3B
Dillon Gee, RHP	Juan Nicasio, RHP

Time (EDT)	TV	Radio
3:10 PM	SNY	WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WEPN 1050 (Sp.)

Series Pitcher Preview: Minnesota Twins

James Kannengieser — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 23:57:39 -0000

The Mets will play a three-game series against the Twins this weekend, weather permitting. As of this morning, Target Field looked like this:

AMAZING job by the @tcgroundscrew getting Target Field cleared of snow! Who's ready to join us for tonight's game?! twitter.com/Twins/status/3…
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) April 12, 2013

Although that's nothing a quick Minnesota snowfall can't fix. The Twins are 4-5 in this young season, having just been swept by the Royals this week. Expectations are not high for 2013; PECOTA predicts a 65-97 record. The Mets won't face new Twin Mike Pelfrey, who has struggled in two starts so far. Here are this weekend's pitching matchups:

Friday, April 12th: LHP Jon Niese vs RHP Vance Worley
Saturday, April 13th: RHP Matt Harvey vs LHP Scott Diamond
Sunday, April 14th: RHP Dillon Gee vs RHP Kevin Correia

Rick Anderson is in his 13th season as Twins pitching coach. He's been largely successful in the role, having coached Johan Santana, Brad Radke, and Joe Nathan, among others. Limiting walks and pitching to contact is his philosophy. Anderson was drafted by the Mets in the first round of the 1978 draft but only reached the big leagues with the 1986(!) Mets. He pitched well that season, posting a 2.72 ERA in 49.2 innings, but didn't make the postseason roster. He was dealt to the Royals in the spring of 1987 as part of the trade which brought David Cone to the Mets. Anderson struggled through two more seasons with the Royals before retiring prior to the 1989 season. Now some words about the Twins starters:

Vance Worley

#49 / Pitcher / Minnesota Twins

Height: 6-2

Weight: 230

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Sep 25, 1987

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Vance Worley	0-1	2	2	0	0	0	0	11.0	18	8	7	0	2	5	5.73	1.82

Interesting tidbit: Worley got together with his fiancée, Maricel Vivas, with the help of former teammate Hunter Pence's Twitter account. Click here to read more.

What's the story? "The Vanimal" came to the Twins along with prospect Trevor May in the trade that sent Ben Revere to the Phillies. Worley pitched well in his two-plus seasons with the Phils, posting a 3.50 ERA over 277.2 innings with a 2.45 K/BB ratio. Pretty good for an unheralded prospect who had back-of-the-rotation projections.

Worley mainly throws a variety of fastballs. Both his four-seamer and two-seamer sit in the 88-92 mph range, and his cutter is slightly slower. His favorite secondary pitch is the cutter. He also features a curveball, slider, and changeup. Worley's stuff isn't overpowering; his swinging-strike rate is just 5.5% for his career (compare to a league-average rate close to 9.0%). Despite this, he's managed a respectable 7.58 K/9, mainly because he has been adept at generating called strikes. We'll see if he can maintain that ability going forward. Worley was the Twins' Opening-Day starter and has made two so-so starts this season. He gave up three runs in six innings on Opening Day against the Tigers, and was tagged for five runs on ten hits by the Orioles last weekend.

Against the Mets: Worley has appeared in nine games against the Mets, starting seven of them, and has a 5.17 ERA over 38.1 innings against our heroes. His most recent start against the Mets came last August 28th, when he gave up four runs on nine hits over 4.1 innings. Mike Baxter hit a home run off him in that game.

Scott Diamond

#58 / Pitcher / Minnesota Twins

Height: 6-3

Weight: 190

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Jul 30, 1986

Interesting tidbit: Diamond became the first Binghamton University baseball player to make the major leagues when he made his debut in 2011. Expect Gary Cohen to mention that a few times.

What's the story? Native Canadian Diamond was undrafted out of college but signed with the Braves before the 2008 season. The southpaw fared decently in their minor-league system but went unprotected in the 2010 Rule 5 Draft and was selected by the Twins. He made seven overall shaky starts for the big club in 2011 before enjoying a solid 2012, during which he tossed 173 innings with a 3.54 ERA.

Diamond is a prototypical Twins pitcher. He has great control and pitches to contact. His 1.61 BB/9 last season was best in the American League, and his contact rate was the second highest, behind only Henderson Alvarez of the Blue Jays. Diamond's fastball runs in the 87-92 mph range, averaging about 89 mph. His preferred, and best, secondary offering is a curveball, and he also mixes in a changeup. Diamond started the season on the disabled list following offseason surgery to remove a bone chip from his elbow, so his start against the Mets will be his 2013 big-league debut.

Against the Mets: Diamond has never faced the Mets.

Kevin Correia

#30 / Pitcher / Minnesota Twins

Height: 6-3

Weight: 200

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Aug 24, 1980

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Kevin Correia	0-1	2	2	0	0	0	0	14.1	15	5	5	0	2	3	3.14	1.19

Interesting tidbit: Correia beat out Nick Swisher, Prince Fielder, Cole Hamels, and many others to be the first player from the 2002 MLB Draft (the "Moneyball Draft") to reach the major leagues. He made his debut for the Giants in July 2003.

What's the story? The veteran Correia signed a two-year, $10 million deal with the Twins in the offseason and is now in his 11th big-league season. That seemed like an overpay. He did make the All-Star Game once, in 2011 with the Pirates, but he's basically an innings-eater. This will be his sixth season as a starting pitcher, after spending the first five seasons of his career primarily as a reliever

Correia doesn't strike out many guys and walks relatively few, so that might explain the Twins' interest in him. Much like the two gentlemen already covered above, his fastball sits in the 88-92 mph range. In addition to his fastball, he throws a little bit of everything: a cutter, curveball, slider, and changeup. His arsenal isn't particularly intimidating; since 2011, only Bartolo Colon has a higher contact rate than Correia. He's made two starts in 2013, in aggregate throwing 14.1 innings while allowing five runs, with three strikeouts and two walks.

Against the Mets: Correia has enjoyed modest success against the Mets. He has a 3.01 K/BB ratio and 4.01 ERA over 51.2 innings against them. He faced the good guys last September 27th and was knocked around to the tune of six runs on seven hits over 4.1 innings. Ike Davis and David Wright took him deep that game, during which R.A. Dickey earned his 20th win of the season.

Mets vs Phillies Recap: Phillies' five-run first inning enough to beat Jeremy Hefner and the Mets

James Kannengieser — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 03:06:52 -0000

Jeremy Hefner gave up five runs in three innings tonight against the Phillies, and actually lowered his career ERA against the Phils to 15.68. His start tonight went better than his zero-inning, seven-run debacle against the Phillies last September, but that's not saying much. The first six batters he faced tonight reached base, and two of those batters hit home runs. Chase Utley crushed a two-run shot to open the scoring and Domonic Brown soon followed with a three-run job of his own. It was 5-0 Phillies before the Mets had even sent their cleanup batter to the plate.

Hefner just wasn't fooling anyone. The Phillies took healthy cuts at pitches thrown at the heart of the strike zone. Perhaps it's just that the Phillies own him. Regardless, Hefner seems more suited to the long-man role but he'll have the opportunity to prove that he belongs in the rotation with Shaun Marcum on the shelf and few reasonable starter options available.

John Buck hit a solo home run in the second inning off Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick to cut the lead to 5-1. It was Buck's fifth home run of the season, a number that matches the entire output of the 2012 Mets catcher corps. Lucas Duda also homered off Kendrick, with his shot traveling 427 feet into the right field stands. It was the first of two home runs for Duda on the night; he took tough reliever Mike Adams deep in the eighth inning as well. Let's take a moment to ogle Buck and Duda's slash lines:

	BA	OBP	SLG
John Buck	.375	.371	.875
Lucas Duda	.308	.486	.731

Buck still has that odd BA > OBP thing going. Kendrick finished with a respectable six-inning, six-strikeout, two-run performance. It was the kind of game you love to have from your fourth or fifth starter. Remember the days when Kendrick was the butt of so many snarky Internet jokes? When the Phillies gave all those innings to a pitcher with seemingly no strengths? I miss those days.

The Mets' best chance to make it interesting came in the fifth inning when they were down 5-2. Jordany Valdespin led off with one of his three infield singles on the night. Then Daniel Murphy drew a walk. David Wright stepped up to the plate, representing the tying run, but struck out swinging. Ike Davis followed, and Kendrick threw a wild pitch on the second pitch of the at-bat, allowing the runners to move up to second and third. Ike then hit a weak fly ball to center field, which was surely deep enough for Valdespin to score from third base for a sacrifice fly. Unfortunately, Murphy committed a bizarre baserunning blunder, as he was doubled off second base before Valdespin could touch home plate. Inning over, comeback chances extinguished. It's also worth noting that Ike doesn't look great at the plate right now. His limbs flail every which way as the pitch is delivered. It's not pretty.

The Phillies put the game out of reach in the seventh inning when Laynce Nix hit a two-run home run off LaTroy Hawkins make the score 7-2. Every run scored in the game, by both teams, came via the home run.

It's early, but Hawkins has failed to impress. He throws basically nothing but fastballs, which is tough to get away with unless you're Mariano Rivera or you throw exceptionally hard. Hawkins tops out around 93 mph these days and sits 91; definitely not exceptional. Yes, he enjoyed a strong 2011 season but he fell off in 2012 and is 40 years old. I don't see him sticking around all season.

With three series in the books, the Mets' record is 5-4. After an off day Thursday, they face the Twins in frigid Minnesota for a three-game set starting Friday. Here is the weather report for Minneapolis this weekend:

Lovely. Is it too late to put a roof on Target Field? Here are the projected pitching matchups:

Friday, April 12th: LHP Jon Niese vs RHP Vance Worley
Saturday, April 13th: RHP Matt Harvey vs LHP Scott Diamond
Sunday, April 14th: RHP Dillon Gee vs RHP Kevin Correia

Harvey and Niese then chances of winning decrease.

Harvey and Niese then hope to get out in one piece.

SB Nation Coverage

* Box score
* Amazin' Avenue Gamethread
* The Good Phight Gamethread

Win Probability Added

(What's this?)

Big winners: Lucas Duda +7.8%, Mike Baxter +6.9%
Big losers: Jeremy Hefner (as pitcher) -32.6%, Ike Davis -15.8%
Teh aw3s0mest play: Daniel Murphy walk in the fifth inning, +6.6%
Teh sux0rest play: Chase Utley two-run home run in the first inning, -16.2%
Total pitcher WPA: -33.5%
Total batter WPA: -16.5%
GWRBI!: Domonic Brown, three-run home run in the first inning

Final Score: Phillies 7, Mets 3 — Harvey and Niese then let the season cease

James Kannengieser — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 01:52:44 -0000

The Mets lost their first series of the season after falling to the Phillies 7-3 tonight at Citizens Bank Park. It was a mostly ugly game for the Mets, featuring starting pitcher Jeremy Hefner getting shelled, a costly mental error by Daniel Murphy, and a 27-minute rain delay in the fourth inning just for kicks. On the bright side, Lucas Duda mashed a pair of long solo home runs and John Buck added a solo shot of his own, giving him five home runs on the season.

Like Dillon Gee on Tuesday night, Hefner lasted just three innings. He allowed five runs in the first inning, all of which scored via the home run. Chase Utley hit a two-run homer to center field and three batters later Domonic Brown hit a three-run shot. 5-0 Phillies, just like that.

Buck answered in the top of the second inning with a solo home run to left field off Kyle Kendrick, and Duda's shot in the fourth made it 5-2. It briefly looked like the Mets might make a game of it in the fifth inning; Ike Davis was batting with Jordany Valdespin on third base and Murphy on second base with one out. Ike hit a weak fly ball to center field which was deep enough to drive in Valdespin for a sacrifice fly. However, Murphy brainfarted and got doubled off second base to end the inning before Valdespin could touch home plate. Laynce Nix later hit a two-run home run off Latroy Hawkins in the sixth inning to seal it.

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by nerfan; their effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

#	Commenter	# Comments
1	nerfan	233
2	MetsFan4Decades	208
3	The Nameless One	150
4	ScottfromPeekskill	102
5	stickguy	81
6	Jakob Kaye	61
7	fxcarden	61
8	Adam Halverson	55
9	Russ	54
10	BurleighGrimes	54

Open Thread: Mets vs Phillies, 4/10/13

James Kannengieser — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 20:22:48 -0000

Jeremy Hefner

#53 / Pitcher / New York Mets

Height: 6-4

Weight: 215

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Mar 11, 1986

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Jeremy Hefner	0-1	1	1	0	0	0	0	6.0	5	1	1	1	2	3	1.50	1.17

Kyle Kendrick

#38 / Pitcher / Philadelphia Phillies

Height: 6-3

Weight: 210

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Aug 26, 1984

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Kyle Kendrick	0-1	1	1	0	0	0	0	5.2	8	5	5	0	2	3	7.94	1.76

Lineup

NEW YORK METS	PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Jordany Valdespin, CF	Ben Revere, CF
Daniel Murphy, 2B	Jimmy Rollins, SS
David Wright, 3B	Chase Utley, 2B
Ike Davis, 1B	Ryan Howard, 1B
John Buck, C	Michael Young, 3B
Lucas Duda, LF	Domonic Brown, LF
Mike Baxter, RF	John Mayberry Jr., RF
Ruben Tejada, SS	Erik Kratz, C
Jeremy Hefner, RHP	Kyle Kendrick, RHP

Jeremy Hefner

#53 / Pitcher / New York Mets

Height: 6-4

Weight: 215

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Mar 11, 1986

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Jeremy Hefner	0-1	1	1	0	0	0	0	6.0	5	1	1	1	2	3	1.50	1.17

Kyle Kendrick

#38 / Pitcher / Philadelphia Phillies

Height: 6-3

Weight: 210

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Aug 26, 1984

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2013 - Kyle Kendrick	0-1	1	1	0	0	0	0	5.2	8	5	5	0	2	3	7.94	1.76

Lineup

NEW YORK METS	PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Jordany Valdespin, CF	Ben Revere, CF
Daniel Murphy, 2B	Jimmy Rollins, SS
David Wright, 3B	Chase Utley, 2B
Ike Davis, 1B	Ryan Howard, 1B
John Buck, C	Michael Young, 3B
Lucas Duda, LF	Domonic Brown, LF
Mike Baxter, RF	John Mayberry Jr., RF
Ruben Tejada, SS	Erik Kratz, C
Jeremy Hefner, RHP	Kyle Kendrick, RHP

The future most-improved Mets

James Kannengieser — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 00:11:14 -0000

The playoffs are far away and every team's magic number is in the triple digits. It's too early -- and will be too early for some time -- to declare anyone on the Mets "most improved." Still, it's the time of year to speculate about what will happen in 2013. When the season ends, which Mets player will be named "most improved" in the Mets' yearbook, as compared to his 2012 performance? Here are three players who might be the answer to that question, for various reasons.

Ike Davis

The valley fever that plagued Ike early in the 2012 season is long gone. To hear him tell it, the affliction played a role in his disastrous first two months of that season, during which he hit .170/.228/.296 with just five home runs. Here's Ike discussing that forgettable stretch (via Adam Rubin):

"I didn’t feel like myself. I wasn’t the same guy on the field. Obviously, you could tell. I didn’t do anything. When I play, I have the potential to make an impact. I just wasn’t doing anything to help."

Ike rebounded nicely in the second half: he posted an OPS of .888 after the All-Star break and finished with 32 home runs. His final batting line was about average for a National League first baseman. Had Ike not come down valley fever, and we take him at his word about how he felt, could he have hit all season like he did in the second half? An .888 OPS last season would have placed him behind only Joey Votto for National League first basemen.

Disease-free, Ike seems like a good bet to improve on his 2012 season in 2013. He's probably not as good as he was in an injury-abbreviated 2011 season but an OPS in the low-to-mid-.800s is a reasonable projection. Combine that with characteristically good defense and Ike has a decent shot to be the second most valuable Mets position player behind David Wright.

Collin Cowgill

Even before his Opening Day grand slam, Cowgill was a burgeoning fan favorite because of his perceived "dirt dog" mentality. Mets television and radio announcers have been talking him up for his hard-working nature. That's all well and good but will it translate to on-field achievement? Cowgill has a history of modest minor-league success and won the full-time center field job out of spring training, so the answer is... maybe.

Cowgill put up a slash line of .269/.336/.317 in 116 plate appearances with the Oakland Athletics in 2012. That's not great, but he did it without the luxury of regular playing time in a crowded A's outfield. This season, he'll get the chance to play his way out of the starting job. I plugged Cowgill's 2011 minor-league stats into the minor-league equivalency calculator, and it returned an MLB slash line of .294/.355/.444. That's a bit optimistic to expect in 2013, considering his projections, but if he could approach something like .265/.325/.395 he could end up being a league-average player. That would be quite acceptable in this team's outfield, and a marked improvement over his 2012 season. Let's see if he can be a fan favorite for more than just his hustle.

Bobby Parnell

Parnell might seem out of place here. After all, he had a fine 2012, during which he posted a 2.49 ERA in 68.2 innings. He was the Mets' best reliever, a generally solid option in a bullpen of dubious hurlers. And yet, something about his performance continued to disappoint. He ended up with a negative win probability added (WPA) in 2012, just as he has in every season of his career. In short, he has struggled in clutch situations.

Who knows exactly why this has been the case, and there's a strong chance it's just bad luck. However, Parnell has not been able to settle into one set relief role during his time with the Mets. Perhaps the constant uncertainty about his position over the years -- set-up man? middle reliever? closer? -- has contributed to his struggles in big spots. That uncertainty is gone, for now at least, with Parnell taking over as closer with Frank Francisco on the shelf. It's little more than speculation that Parnell can improve in the clutch simply because he knows his role. But many relief pitchers are known to be creatures of habit. They like knowing what to expect about their usage. If he can settle into a routine as closer, maybe the high-leverage success will follow.

Mets vs Padres Recap: Harvey throws seven shutout innings, Mets crush three home runs to remain undefeated

James Kannengieser — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 01:10:15 -0000

When we last saw Matt Harvey in the regular season, he was dominating the Phillies late last September in what was probably his best start of 2012. He picked up in 2013 right where he left off, allowing no runs and just one hit against the Padres tonight over seven commanding innings. Harvey struck out ten, walked two, and surrendered only a handful of hard-hit balls. He even picked off one of the few batters to reach base against him. It was a pleasure to watch.

Harvey came out throwing gas right from the get-go. He touched 97 mph with his fourth pitch of the game and struck out the first two batters he faced before inducing a pop-out to finish the first inning. He needed just nine pitches to complete the frame, which was a harbinger of things to come. By the time he left the game, Harvey had induced 24 swinging strikes out of 94 pitches, good for a fantastic 26% rate. For comparison, Harvey's swinging-strike rate in 2012 was 12%, and Cole Hamels led MLB starters last season with a 13% rate. Harvey did much of the damage with his fastball but his secondary offerings were also humming at times. Observe this slider delivered to an overmatched Jedd Gyorko (via .gifmaster Carson Cistulli; mouse over image to watch):

Concern that Harvey might have trouble getting loose in the cold Flushing weather was extinguished with each blazing fastball. The young man didn't seem at all fazed by the 40-degree temperature, and he confirmed as much after the game:

Harvey on the cold: "In my mind, a jacket doesn’t belong on a baseball field." #Mets
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) April 4, 2013

We'll see if he changes his mind next week in Minnesota.

Lucas Duda gave Harvey a 2-0 lead in the second inning when he smacked a two-run home run off underwhelming Padres starter Clayton Richard. Duda also added a well-struck double and drew a walk. John Buck hit a two-run home run of his own to the opposite field to give the Mets a 4-0 lead in the fourth inning. After David Wright drove home Daniel Murphy with an RBI double in the fifth inning, Ike Davis crushed a two-run home run out towards the Shea Bridge in right-center field to give the Mets a sizeable 7-0 advantage. Buck capped the scoring with an RBI single later in the fifth inning to make it 8-0.

Richard is a southpaw, so Duda and Ike's home runs are encouraging, given their past struggles against left-handed pitching. Ike's home run was also his first hit of the year. Much like his trips to the plate on Opening Day, he didn't look good in his first two plate appearances tonight. Each lasted one pitch and ended in an unimpressive swing and weak ground out. In his third plate appearance, he again swung at the first pitch, that time fouling it off. Two pitches later, he hit a hanging meatball of a slider from Richard way out of the park. Perhaps Ike was playing the long con on Richard, lulling the pitcher into a false sense of security based on some ugly plate appearances. Or perhaps he just finally got a pitch he could rip.

The Mets bullpen and Ruben Tejada combined to provide Mets fans the first bit of stress this season, even if the game never really seemed in question. Side-arming Greg Burke made his season debut in the eighth inning and allowed a run in two-thirds of an inning of work. Josh Edgin recorded an out on one pitch to close out the frame. LaTroy Hawkins also made his debut, starting the ninth inning with an 8-1 lead. He departed after giving up three runs and notching two outs. Two of the runs were unearned, however, as Tejada made a throwing error on what would have been the final out of the game to extend the action. Ike probably should have done better to pick the low throw but it's an "E" in the books for Tejada. Bobby Parnell was called on to finish things, and he did, retiring the only batter he faced to put it in the books.

Looking good, Gary, Keith, and Ron!

And Kevin too:

The Mets will try tomorrow for a season-opening sweep for the second year in a row. Game time is 1:10 pm and the pitching matchup is Dillon Gee vs lefty Eric Stults.

Unintentionally sexual quote of the game: "Of course, David's pretty good at catching balls in his bare hand." -- Gary Cohen (via Catsmeat)

SB Nation Coverage

* Amazin' Avenue Gamethread
* Gaslamp Ball Gamethread

Win Probability Added

(What's this?)

Big winners: Matt Harvey +22.9% (as pitcher), Lucas Duda +20.4%
Big losers: Daniel Murphy -3.5%, Collin Cowgill -2.9%
Teh aw3s0mest play: Lucas Duda two-run home run in the second inning, +17.6%
Teh sux0rest play: Everth Cabrera single in the fourth inning, -4.5%
Total pitcher WPA: +23.1%
Total batter WPA: +26.9%
GWRBI!: David Wright, fifth-inning RBI double

Final Score: Mets 8, Padres 4 — Harvey and homers, oh yeah!

James Kannengieser — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 00:47:46 -0000

Tonight's game was about as much fun as one could have on a cold night in April. The Mets rolled the Padres for the second game in a row behind seven shutout innings from Matt Harvey and three two-run home runs from a mashing lineup. Harvey allowed just one hit and struck out ten while touching 98 mph on the radar gun. All of his pitches were working tonight; it was truly a dominant performance. Some late bullpen and defense shenanigans were the only blemishes on an otherwise enjoyable game.

Lucas Duda put the Mets up 2-0 in the second inning with a no-doubter two-run home run into the Pepsi Porch. John Buck and Ike Davis followed with two-run shots of their own in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively. All three blasts came against Padres starter Clayton Richard, who labored through 4.1 innings. Much like Opening Day, when Padres starter Edinson Volquez lasted just three innings, it was an early night for the Padres bullpen. The 8-0 lead the Mets held after the fifth inning came in handy, as they went down 1-2-3 in each of the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings.

The Mets bullpen wasn't quite as stout as Harvey. Greg Burke allowed a run on two hits in two-thirds of an inning before Josh Edgin came on to record the third out in the eighth. LaTroy Hawkins made his Mets debut in the ninth and got off to an inauspicious start, surrendering three runs on three hits in two-thirds of an inning. In Hawkins' defense, Ruben Tejada made a throwing error on what would have been the final out of the game. A run scored on the play, and Nick Hundley followed with an RBI double to chase Hawkins. No bother; Mets closer Bobby Parnell entered to record the final out and the Mets are now 2-0.

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by Steve Sypa; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

#	Commenter	# Comments
1	Steve Sypa	235
2	MetsFan4Decades	165
3	blueandorange4life	161
4	CTRefJay	111
5	painiac	110
6	aparkermarshall	104
7	nerfan	103
8	The Nameless One	101
9	scubaeric	96
10	cstroh8	96

Open Thread: Mets vs Padres, 4/3/13

James Kannengieser — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 21:57:47 -0000

Matt Harvey

#33 / Pitcher / New York Mets

Height: 6-4

Weight: 225

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Mar 27, 1989

Clayton Richard

#33 / Pitcher / San Diego Padres

Height: 6-5

Weight: 245

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Sep 12, 1983

The Mets' lineup:

Collin Cowgill, CF
Daniel Murphy, 2B
David Wright, 3B
Ike Davis, 1B
Marlon Byrd, RF
Lucas Duda, LF
John Buck, C
Ruben Tejada, SS
Matt Harvey, RHP

The Padres' lineup:

Everth Cabrera, SS
Will Venable, RF
Carlos Quentin, LF
Yonder Alonso, 1B
Jedd Gyorko, 3B
Nick Hundley, C
Alexi Amarista, 2B
Cameron Maybin, CF
Clayton Richard, LHP

Matt Harvey

#33 / Pitcher / New York Mets

Height: 6-4

Weight: 225

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Mar 27, 1989

Clayton Richard

#33 / Pitcher / San Diego Padres

Height: 6-5

Weight: 245

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Sep 12, 1983

The Mets' lineup:

Collin Cowgill, CF
Daniel Murphy, 2B
David Wright, 3B
Ike Davis, 1B
Marlon Byrd, RF
Lucas Duda, LF
John Buck, C
Ruben Tejada, SS
Matt Harvey, RHP

The Padres' lineup:

Everth Cabrera, SS
Will Venable, RF
Carlos Quentin, LF
Yonder Alonso, 1B
Jedd Gyorko, 3B
Nick Hundley, C
Alexi Amarista, 2B
Cameron Maybin, CF
Clayton Richard, LHP

Community Projection: Matt Harvey

James Kannengieser — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 00:25:54 -0000

Gone are the days when the Mets couldn't spell Matt Harvery's -- I mean Matt Harvey's -- name correctly:

(click to embiggen; also, the "Harvery" thing will never get old)

That was in 2010, before Harvey's scorching MLB debut last summer, when he started the transition from top prospect to successful major leaguer. Striking out 70 batters in 59.2 innings while posting a 2.73 ERA at age 23 will ensure the correct spelling of your name in Mets spam e-mails:

(click to embiggen)

Harvey exceeded expectations in his two months with the big club last season. Few expected him to get lit up, given his success at Double- and Triple-A. But a 10.62 K/9? A 12.0% swinging-strike rate? Not many could have predicted that. For 2013, the projection systems all peg him at least a run above his 2.73 ERA in 2012, and that seems fair. Conservatism is king with projections. Batters who faced him during his first trip around the league will make adjustments. Scouts and coaches have more footage to look at. There will be growing pains. That said, Harvey has star potential. His 80-90% projections place him in All Star and maybe even Cy Young Award territory. I wouldn't bet on him making that big jump in 2013 but the talent is there. If things go well, Adam Rubin's infamous anonymous scout might regret this pre-MLB debut assessment of Harvey:

"Pelfrey without the split or breaking ball"
— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) July 12, 2012

Harvey's curveball and slider were both sharp late last summer, but there's certainly room for improvement there. His changeup remains very much a work in progress. Stamina is also something to watch for; he averaged just under six innings per start during his big-league stint last season. Improved length should follow improved command. I'll take the over on "Pelfrey without the split or breaking ball" both in 2013 and beyond. Post your Harvey projection in the comments in the same format as below. I'll compare our projections to actual results at season's end.

Matt Harvey

IP: 181
ERA: 3.76
K: 168
BB: 74
HR: 19

Community Projection: Jon Niese

James Kannengieser — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 14:17:35 -0000

Matt Harvey might be the Mets pitcher most likely to lead the league in strikeouts or win the Cy Young Award in 2013, but Jon Niese seems like the best bet to have the strongest season of any Mets pitcher. Harvey's ceiling is higher but we can project the latter with slightly more confidence, if that makes sense. Niese had a career-best season in 2012, making his 5-year, $26 million extension look better now than it already did when it was agreed upon last spring. He certainly deserves the Opening Day nod with Johan Santana on the shelf.

The injuries and late-season fades that bedeviled Niese in prior seasons didn't surface in 2012. He tossed a career-high 190.1 innings and was especially strong in September, when he posted a 2.49 ERA over four starts. While his full-season peripherals were right in line with his career marks, his BABIP dropped to .272 (average pitcher BABIP is around .300), leading to an ERA of 3.40. His career BABIP and ERA prior to 2012 were .329 and 4.39, respectively. It's easy to write off the BABIP variance to randomness and a marginally-improved Mets defense. However, Niese increased his cutter usage in 2012, which was one of his better pitches. He also fared much better as he went deeper into games than in the past; he was terrific for pitches 51-100 in 2012 after struggling over the same stretch in prior seasons. He admitted to suffering both physical and mental fatigue late in prior seasons and vowed to improve his conditioning. Perhaps the combination of stronger pitch repertoire and increased physical and mental stamina helped him improve his runs allowed in 2012, even as his strikeout, walk, and ground-ball rates remained constant. It's a theory without much tangible evidence but it gets boring saying "sh*t happens" for every statistical fluctuation, even if the aphorism is at least partially justified.

Having said all that, I doubt Niese will maintain a BABIP in the .270 range going forward. I like him for almost 200 innings in 2013 with typically strong peripherals. The young man from Defiance, Ohio, whose demeanor both on the mound and in the postgame is anything but defiant, will provide relief every fifth day to Mets fans who might endure another trying season. Post your Niese projection in the comments in the same format as below. I'll compare our projections to actual results at season's end.

Jon Niese

IP: 196
ERA: 3.71
K: 159
BB: 51
HR: 19

Community Projection: Dillon Gee

James Kannengieser — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 01:58:18 -0000

Dillon Gee has struggled this spring, which isn't too big a deal considering the insignificance of spring-training statistics. His clean bill of health is a big deal, though, following his 2012 season which was cut short due to surgery to repair an artery in his pitching shoulder. It was somewhat of a frightening malady; it apparently left his right arm numb. But outside of expected fingertip numbness in cold weather, Gee should be good-to-go this season. It's a relief, both for the Mets' brittle pitching staff and for Gee, a man who makes his living with his right arm.

Prior to his 2012 surgery, Gee was enjoying a decent season. He tossed 109.2 innings, good for an average of about 6.1 innings per start. He improved his strikeout, walk, and ground-ball rates as compared to 2011. Those are the big peripherals, which helped him post a 3.71 FIP. That FIP didn't quite match his 4.10 ERA, and the disparity reminded of Jon Niese's career numbers. A comparison:

	ERA	FIP	xFIP
Dillon Gee (2012)	4.10	3.71	3.54
Jon Niese (career)	4.06	3.78	3.64

Also, both Gee and Niese throw a 90-mph fastball, were born in 1986, and have mono-syllabic surnames. While doing some light research for this post, I learned that I'm not the only one who thinks the Mets might have a right-handed Jon Niese. Eno Sarris brought it up last month, in a post far more thorough and sabery than this one. Go read it.

The thought of Niese and Gee solidifying the Mets' rotation behind young aces Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler for years to come is -- okay, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. One season at a time. Let's see if Gee can throw 150+ league-averageish innings in 2013. Post your Gee projection in the comments in the same format as below. I'll compare our projections to actual results at season's end.

Dillon Gee

IP: 167
ERA: 3.92
K: 132
BB: 55
HR: 17

Open Thread: Mets vs Cardinals, 3/26/13

James Kannengieser — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:38:39 -0000

Jeremy Hefner

#53 / Pitcher / New York Mets

Height: 6-4

Weight: 215

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Mar 11, 1986

The Mets' Lineup:

Jordany Valdespin, 2B
Justin Turner, 3B
Ike Davis, 1B
Marlon Byrd, RF
Lucas Duda, LF
John Buck, C
Kirk Nieuwenhuis, CF
Omar Quintanilla, SS
Jeremy Hefner, RHP