Up Along First

Puma: Wright ‘Optimistic’ He Will Stay A Met

As the offseason gets closer and closer, speculation about which uniform David Wright will be wearing for the 2014 (or even 2013) season heat up. Wright won’t negotiate with the Mets in-season, and has made that very clear publicly. Despite this, however, David told Mike Puma of the New York Post that he is very “optimistic” that a deal with him and the Mets will get done:

“Coming up through the system, I have a tremendous amount of loyalty to this organization,” Wright said. “I can’t tell you what the future holds, but I’m hoping — optimistic — that something will get done.”

David also expressed that money will not be the big issue:

“The money issue for me, I don’t think that will be the deciding factor,” said Wright, who is batting .325 with 16 homers and 75 RBIs and .416 on-base percentage in the final guaranteed season of his six-year contract worth $55 million.

More important, he says, is a chance to win the World Series.

“You want to be able to win, and I’ve only experienced a little bit of that here,” Wright said. “In a perfect world, we get this thing turned around and going in the right direction and ultimately I get to experience the bad, the ugly and the good here, which includes winning.”

Hopefully, the money won’t be an issue. From the outside, we are all still unsure about the financial situation the Mets are currently in. The only hint to how much they have is the amount Sandy Alderson spends this offseason. They might still be broke, so Wright giving them a possible discount may be the only way he could return to the Mets.

David leaving would be much harder to swallow than Jose Reyes signing with the Marlins. David has been the undisputed leader of this team since he was young, and is now a great example of a team-first guy, and one that young players can look up to. On top of that, he has been one of the best players in baseball this season.

David Wright is a kind of player that every franchise wants to have. Let’s just hope the Mets can keep him.

Original Article

Game 96: Extra Innings, Extra Painful…

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Final Score: Nationals 8, Mets 2

Player Of The Game: Chris Young- 7 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO, 106 pitches (64 strikes)

Goat Of The Game: Pedro Beato- 0.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, BB

Notes:

• Chris Young pitched really, really well. Young allowed two runs in seven innings, allowing three hits in the first inning and then settling down after that.
• Ike Davis and David Wright both hit their 15th home runs of the year.
• For the second straight night, the Mets bullpen collapsed in extra innings. Last night it was Ramon Ramirez. Tonight it was Pedro  Beato. Beato was charged with five runs on four hits in just a third of an inning.
• The Mets have now lost ten of their last 11 games…

Original Article

Series Preview: Mets Head Home, Try To Stay Alive In Playoff Hunt Against Dodgers

The Mets begin another critical series tonight against the Dodgers at 7:10.

The Mets and Dodgers are both currently in the hunt for the second Wild Card spot, with the Dodgers currently ahead of the Mets by 1.5 games. The Mets need to take this series to not only keep up with the Braves, but also distance themselves with some of the other Wild Card contenders. There are currently five other teams withing seven games of the last playoff spot.

The Dodgers that we will see this weekend is a much different team than we saw before the All-Star break, when the Mets took three of four games in Los Angeles. Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, Kemp was having a ridiculous April and May before going down with a hamstring problem, which has since flared up again. Ethier was also having a nice season, driving in 59 runs through 81 games. With both of these guys back, the Dodger lineup immediately goes from well below average, to pretty decent.

What’s kept the Dodgers in contention despite the absence of their two best hitters has been their pitching. Clayton Kershaw and Chris Capuano have continued their fantastic seasons. Capuano, who the Mets decided not to sign this past offseason, has a 2.75 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 118 innings pitched. The team’s 3.34 starter’s ERA is second in baseball.

The Dodger bullpen has also played a big role in keeping this team alive. The Dodger bullpen has a 3.13 ERA. Kenley Jansen has continued his dominance this season. He has a 2.04 ERA to go along with 16 saves this season. He also has 13.4 strikeouts per nine this year.

Hopefully the Mets can get on a bit of a roll here and make everyone forget the si-game losing streak.

Pitching Matchups:

Game 1- Tonight 7:10

Johan Santana (6-6, 3.59 ERA) vs. Aaron Harang (6-5, 3.53 ERA)

Game 2- Saturday 1:10

Miguel Batista (1-2, 4.33 ERA) vs. Chris Capuano (9-5, 2.75 ERA)

Game 3- Sunday 1:10

Jonathon Niese (7-4, 3.58 ERA) vs. Nathan Eovaldi (1-6, 4.33 ERA)

Notes:

• In 43 appearances this season, Kenley Jansen has allowed more than one hit only four times.
• Nathan Eovaldi has struggled of late. The 22 yea-old has a 7.17 ERA over his last four starts, including a start against the Dodgers on June 25 in which he gave up eight runs on ten hits. Eovaldi was ranked before the season as the 96th best prospect in baseball by Baseball America.
• David Wright has hit five homers this month and driven in 15 runs in just 13 games. He is hitting .340 with a .407 on-base percentage this month.
• Ruben Tejada has also had a great month, hitting .345. He has seven multi-hit games this month.

Original Article

Morning Mets Links: July 20, 2012

Here are this morning’s Mets links:

• Yesterday afternoon, the Mets salvaged the third game in Washington, in part thanks to a fantastic two home run game from David Wright en route to a 9-5 victory. R.A. Dickey also recorded his 13th win of the season. (ESPN New York)
• Mike Baxter is slowly progressing in his rehab. He has reportedly still not thrown yet, and only has a maximum of 16 days left on his rehab assignment. (@AdamRubinESPN)
• Just when we thought the whole Matt Harvey vs. Miguel Batista thing was over, A source tells Mike Puma of the New York Post that if Batista is awful on Saturday, the Mets may turn to Harvey in the near future. (New York Post)
• The Mets are going to go after the top tier relievers and only guys “who can actually have an impact.” (Star-Ledger)
• Despite the Mets’ interest in the top tier of available relief pitchers, Sandy Alderson is set on not overpaying. He will not get desparate (like the Giants did in last year’s Carlos Beltran trade) and trade away top prospects for bullpen help. (ESPN New York)
• Joe Janish at Mets Today loooks at what is separating Bobby Parnell from being a decent closer. (Mets Today)
• There may be another bullpen option in Triple-A that we have been iignoring for quite some time. Fernando Cabrera is having a stellar season for Buffalo. Ed Ryan at Mets Fever makes the case for Cabrera. (Mets Fever)
• The Mets take on the Dodgers tonight at Citi Field, when Aaron Harang faces off against Johan Santana. First pitch is 7:10. (MLB.com- Preview)

Original Article

Morning Links: 7.11.12

News:

•  Mets’ Gee going on DL after blood clot found; Collins ‘very worried’- New York Daily News
• Vascular expert weighs in on Gee’s clot- ESPN New York
• Reliever promotion likely, rotation juggled- ESPN New York
• Interleague rivalry games - like those between the Yankees and NY Mets - to be reduced under baseball’s new schedule for 2013- AP Sports

Opinion:

• David Wright’s Defense- Amazin’ Avenue
• Playing the UZR guessing game- Patrick Flood
• The Atmosphere Around The Mets Is Shifting- Mets 360

Original Article

Morning News: ASG Rosters Released, Alderson Surprised, Demotion Could Be Coming For Familia

Here is this morning’s Mets news:

• The rosters were released for July 11’s 83rd annual MLB All-Star Game. The biggest surprise may have been David Wright, who led the voting for third baseman just a few days before the voting ended. However, Giants fans got their guy Pablo Sandoval in the spot instead. Sandoval has only played 45 games this season. R.A. Dickey was also selected to play.
• Sandy Alderson weighed in on Twitter.
• To read my take on the voting results, click here.
• According to ESPN New York, a demotion to Double-A could be coming for top pitching prospect Jeurys Familia.

Original Article

Morning News: Mets Will Be In On Reliever Talks, Mejia Back To Rotation, Wright Still On Top In ASG Voting

Mets Adding Reliever?

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports went on WFAN yesterday and said he expects the Mets to trade for a reliever.

However, this weekend Buster Olney said the Mets won’t dive into the trade market until the All-Star break.

Mejia To Rotation Again

According to Adam Rubin, the Mets are planning on moving Jenrry Mejia back to the starting rotation in Buffalo, even though they think his long-term future is in the bullpen.

Mejia was moved to the bullpen earlier this month, but has allowed seven runs in four innings as a relief pitcher.

To read my take on the original move to the bullpen, click here.

Wright Leads NL Third Basemen In ASG Votes

David Wright leads NL third baseman in All-Star votes. He is over 400,000 votes ahead of Pablo Sandovol, who is in second.

To view the rest of the results so far, click here.

Original Article

Morning News: Mets Sweep O’s, Injury News, Minor League Moves

Every morning, we’ll give you the top three stories from Mets-land, as well news and notes from around Major League Baseball. 

The Mets finished off their sweep of the Orioles last night by a score of 4-3. Dillon Gee got the start and tossed 7.1 innings, allowing two runs on three hits. He also struck out nine and walked two.

David Wright had a big day at the plate, going 3-4 with an RBI and a run scored. He raised his batting average to .358. Scott Hairston was the only other Met to have multiple hits. He had two doubles and an RBI.

By the way, Frank Francisco almost blew it, allowing a run in the ninth. Thankfully, he made it out alive and so did the Mets.

With the win, the Mets are still three games behind the Nationals, who beat the Rays last night.

There was plenty of injury news yesterday. Here are the “highlights”:

• Lucas Duda sat yesterday with a tight hamstring.
• Ruben Tejada moveed up to Triple-A Buffalo and will continue his rehab there.
• Ramon Ramirez made his second rehab appearance with the St. Lucie Mets yesterday. He threw a scoreless inning. Ramirez will also move up to Buffalo.

The Mets made a flurry of minor league moves yesterday. St. Lucie third baseman Wilmer Flores was part of a four-player group who were promoted to Double-A Binghamton yesterday. Wilfredo Tovar, Francisco Pena, and pitcher Cory Mazzoni also got the call to Bingo.

Flores, who was recently named MVP of last Saturday’s 51st annual Florida State League All-Star game, is hitting .289 on the season with 10 home runs and 42 RBI.

To replace these four players on the roster, the Mets moved up Travis Taijeron, T.J. Rivera, Rafael Montero, and Jeff Walters from Savannah to Port St. Lucie.

Expect the Mets to also move players up from Brooklyn to Savannah later today.

In other baseball news- It’s official. Brandon Beachy will need Tommy John surgery. The right-hander saw Dr. James Andrews this week to get a second opinion. Beachy was 5-5 this season with a 2.00 ERA in 13 starts.

Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki will have groin surgery today, and will be out indefinitely. Tulowitzki hurt his groin on May 30, and had to pull himself from a rehab stint last week because of discomfort. He is hitting .278 this season with eight home runs and 27 RBI.

Roy Oswalt will make his debut for the Rangers on Friday against the Colorado Rockies. Oswalt, who hasn’t pitched this season, signed a one-year deal with the Rangers this spring.

Original Article

Morning News: Mets Shut Out O’s Again, Dickey And Short Rest, All-Star Update

Every morning, we’ll give you the top three stories from Mets-land yesterday, as well news and notes from around Major League Baseball. 

Johan Santana bounced back from two rough starts against the Yankees and the Rays last night, pitching six shutout innings in a 5-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Mets win. Johan threw 63 of his 101 pitches on the night for strikes, and walked only two batters. He also gave up just four hits. With the win, Santana improves to 5-3.

On offense, Lucas Duda and Jordanny Valdespin both had big nights. Duda hit his 11th home run of the year, a two-run shot, in the sixth off Tommy Hunter. Valdespin, who got the start in left field, had a two-RBI single off Dana Eveland in the seventh.

The Mets are now just three games back of the Nationals for the NL East lead.

According to pre-game reports from ESPNNewYork.com, Terry Collins had contemplated, and even went as far as planning out a scenario in which R.A. Dickey would pitch every fourth day, as opposed to every fifth. Knuckleball pitchers don’t have the same wear and tear on their arms that conventional pitchers do, and with Dickey pitching so well, it was a seriously considered idea. However, Collins decided to not go through with it… for now.

The newest All-Star voting results were released yesterday, with David Wright still atop the National League third baseman leaderboard. Wright, who has over 1,977,000 votes, is about 350,000 votes in front of Pablo Sandoval, who is the second third baseman on the list.

Wright is currently hitting .352 on the season with a .452 on-base percentage.

In other baseball news, Cole Hamels pitched eight innings of two-run ball last night against Colorado to give the last-place Phillies a much-needed 7-2 victory.

The Phillies also got some bad news yesterday, as Freddy Galvis learned he has been suspended 50 games for P.E.D. use. Galvis, who is currently on the disabled list with a back injury, is hitting .226 this year.

Brandon Beachy, who recently learned that he has a partially-torn ligament in his throwing elbow, is waiting on whether he needs Tommy John Surgery.

Original Article

Series Preview: Mets Open Up Inter-league Schedule With Set in Toronto

Tonight, the Mets begin their inter-league schedule with a three-game series against the Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays have been  somewhat of a surprise this year, considering the tough division they play in. They are currently in third place, but are only four games behind the Blue Jays in the division.

The Blue Jays, so far, have been led by a plethora of young, talented arms in their rotation. The Mets could have trouble with all three guys they face in this series. Brandon Morrow has been fantastic and may finally be living up to his potential. Ricky Romero also seems to be continuing the success he had last season with the Jays.

On offense, it’s been all about Edwin Encarnacion. Carnacion has 13 homers and 34 RBI this season, both of which lead his team. Jose Bautista, the one who was supposed to lead the team in every offensive catagory, is hitting just .207 with ten homers.

Overall, the Blue Jays are a team on the rise and could pose a problem for the Mets in this three-game series.

Here are the pitching matchups:

Game 1- Tonight 7:07

Jonathon Niese (39.2 IP, 3,40 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, .224 BAA) vs. Ricky Romero (53.1 IP, 3.88 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, .222 BAA)

Game 2- Saturday 1:07

Miguel Batista (25.1 IP, 4.26 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, .295 BAA) vs. Brandon Morrow (52.2 IP, 2.22 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, .200 BAA)

Game 3- Sunday 1:07

Dillon Gee (43 IP, 5.65 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, .301 BAA) vs. Henderson Alvarez (55 IP, 2.62 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, .244 BAA)

More notes…

— Brett Lawrie will miss the entire series after dropping the appeal of his four—game suspension he received for throwing his helmet at an umpire while arguing over balls and strikes. Lawrie is hitting a team-high .281.

— Frank Francisco will continue to close for the Mets, despite recent struggles. Francisco has pitched, very, very badly of late, blowing a few games in a row. However, he is only part of the problem. The entire Mets bullpen has struggled this season, so Francisco is only part of the problem in the ‘pen.

— David Wright is hitting .411!!!

Original Article

Series Preview: Mets Take Their Struggling ‘Pen Back Home to Face Brewers

Tonight, the Mets begin a brief two-game set  against the Brewers at Citi Field.

The Brewers are a team that has been riddled with injuries. After losing Prince Fielder this offseason to the Detroit Tigers, the Brewers needed everyone on their roster healthy and productive more than most teams. However, Mat Gamel, once thought to be the heir apparent to Fielder at first base, recently suffered a torn ACL which will cause him to miss the rest of the season. Starting shortstop Alex Gonzalez, a new addition that was brought in to supply some veteran leadership, as well as an RBI threat, also has a torn ACL and won’t be ready until next season as well. Lastly, Carlos Gomez, the former Met who has made himself into a Gold Glove contender defender, has been sidelined with a hamstring injury for the past week and a half.

With the lack of offense this year, the Brewers have also needed to rely on their ace, Yovani Gallardo, to carry the load, which he has failed to do. He has a 5.35 ERA in 28.2 innings this season to go along with a 1.55 WHIP. Compare this to his performance last season, in which he went 17-10 along with a 3.52 ERA, and you have a big disappointment. The only bright spots for the Brewers has been the performances of Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum, two pitchers the Brewers snagged from the American League a few years back. Marcum has a 3.07 ERA in 44 innings this season, while Greinke has a respectable 3.35 ERA over 43 innings this season.

Here are the pitching matchups for these two games:

Game 1- Tonight 7:10

Miguel Batista (18.1 IP, 5.89 ERA, 2.13 WHIP, .338 BAA) vs. Yovani Gallardo (38.2 IP, 5.35 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, .284 BAA)

Game 2- Tuesday 7:10

Dillon Gee (37.2 IP, 4.78 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, .296 BAA) vs. Zack Greinke (43 IP, 3.35 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, .252 BAA)

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Here’s a table comparing the two teams:

More notes…

—Don’t be surprised if Terry Collins tries some new tactics with the bullpen in this series. After last night’s awful performance/blowup of Frank Francisco, we may be seeing a change in who closes games from now on, which I think is a good thing. I’m not sure Francisco was the right fit from the start. He is eerily similar to Armando Benitez. He keeps you on the edge of your seat whenever he pitches, putting the team in a bad position often at the beginning of innings. In his first blown save against the Marlins over the weekend, he gave up a leadoff double to Giancarlo Stanton that set the tone for the Marlins in that inning and then again last night, giving up the leadoff triple to Emilio Bonifacio. You just can’t do that as a closer, or any type of relief pitcher for that matter. The ejection from the game was also a sign of Francisco’s growing frustration with himself. Maybe a little break from closing games will help him clear his mind.

—Wow, is David Wright hitting! He had another great series down in Miami over the weekend, raising his average from .376 to an even .400. He also had a home run in the second game, and has been making some fantastic plays in the field. His range and the accuracy of his arm have been unbelievable so far this year.

—Daniel Murphy has also been quietly putting things together at the plate. Murphy is in the middle of a nine-game hitting streak, and was 8-12 against Miami over the weekend. He is hitting .405 in his last ten games.

—Go Mets!

Original Article

Series Preview: First Place Mets Host Nationals at Citi Field

[caption id=”attachment_1781” align=”aligncenter” width=”439” caption=”PELFREY-GEE-SANTANA- The rotation for this week’s series against the Nationals at Citi Field.”][/caption]

After sweeping the Braves over the weekend, the Mets will look to the Nationals to be their next victims as they start a three-game series in Citi Field tonight at 7:10.

David Wright comes in hot for the Mets tonight. David has driven in a run in each of the first three games of the season. At this point, his rib injury seems far behind him. Yesterday, he continued that, reaching base three times, including two walks.

Speaking of yesterday, the Mets finished off a three-game sweep of the Braves by a score of 7-5. Jonathon Niese had a no-hitter through six, but Freddie Freeman broke it up on a right field single. The Braves scored four in the seventh, but the Met offense was just too good. Lead by 4-5 Ruben Tejada, the Mets scored seven runs on 11 hits to beat Atlanta, with Frank Francisco earning the save once again, pitching a perfect ninth.

The Nationals, meanwhile, took on the Cubs and almost came back to win it in the ninth, but just fell short. Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija threw 8.2 innings, allowing three runs on four hits while striking out eight. He was relieved by Cubs closer Carlos Marmol, who got Xavier Nady to fly out and end the game. The Nats fell to 2-1, but earned the series win.

Here are your starters for the series:

Game 1- Tonight at 7:10:

• Mike Pelfrey- Mets- Mike is coming off an awful 7-13 season in which he posted an abysmal 4.74 ERA, which is much better than how he pitched. He almost lost his job in Spring Training, but was saved by two nice starts. He hopes (for his future’s sake) that he continues and pitches well tonight.
• Edwin Jackson- Nationals- In the Nats’ second biggest move of the winter, they acquired starter Edwin Jackson, signing him via free agency. Jackson 12-9 with a 3.79 ERA between the White Sox and Cardinals last season. He helped the Cardinals in their playoff run last year, and made three postseason starts.

Game 2- Tuesday at 7:10:

• Dillon Gee- Mets- Gee will look to capture some of that first half magic from last season, when he was the last undefeated starter in baseball at 7-0, and a Rookie of the Year favorite. Now, after a second half to forget, Gee will look to start his first full season with a set role with a bang against the Nationals on Tuesday.
• Ross Detwiler- Nationals- Detwiler beat out John Lannon for the last spot in the Washington rotation after going 1-1 in seven games this spring. Last season, Detwiler started 10 games, going 4-5 with a 3.00 ERA.

Game 3- Wednesday at 1:10:

• Johan Santana- Mets-  Johan will make his second start of the year Wednesday afternoon at Citi Field. In his Opening Day start against the Braves, Santana pitched five scoreless innings, allowing only two hits.
• Stephen Strasburg- Nationals- Strasburg will make his second career start against the Amazin’s. The first came back in 2010, when he tossed five innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out five.

The Mets were 8-10 against the Nationals last season.

Original Article

Opening Day Tweetcap: Mets Win 1-0 Behind Wright RBI single, Strong Outing From Santana

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/SurfingTheMets/status/187942456300544001”]

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/MattDunnSNY/status/187898488116363265”]

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/DPLennon/status/187976861647769600”]

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/JerseyJBradley/status/187978117770526720”]

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/kcopen/status/187988432902041601”]

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/metsblog/status/187990045603528705”]

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/UpAlongFirst/status/187991455556579328”]

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/VinnyCartiglia/status/187992398478061569”]

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/metsfanmurph/status/187992553533095936”]

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/MazzESPN/status/187992267464785921”]

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/Mets/status/187989318252494849”]

Nice start to what will hopefully be a promising season. Let’s go Mets!

Original Article

Quick reaction: Nats extend Ryan Zimmerman with monster deal

The Washington Nationals today agreed to terms with third baseman Ryan Zimmerman that will keep him in Nationals uniform until 2021. The deal is six years, and worth $100 million. Zimmerman’s contract expires after next season, so he is now under Nationals control for eight years, $126 million.

This is a pretty huge contract, especially for someone who has managed to hit over 30 home runs one time in his career. He is a fantastic player, however. His career 162-game averages are: 25 home runs, 42 doubles, a .288 batting average, and a ..355 on-base percentage. These are David Wright-type numbers, so what does this mean for David Wright?

Overall, I think it really helps him. If David breaks out and hits 30 home runs with a .280 batting average, he is getting this type of deal. Whether it’s from the Mets or someone else remains to be seen. Personally, I don’t think Wright would deserve this type of deal. Zimmerman is just a better player. He doesn’t strike out as much, he can hit in the clutch, and he is nowhere near as inconsistent as Wright is.

We’ll still have to wait on Wright’s new deal, if Sandy Alderson is even willing to give him one.

Original Article