New York Mets Training Camp News and Notes

It has been pretty uneventful overall as Yoenis Cespedes daily car choice is the big story around the Mets.  The Mets will begin their grapefruit league schedule on Thursday.  Hall Of Famer Mike Piazza arrived in Mets camp on Sunday and will stick around a few days.  Zach Wheeler threw off a mound for the first time since his Tommy John surgery over the weekend. 

The Mets have announced their pitchers for the first couple of spring training games.  They will be Rafael Montero on Thursday and Logan Verrett on Friday.  The Mets will also play an intrasquad game tomorrow and Sean Gilmartin and Robert Gsellman will start in that game. 

Terry Collins said Eric Campbell has a legit change to make the club because of his versatility and Wilmer Flores will be getting exposure at both first and third base as it looks like he can be a super utility player for the Mets.  To go along with that, there is a chance that Ruben Tejada may not make the 25 man roster coming out of spring. 

Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen said that pitcher Matt Harvey has the potential to be the best pitcher in baseball.  I am not sure if that is exactly breaking news as I think most feel very highly about him as long as he is healthy. 

Curtis Granderson left the ballpark on Monday due to an eye issue the Daily News was reporting.  He was wearing glasses in the morning and went to the doctors for a diagnosis.  The Mets manager said he could be dealing with pinkeye but the team isn't sure yet.  Stay tuned for more news on this on Tuesday. 

Matt Harvey is looking good early in camp and poised for a big season it appears. 

New York Mets Pitchers and Catchers Report

The crowd on Friday was the largest in Tradition Field history for the Mets.  I guess it would be expected as they were in the World Series last year and everyone wants to get a glimpse of that great starting pitching staff.  David Wright spoke with reporters and said he doesn't have a specific goal for games played but wants to be out there if he is productive.  He said his mindset hasn't changed due to his spinal stenosis but his preperation has changed.   He said the Mets should follow the Royals lead this year about getting back to the World Series and winning it.  He said the Mets have a great team on paper but that doesn't mean anything, it is how the team comes together and that teams will be gunning for them now since they are the NL Champs. 

He said winning in the NL is more important than beating the Yankees and their focus is on winning the NL East.  He said it is incredible to see how many players are showing up early to camp.  I guess winning will do that for you.  He said as for goals for this season confidence is good but cockiness is dangerous.  He said that he will miss Daniel Murphy this season. 

Terry Collins had this to say on Friday.  He said Jenrry Mejia used extremely bad judgement and his permanent suspension was very disappointing.  He will sit down next week with captain Wright and speak about their plan for the season.  He said they will slow down Wright in Spring Training so fatigue doesn't set in.  He said the players were told to take it easy early in spring training to avoid injuries.  The Mets don't know yet how the starting pitching depth will shake out after the five known starters. 

Travis d'Arnaud will mostly play three days in a row before getting a rest.  That will be the case most times he said.  Kevin Plawecki has to work well with the pitchers, that is the biggest thing for him.  On Saturday Michael Cuddyer was talking about Michael Conforto being an impact hitter.  There are definitely high expectations with the kid.  The big story on Sunday was Yoenis Cespedes showing up to camp.  He got his work in, took some batting practice and spoke with the media. 

Why did he come back to the Mets?  He said it was a little of everything.  He said he feels at home and relaxed.  He said he isn't worried about all the attention he will be getting. He said that he works hard and isn't too concerned with the salary.  He said one of the reasons for reporting early was to reestablish the bond with his teammates.  He said it was natural last season after the trade to the Mets in July.  The fans, team, coaches, everything is why he came back.  He said such a positive atmosphere.  Is this the Mets he was talking about, what a change in a few months.  Before the run to the World Series last year, you couldn't say anything close to that for many  years.  It really does feel different now, everyone is confident including the fans who are notorius for waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

New York Mets notes before full squad workouts begin

Lucas Duda has been dealing with a left oblique issue and will swing a bat in two or three days.  Curtis Granderson is not concerned about where he will hit in the lineup.  Terry Collins is unsure if Rafael Montero can crack the 25 man roster. 

There was already a bunch of praise for new hitting coach Kevin Long especially from Granderson who worked with him when they were both with the New York Yankees.  There was some talk with a couple of people who are close to manager Terry Collins that he will retire at the end of the year.  Collins denies it though.  He did say he doesn't want to manage to 75 and he turns 66 in May.  He did also say if he has a good season he would want to come back.  I think they will bring him back if they have a good season but if they get off to a slow start he will be in trouble. 

Dillon Gee will be the sixth starter, not prospect Noah Syndergaard.  Collins wants to see similar determination out of Syndergaard as he has seen out of Matt Harvey.  John Mayberry Jr. provides the Mets with a lot of options.  He can play the outfield, back up first base and a righty off of the bench.  Rule five pick LHP Sean Gilmartin will get a lot of work this spring and will get the chance to face lefty batters to see if he can get them out.  Rafael Montero will be looked at as both a starter and reliever this spring. 

Here are some things Syndergaard spoke to the media about on Wednesday.  He said he learned how to become a pitcher more than a thrower last season.  He said especially learned that he can't rely on his fastball all the time.  He put a lot of pressure on himself last season , paying special attention to the Super 2 cutoff date.  He said he eventually deleted twitter from his phone to avoid the news reports and fan comments. 

Syndergaard said he wasn't ready for the major leagues last season and didn't deserve the call up.  He was still disappointed not to get called up in September and will use that as motivation going forward.  He really loved working with AAA pitching coach Frank Viola last season.  Viola helped him with his changeup among other things. 

New York Mets camp was pretty quiet on Monday

Here are some notes about the Mets on a Monday a couple of days before the full squad reports and it gets louder and more active with games beginning next week.  These notes are courtesy of Matthew Cerrone and Metsblog.com. 

Terry Collins the manager met with the media and here is some of what he had to say.  Matt Reynolds will get a lot of playing time at short this spring as will Ruben Tejada and Wilmer Flores. 

Juan Lagares will most likely bat leadoff. 

Lucas Duda will play first base against lefties, but there will be days where Michael Cuddyer or John Mayberry Jr. play first base. 

Collins will use rule five pick LHP Sean Gilmartin early and often to get a good look at what they have with him. 

LHP Scott Rice, LHP Jack Leathersich,  and RHP Erik Goeddel also have a shot at the last bullpen spot. 

Eric Campbell the utility infielder is working hard to also be a catcher.  He is taking some ribbing from his teammates but he is serious about it.  It isn't just fooling around during spring training. 

Cuddyer met with the media also on Monday and here is some of what he had to say. 

The biggest thing was him talking about Troy Tulowitzki and how he would be a great fit on the Mets.  I understand the risk with him, he has to be healthy and his splits are pretty start home and away but he is a talent that a team like the Mets should go for.  He could put them over the top, of course he has to be healthy and stay healthy which is an issue with him. 

Cuddyer said he liked what he saw from the Mets last season and said he liked the potential that he saw in them. 

Quite a few teams expressed interest in him, and he was close to accepting the qualifying offer from Colorado until the Mets sent a deal to him. 

He's not worried about moving away from Coors Field, as long as he keeps the same approach that works for him.  "I don't see it being a problem at all," he said. 

New York Mets begin spring training with some optimism

The New York Mets pitchers and catchers reported on Thursday.  The Mets for the first time in a long time have some real optimism and are looking at competing for a playoff spot.  That is mainly because of the good  young pitching they have and especially getting their ace back Matt Harvey.  Harvey is good but he also brings something extra to the team.  He is a confident guy who won't settle for losing and that has rubbed off on the Mets. 

Mets manager Terry Collins addressed the media on Saturday which was their first official workout.  Here are some of the highlights of what he had to say.  Harvey will pitch in one of the first five games of the season.  He isn't sure if Harvey will pitch the home opener though.  They open on the road against the Nationals and the Braves.  Harvey will be used the same way that the Cardinals used Adam Wainwright back in 2012 when he was coming back from Tommy John surgery.  He pitched 198 2/3 innings that season. 

Harvey will not be skipping any starts but he will have five inning starts from time to time.  Collins wants Bobby Parnell to close when he returns but if Jenrry Mejia or another reliever is dominant as a closer he will remain there.  Dillon Gee will prepare for a starting role but if all six starters are still with the team come the end of the spring he will move to the bullpen.  The leadoff spot is up in the air between Juan Lagares and Curtis Granderson.  He said the Mets are absolutely a playoff team and added "We have been sitting around for four years saying to be patient.  It's time for guys to step up and play the way they are expected to play". 

Here is what Harvey had to say to the medial also on Saturday.  There is no easing into it for him.  He anticipates that he won't reach the low 200s in innings pitched.  He said somewhere around 180 or so which is just throwing a number out there.  He said there was a mention of skipping starts in a brief meeting with GM Sandy Alderson.  He said it was a tough question to say if he would rather skip starts or be limited to five inning starts.  He said it is the managers call in the end but all five guys wouldn't want to do that and coming out of a game early is a tough decision. 

He said there really was no tension between him and the team during rehab last year and he thinks a lot of it was made up.  He said internally they were fine.  He said he will discuss scaling back his workload between starts. 

The New York Mets opened camp yesterday and today their GM held a press conference

Sandy Alderson held the annual state of the team address this morning.  He was filling in for manager Terry Collins who is away due to the death of his father.  Here are some of the highlights of what Alderson had to say and then some other Mets notes courtesy of Matthew Cerrone at Metsblog.com. 

Matt Harvey will begin throwing to live batters soon.  He will conceivably throw 200 innings this season if the Mets make the playoffs.  Alderson did not say specifically if the Mets have a hard innings limit for the regular season.  He did say that they will make sure he pitches in the playoffs if they make it. 

David Wright is not experiencing any pain in his shoulder and is in great shape.  His shoulder was a big problem last year and the Mets need him to bounce back.  Alderson does not anticipate making any moves this spring and doesn't see the Mets using a six man rotation even though they have six starters and really they have eight or nine guys in camp who could all possibly start.  Rafael Montero is a candidate for the bullpen but not Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz. 

The Mets may end up carrying two long relievers instead of having two lefty relievers.  They could have Dillon Gee and Carlos Torres for long relief.  Kevin Plawecki who is a catching prospect could see some time at 1B in AAA.  They want him to get more time in AAA but said that he is close to ready for the majors.  Alderson said he was never interested in giving more than a minor league deal to a left- handed reliever this winter.   Bobby Parnell is expected to return from the DL in late April but that depends on how he rehabs in Spring Training. 

Wilmer Flores talked on Friday and said that he appreciates the confidence shown in him by Alderson.  He enjoyed learning other positions on the field because you never know where you might end up.  He said he has a lot to prove this season and the only way to do it is by working hard.  He believes the Mets have the ability and potential to make it to the postseason this season.  The Mets first official workout is tomorrow morning. 

New York Mets weekend notes

Matt Harvey was at it again showing confidence that he will return to pitch in 2014.  He sent out a

tweet on Saturday.  It said this 2014 Harvey day will happen.  He is expected to miss the season

after Tommy John surgery but he said he wants to pitch.  I don't think that will happen or should

happen. 

David Wright and Daniel Murphy each made their spring debuts on Friday.  Bartolo Colon and Bobby Parnell were scheduled to so do on Monday.  Noah Syndergaard pitched on Saturday against the Detroit Tigers and struggled a little bit.  He has been very good so far this spring though.  I doubt he will come north with the team but he is raising some eyebrows and keeping that hope for the future looking really bright. 

Ike Davis and Lucas Duda are both still injured.  Ike Davis arrived to camp in a walking boot on Monday.  Terry Collins said that he will only use Eric Young Jr. at second if Murphy were hurt. 

The Mets hope for the future is in their pitching and they can't let Harvey dictate to them.  He needs to come back strong next year and they could contend.  If they have him, Zack Wheeler, Jon Niese, Dillon Gee and Noah Syndergaard with guys like Montero, Familia etc either in the bullpen or knocking on the door they will have a good nucleas moving forward. 

The Mets made their first round of cuts on Monday.  Josh Edgin was optioned as well as Steven Matz, Erik Goeddel, Wilfredo Tovar and Cesar Puello.  The team also reassigned Jack Leathersich, John Church, Logan Verrett, Adam Kolarek, Chasen Bradford, Kevin Plawecki, Danny Muno, Dustin Lawley, Brandon Nimmo and Cory Vaughn. 

John Lannan is competing for the final spot in the rotation.  He will start on Wednesday but manager Terry Collins said he will soon get work in the bullpen.  Wilmer Flores will start at shortstop Tuesday against the Cardinals.  They still don't like Ruben Tejada and are trying anything to not have him be their shortstop.  I don't necessarily blame them but they may have also affected Tejada.  The Mets will head to Las Vegas this weekend to take on the Chicago Cubs. 

New York Mets spring training notes

New York Mets spring training notes


The Mets as always are getting criticism right now. They signed Chris Young to a one year 7.5 million deal in November. Nelson Cruz just signed with Baltimore for one year and eight million. There were a lot of Mets fans that wanted him and I can see their frustration. They didn’t know in November though that Cruz would come down, he was looking for a five-year deal at the time.

Terry Collins the manager said on Saturday that he liked Ike Davis swing. He believes it is more quite and flat, which creates better backspin on the ball. He said this “I’m really impressed with what I’ve seen.” He went on to say that his swing is completely different then last year. Ike Davis had a tough year and then went through a winter of being in constant trade rumors. He is still a Met and maybe that is a good thing. If he just focuses on baseball and gets it back he will be a valuable asset to the Mets. If he does well they may be able to trade Lucas Duda and Davis can be the first baseman for a long time and help anchor the infield.

Matt Harvey tossed a baseball for the first time since his surgery on Saturday. It doesn’t mean much as there is no way he will be playing this year but good to see for them. He made about 20 throws to the bullpen catcher. He was roughly standing 60 feet away and was being watched by many fans, media and cameras. Harvey told reporters “It was awesome. Everything felt amazing; I’ve got a lot of work to do. It’s going to be a tough process with how things felt today. But I’ve got to stick with it and move forward.”

The Mets catchers have been told to not block home plate regardless of the new rules or not. The Mets offered Stephen Drew a one year 9.5 million dollar deal but he is still looking for more. Maybe they can agree to that with an option, I don’t know what other options he really has at this point.

New York Mets news and notes from the weekend

Terry Collins said there is currently no timetable for Shaun Marcum to pitch again. He was diagnosed with nerve inflammation in his neck at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. He received trigger point injections in his neck, he will return to Port St. Lucie and rest for 48 hours. He is on the 15 day disabled list with biceps tendonitis. 
The Mets hit five homeruns in their first three games of the season which is the most since 2006. They did not hit their fifth homerun last year until the seventh game.

The Mets optioned Jeurys Familia to AAA-Las Vegas and that they have moved Johan Santana to the 60 day disabled list. The Mets will make a corresponding move on Sunday.

David Wright played his 60^th straight game without an error extending his own franchise record. John Buck has been hitting really well so far this season and that continued on Saturday.

The Mets will go for the series win on Sunday against the Marlins and try to win their first two series of the season.

The Mets starting pitching has been great so far this season but their bullpen has struggled. Their offense is hitting a lot of homeruns which it really hasn’t done in recent seasons.

Terry Collins is still planning on mixing and matching in the outfield. A lot of fans want to see Colin Cowgill playing everyday at least for now. We will have to see if Collins will change his mind, I don’t think he is going too.

New York Mets Saturday notes

Johan Santana did not participate in the teams workouts today at Tradition Field according to several reports on twitter through Mets beat writers. It is considered a minor issue which could slow his work down this spring. It is becoming more and more apparent though that he won’t be ready to go for the start of the season. 
Terry Collins told reporters that Santana needs extra treatment for his arm and is day-to-day. He has no discomfort but is still lacking strength and they are going to remain conservative with his preparation. Collins would not commit to Santana making his scheduled start this Thursday. He also noted it is possible Santana can start the season on the DL to give him an extra week to prepare.

Collins said he is hopeful that both Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Daniel Murphy can play be the end of the week. Nieuwenhuis left the game last week after bruising his knee and has not played since, he is 1-18 this spring and Murphy has not even played in a grapefruit league game yet after straining his intercostal muscle in mid February.

Zach Wheeler will pitch in a simulated game tomorrow in Port St. Lucie. He has not pitched since February 23^rd after straining his oblique last week taking batting practice. The Mets defeated the Astros 9-6 on Saturday and will take on the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon in Jupiter, Florida. Jeremy Hefner allowed one hit in three innings, Bobby Parnell pitched for the second day in a row and allowed an unearned run. Matt den Dekker went 0-3 but he did make a nice sliding catch in the outfield. Lucas Duda had three hits and two RBI and the Mets were 5-11 with runners in scoring position.

The Mets announced they reassigned three guys to minor league camp. Cory Mazzoni, Rafael Montero and Juan Centeno. Frank Francisco will throw his first bullpen session on Sunday. He is expected to start the season on the DL and Parnell will most likely be the closer in that case.

New York Mets notes from spring training

Daniel Murphy received a cortisone injection in New York on Tuesday. He is listed as day-to-day. I guess we can say that we are all that. He was sent for evaluation on Tuesday after pulling his intercostal muscle. Sandy Alderson the GM said he expects him to miss about a week. 
Johan Santana threw a bullpen today. Zach Wheeler threw live batting practice to Justin Turner, John Buck, Ruben Tejada and Marlon Byrd. The reports continue to be that he is very impressive. It looks like the Mets really have something with him and Matt Harvey, they just got to keep them healthy and the future is bright.

Terry Collins told reporters he intends to bat Kirk Nieuwenhuis in the leadoff spot in the teams grapefruit league opener on Saturday. Collins said he deserves the opportunity to show what he can do from the leadoff spot first. He hit 264 in 133 plate appearances last year from the leadoff spot. He had seven doubles, one triple, five homeruns and 15 RBI with six walks and 39 strikeouts.

Jenrry Mejia age and identity have been confirmed and he will be arriving in camp in the next couple of days. He had a visa issue in the Dominican republic. Alderson said this was routine and he reported to the team’s Dominican facility for workouts.

The Mets announced they have signed right handed pitcher Andy Wells and outfielder James Roche to minor league contracts. Wells will report to minor league camp and Roche to extended spring training. Wells played with the York Revolution in the Atlantic league last season and Roche played with the Newark Bears last season.

New York Mets Spring Training Notes-Monday

Adam Rubin of ESPN reported today that the Mets are going to shop Justin Turner. He did say though that nothing is definite. He could still end up on the team for opening day. They want to create more roster flexibility for their non-roster relief pitchers in camp. 
Terry Collins said today that he will be going to team executives about naming David Wright captain. I think they might as well do it officially but he is already that even if they don’t say it. He is the face of the franchise he is the guy that has been with them and he is the guy that will continue to be with them.

The Mets announced their pitching schedules for the first three grapefruit league games. They open up at Saturday at 12:10PM against the Nationals in Port St. Lucie. Shaun Marcum will start followed by Zach Wheeler, Cory Mazzoni, Darin Gorski, Jeurys Familia and Bobby Parnell.

Sunday at 12:10PM against the University of Michigan in Port St. Lucie Jon Niese will start. He will be followed by Dillon Gee, Brandon Lyon, Hansel Robles, Rafael Montero and Carlos Torres.

Sunday at 1:05PM against the Astros in Kissimmee Matt Harvey will start followed by Jeremy Hefner, Aaron Laffey, Pedro Feliciano, Scott Atchison and Josh Edgin.

Next Monday against the Nationals in Port St. Lucie Collin McHugh will start followed by Gonzalez German, Elvin Ramirez, Greg Burke, LaTroy Hawkins, Robert Carson and Scott Rice.

The Mets have officially denied Johan Santana’s request to pitch in the World Baseball Classic. Sandy Alderson the GM announced that today. He said we know he wants to play but under the circumstances it isn’t in his or their best interest. He will make his first start on March 2^nd Terry Collins said yesterday.

Mets Saturday spring training notes

The Mets have John Buck and Travis D’arnaud working together this spring. They are really together though as in hitting drills, catching drills and even signing autographs together. Their lockers are right next to each other and Buck is really mentoring D’arnaud. It is good to see a veteran helping a young guy, I am sure at some point this season they will be on the big league roster together and it will be fascinating to watch how they interact. 
Wally Backman wants to manage in the big leagues but he states he isn’t after Terry Collins job. He did admit it is a tough spot for both of them though. Collins is a lame duck manager this year, if he gets off to a bad start and Backman is doing well in AAA that could be very awkward. Backman has a career 601-564 record in his ten year minor league career.

Jenrry Mejia is being considered as a starting pitcher right now according to Collins. Collins didn’t know whether he could come up before Zach Wheeler if the Mets need an arm, he said a lot of that could depend on how they look this spring.

Collins wants Johan Santana to skip the WBC if it isn’t going to help him get ready for the season. He said he told him if he feels it will help him then he should go ahead and do it. We will find out soon what Santana is going to do.

Mets Friday spring training notes

Marlon Byrd can win an outfield job outright according to manager Terry Collins. I would probably say he is the best outfielder they have so not too surprising here. He said it wouldn’t be a platoon that he could win it outright. He was a very good player that was an All Star only a couple of years ago, he could be their right fielder. Lucas Duda will be the left fielder. 
It has rained in Port St. Lucie the last two days so any work had to be done inside. Terry Collins told reporters yesterday that it is possible the Mets put a C on David Wrights jersey. However in either case, this is his team and he is the face of it. He is the captain Collins said. Does he have to have a C on his jersey Collins was asking rhetorically well number two doesn’t referring to Derek Jeter. I don’t think it matters as he is the leader, the best player on the team and the captain if it is official or not.

The Mets really seem to have a great find in Travis D’arnaud, there are a couple of articles about him today. MLB.com had one and the New York Times also. Wally Backman wants to be a manger still but said he will stay cool as Terry Collins is in the last year of his deal. Backman will be in Las Vegas managing the AAA team.

Zach Wheeler is entering camp with the same determined attitude that Matt Harvey had last year and he is supposed to be better. I would expect to see him by June or July at the latest. Colin Cowgill has a chance to win a job and he is being compared to Lenny Dykstra. The Mets can only hope he comes anywhere near that, if he does he will probably be their center fielder and they would love that excitement that is brought to the ballpark.

New York Mets as their spring camp opens

Frank Francisco their closer still has an inflamed elbow and will not be throwing as of yet. Bobby Parnell will be the closer for now. I would expect that to stay that way, why not if you are rebuilding you have to go with the young guy and give him a full chance. 
Terry Collins discussed the outfield today. He told Mike Francessa on WFAN that Lucas Duda will be the left fielder every day. He said the other two outfield positions are up for grabs. Jordany Valdespin is a candidate. Collins said he mostly played outfield in winter ball and he gives the team a lot of options. He also said Justin Turner and Zach Lutz will see time in the outfield this spring. Collins thinks Lutz and Andrew Brown are legitimate candidates for a bench spot but he believes Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Collin Cowgill have the best ability to cover ground in the outfield.

Collins said he heard a lot in the minor leagues about all I want is a chance. He said he is telling these guys now well guess what you got your chance. He said there are a lot of jobs to be taken and the young guys have a real chance to step up and make a name for themselves.

The Mets pitching staff is pretty good. They have Johan Santana, Jon Niese, Dillon Gee, Matt Harvey and Shaun Marcum. They have added some veterans to the bullpen like LaTroy Hawkins and Brandon Lyon. Parnell will be the closer to start, Josh Edgin looked pretty good last year. They have no real outfielders right now though and catcher is a problem although they have John Buck and Travis D’arnaud will be with the team sooner then later.

New York Mets notes

The Mets defeated the Nationals 2-0 on Saturday night.  They are basically playing out the string once again.  Here are some notes from the Mets. 

Jenrry Mejia could join the rotation in September according to manager Terry Collins.  He is 4-2 with a 3.01 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 27 appearances and 11 starts.  He has thrown 74 2/3 innings so far this season. 

Johan Santana is scheduled to pitch on Thursday right now.  Terry Collins stated though that he is meeting with GM Sandy Alderson on Monday and they will make a decision then.  They could still shut him down for the remainder of the season.  He has been terrible ever since the no hitter in June. 

The Mets have the young pitching and that is something to look forward to going forward.  Matt Harvey and R.A. Dickey are reasons to watch the team and of course David Wright who the Mets have to resign.  He is a homegrown Met and I think just about everyone wants him back.  The ownership has to show the fan base something and resigning him would be a good step.  They have to get better parts around him also but locking him up first should be the priority. 

New York Mets vs. Washington Nationals Pregame

Here are the lineups for tonights Mets vs. Nationals game and some notes.  The Mets are 3-0 and riding a wave of enthusiasm and good momentum.  Will they be able to keep it up?  We will see but through the first three games they have looked good.  They were playing an Atlanta team that just can't score runs but it was still an impressive weekend.  I think the Mets more then anyone needed to get off to a good start and they have so far. 

Mets Lineup:Ruben Tejada, Daniel Murphy, David Wright, Ike Davis, Jason Bay, Lucas Duda, Josh Thole, Kirk Niewenhuis, Mike Pelfrey

Nats Lineup:Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa, Ryan Zimmerman, Adam LaRoche, Jayson Werth, Mark DeRosa, Roger Bernadina, Jesus Flores, Edwin Jackson

Andres Torres has made no progress with his strained calf and needs at least two more weeks rest with it according to Mets manager Terry Collins.  Collins also said he has to keep a close eye on Francisco who saved all three games so far and is still experiencing some knee pain.  He stated if Francisco or Jon Rauch couldn't close then Miguel Batista would be the closer. 

Collins said Ike Davis would be off tomorrow with the left handed starter and Justin Turner would play first base.  Pelfrey starts tonight for the Mets.  He is making his first start of the year.  In his last two spring starts he allowed two runs in 10 1/3 innings pitched.  Pelfrey is 19-13 at Citi Field with a 3.44 ERA in 51 career games there.  Jackson will start for the Nationals and in 31 starts last year with the Cardinals and White Sox he was 12-9 with a 3.79 ERA.  He faced the Mets once last year and allowed five runs on nine hits with four walks in five innings. 

According to the Elias Sports Bureau the last time the Mets had eight of nine homegrown starters in their lineup not counting August or September was April 19, 1990 against the Cubs.  The names in that lineup were Gregg Jefferies, Darryl Strawberry, Dave Magadan, Kevin Elster and Dwight Gooden.  Those are the most recognizable names. 

The New York Mets lose to the St. Louis Cardinals 7-1

The New York Mets lost to the St. Louis Cardinals by the score of 7-1 on Tuesday afternoon. Mike Pelfrey made the start and did not pitch well at all. Daniel Murphy had a good game with a couple of hits and Jason Bay who only had one hit in the spring, had a double. 
Pelfrey pitched 4 1/3 innings giving up six hits and four runs. He gave up two homeruns and took the loss. Garrett Olson pitched 2/3 of an inning gave up a walk, Frank Francisco pitched an inning giving up two hits and one run. Ramon Ramirez pitched an inning giving up three hits, two runs and a strikeout, Manny Acosta pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout and Bobby Parnell pitched a scoreless inning giving up a walk.

Adam Wainwright got the win pitching three inning and giving up a hit. He walked one and struck out one. Maikel Cleto pitched two innings giving up three hits, one run, a walk and two strikeouts. Brandon Dickson pitched a perfect inning, J.C. Romero pitched an inning giving up a hit and Marc Rzepczynski pitched an inning giving up two walks and a strikeout. Victor Marte pitched an inning giving up a hit.

Andres Torres had a hit, Murphy had two hits and Bay had a hit. Ike Davis, Zach Lutz and Lucas Duda each had a walk. Duda had an RBI as well, Rob Johnson had a hit and Josh Satin had a hit.

The Mets were 0-5 with runners in scoring position and they left eight men on base. May made a throwing error. The Mets record on the spring is 3-6. The Mets will play the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland, Florida on Wednesday afternoon at 1:05PM.

The Mets pound the Braves a day after Colllins tirade

The New York Mets defeated the Atlanta Braves by the score of 12-2 on Friday night. Chris Capuano made the start and pitched well. The bullpen pitched really well. The offense was really good. There were lots of stars as five players had multi hit games.
Capuano pitched five innings giving up six hits and two runs with two walks and six strikeouts. Capuano improved his record to 11-12 on the season. Miguel Batista pitched an inning striking out one, Tim Byrdak pitched a perfect inning striking out one and Josh Stinson pitched an inning giving up a walk and he struck out one. Ryota Igarashi pitched a perfect inning striking out two batters.

Jose Reyes had three hits and a walk, Angel Pagan had a hit and a walk and David Wright had three hits and five RBI. Lucas Duda had four hits, an RBI and a walk, Jason Bay had a hit and a walk and Nick Evans had three hits and an RBI. Josh Thole had three hits and three RBI, Ruben Tejada had a hit and two RBI and Willie Harris had a hit. Duda and Evans each had a double and Wright hit two homeruns. The Mets were 8-16 with runners in scoring position and they left 11 men on base. Reyes had a stolen base and Evans had an error.

In the first inning Wright hit a two run homerun and Tejada had a two Run single to give the Mets a 4-0 lead. Chipper Jones hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning to make it a 4-1 game. Martin Prado hit a solo homerun in the second inning to make it a 4-2 game. In the third inning Thole hit a two run single to give the Mets a 6-2 lead. In the fourth Wright hit a three run homerun and Evans had an RBI single to make it 10-2. In the sixth Thole hit an RBI single making it 11-2 Mets. In the ninth Duda had an RBI single to finish the scoring at 12-2.

The Mets played miserable on their homestand and their manager let them have it after Thursday afternoons embarrassing loss. I guess whatever he said got through to them because they looked like a different team in this game. The Mets really came out focused and ready to play. The Mets have nothing to play for but pride and they showed some in this game. The Mets are now six games under 500. The Mets will try and finish strong and maybe get to 500, it may be asking a lot but it is a good goal for them to have. The Mets won the first of three in Atlanta. The Mets will go to St. Louis for three games after their series with the Braves is over. The Mets record is 73-79 on the season.

The Mets get embarrassed as they are swept at home by the Nationals

The New York Mets lost to the Washington Nationals by the score of 10-1 on Thursday afternoon. It was an ugly day at Citi Field in more then one way. The temperature had a fall feel to it, there weren’t many people in attendance and the Mets looked awful. The Mets were so bad it led to a postgame tirade by their manager Terry Collins. Chris Schwinden started and pitched ok, the bullpen was a mixed bag and the offense was putrid.
Schwinden pitched five innings giving up four hits and two runs with only one being earned. He walked two and struck out three. He is now 0-2 on the season. D.J. Carrasco pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up two hits and one run, Daniel Herrera gave up a walk and Ryota Igarashi pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a walk and striking out one. Pedro Beato pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up four hits and three runs with a walk, Dale Thayer faced one batter and got him out and Manny Acosta pitched one inning giving up four hits and four runs with three of them being earned. He struck out one batter.

Ruben Tejada had two hits, Justin Turner had two walks and David Wright had a hit. Jason Bay had two hits and an RBI, Angel Pagan had a hit and two walks and Ronny Paulino had a hit and two walks. Lucas Duda had a walk. Tejada had a double and Bay had two doubles. The Mets were 0-11 with runners in scoring position and they left 10 men on base. Pagan was caught stealing and picked off. Pascucci and Wright made errors.

In the fifth the Nationals broke through on the scoreboard. Rick Ankiel reached on an error by Pascucci at first base and a run scored. Ryan Zimmerman hit a sacrifice fly making it 2-0 Nationals. In the sixth Bay hit an RBI double to make it a 2-1 game. In the seventh a balk scored another run for the Nationals making it a 3-1 game. Ian Desmond hit an RBI single, Jonny Gomes grounded into a force out and a run scored and Zimmerman had an RBI double making it 6-1 Nationals all in the eighth inning. In the ninth Chris Marrero hit a sacrifice fly, Wilson Ramos had an RBI single and Desmond had a two run double making it 10-1 and that would be the final score of the game.

The Mets got swept in four games to the Nationals. Terry Collins after the game said he will not accept not playing the right way no matter the situation. He said that he felt his team gave up and he put all the blame on himself, he said he will take the blame away from everyone else and this will not continue in the last two weeks. The Mets played so hard and pretty well for most of the season only to collapse at the end here. They have been once again destroyed by injuries and it does seem that in the last couple of weeks their hope has been gone and they have kind of gone through the motions. The same fight everyone loved about this team has been sapped away. It is a shame but they are headed in the right direction and Collins will have them playing hard the rest of the way otherwise they won’t be playing at all. The Nationals took over third place and dropped the Mets to fourth place in the NL East.