Series Preview

This year, for the first time ever, the Mets and Yankees will be playing a four-game series with two games in Queens and two in the Bronx. After complaints from fans and new changes to the schedule this year, Bud Selig was forced to shorten these marquee interleague rivalries from six games to four. That’s probably a good thing for the Mets considering how good the Yankees are this year, and how bad the Mets have played thus far.

This year, the Yankees have been devastated by injuries. In fact, the payroll of those players on the DL is approaching $100 million, which is higher than the actual payroll of about half of baseball. Nonetheless, against all odds, the Yankees are tied for first place atop the American League East at 30-19. They haven’t scored as many runs as a typical Yankee team would, and they are actually the lowest-scoring team in the division, but they have gotten stellar pitching from both the bullpen and starting rotation. Andy Pettitte returned and has continued to be a rock the Yankees can rely on. C.C. Sabathia has been a workhorse, tossing 72.2 innings in 11 starts. Thankfully, however, the Mets will not have to face either of those two as they get the bottom of the rotation. The bottom half is still nothing to joke about, as Hiroki Kuroda and David Phelps each have sub-four ERAs in the still-tough AL East.

The bullpen hasn’t been as good as the rotation, but it’s been one of the better units in the game, even after losing Rafael Soriano to free agency last offseason. The ‘pen ranks 11th in baseball in ERA and fourth in batting average agains with men on base. Mariano Rivera hasn’t pitched at all like a 43 year-old, posting a 1.40 ERA in 19.1 innings this year. He has given up just 14 hits and two walks while striking out 16. He hasn’t allowed a run since May 4 against Oakland.

All in all, this team is one of the best the Mets have faced all season, even despite the injuries the Yankees have suffered. It could be a long four days.

Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Jon Niese, LHP (3-5, 4.80 ERA, 54.1 IP, 5.1 K/9, 4.5 BB/9) vs. Phil Hughes, RHP (2-3, 5.51 ERA, 47.1 IP, 8.0 K/9, 2.5 BB/9)

Hughes has been inconsistent over his seven-year career with the Yankees, and has some convinced that his best role would be in the bullpen. After posting a 4.23 ERA in 191.1 innings last season, Hughes’s ERA has gone up, and is now at 5.51. His strikeout and walk numbers are right where they should be, but he is giving up more home runs than ever, almost two per nine innings. He is getting hurt badly on his fastball which, after being average last year, has been worth about seven runs below average this season, meaning hitters are hitting it, and hitting it hard. He has already given up ten homers on the season, eight of which have come off fastballs.

Game 2: Matt Harvey, RHP (5-0, 1.93 ERA, 70 IP, 9.5 K/9, 2.2 BB/9) vs. Hiroki Kuroda, RHP (6-3, 2.67 ERA, 60.2 IP, 5.8 K/9, 2.1 BB/9)

Kuroda, even at age 38, has continued to dominate. Despite moving to the American League two years ago, he has held steady. This season, his ERA is a career-best 2.67 through ten starts. He doesn’t strike out a lot of guys, but he gets ground balls more frequently than most without allowing many walks. And unlike Hughes, Kuroda hasn’t given up many home runs this year, despite pitching most of his games at Yankee Stadium.

Game 3: Jeremy Hefner, RHP (0-5, 4.76 ERA, 51 IP, 6.5 K/9, 3.5 BB/9) vs. David Phelps, RHP (3-2, 3.96 ERA, 50 IP, 8.8 K/9, 3.2 BB/9)

Phelps, 26, slowly pitched his way through the minors after being taken in the 14th round in the 2008 draft, and pitched well at every level before earning a promotion to the big leagues last year. He started 11 games due to injuries in the starting rotation, and posted a very solid 3.34 ERA. This season, he again got the nod due to injury, and has a 3.27 ERA as a starter. In his last start in Tampa Bay, his pitching arm was struck by a line drive. However, he suffered only a bruise and will most likely be out there for his start on Wednesday.

Game 4: Dillon Gee, RHP (2-6, 6.34 ERA, 49.2 IP, 6.7 K/9, 3.1 BB/9) vs. Vidal Nuno, LHP (1-1, 1.93 ERA, 14 IP, 4.6 K/9, 2.6 BB/9)

Nuno, a 48th-round pick, isn’t a big name, but has certainly earned an opportunity with his domination of the minors the past two seasons. After bouncing around for a while, even pitching for an independent league team, Nuno, posted a 2.54 ERA in 21 starts between Single-A and Double-A last year. This season, he had a 1.54 ERA in four starts before earning the promotion. So far, he has been a solid option for the Yankees as a swingman.

Series Notes

• Curtis Granderson, who just got back from the DL, will have to sit out another month thanks to a broken finger he suffered earlier this week after getting hit in the hand by a pitch. Granderson hit 43 home runs last season. However, he only batted .232 (compared to .262 in 2011) and struck out in 28.5 % of his trips to the plate.
• Lucas Duda extended his hitting streak to a career-best 10 games going 3-4 last night…Duda is hitting .351 (13-37) during his run, which dates to May 16…His previous best was a seven-game hitting streak done two previous times, last, June 16-24, 2012.
• David Wright is tied with Mike Piazza and Cliff Floyd for the most regular season home runs by a Met against the Yankees with eight.
• Bobby Parnell converted his fifth straight save chance last night in New York’s 4-2 win vs. Atlanta…Parnell is 3-1 with five saves in May and has been unscored upon in 10 of his 11 games this month.
• Daniel Murphy has at least one hit in 11 of his last 14 games,batting .400 (22-55) with two home runs and eight RBI over that clip.Murphy has 15 doubles, tied for the second-most in the NL…He has seven doubles this month, tied for the sixth-most in the NL…Since the start of the 2012 season, Murphy has 55 doubles, the third-most in the National League, two behind Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt and one behind Milwaukee’s Aramis Ramirez.
• Since 2009, the Mets are 0-3-1 in season series vs. the Yankees…The Mets have dropped five straight individual series to their crosstown rival…The last series the Mets won was May 21-23, 2010 at Citi Field…The last time the Mets won the season series vs. the Yankees was in 2008 (4-2)…The Mets are 2-8-6 in all-time season series against the Yankees.
• The Mets along with the other 29 teams will wear specially designed caps and jerseys featuring an authentic military digital camouflage design licensed from the United States Marine Corps tonight…MLB will donate 100 percent of its net proceeds from sales of the caps and jerseys to Welcome Back Veterans…Since 2008, MLB has committed $23 million to Welcome Back Veterans.

Teixeira will join Curtis Granderson and Alex Rodriguez with longterm DL stints once the season starts. The Captain, Derek Jeter is also rehabbing a busted ankle, so who knows what the Yankees will get from him this season.

The living legend Mariano Rivera is returning from knee surgery, and announced his retirement on Saturday.

Adding insult to injury is that the Yankees really don’t have a “brand name” catcher, and the outfield is filled with question marks. Hmm… sounds like another team we may know…

Right now… I’ll take the Mets projected starting infield of Ike Davis, Daniel Murphy, Ruben Tejada and David Wright, and take them over the Yankees any day. Heck I’ll stack them up against any other infield in baseball. And for the record, I Wright is one of the best all-around third basemen in the game and certainly in New York.

John Buck is a solid veteran with pop behind the plate, and it won’t be long until top catching prospect Travis d`Arnaud makes his way to the big club. I see a bright future for the Mets infield.

As far as the outfield goes, once upon a time, Mookie Wilson and Lenny Dykstra were complete unknowns. So were Jay Payton, Benny Agbayani, Timo Perez, Endy Chavez and Kevin Mitchell. Yet, all these unknown players made it to the post season with the Mets.

Who’s to say Mike Baxter isn’t the next Endy Chavez (get the great catch angle?), or that Lucas Duda won’t be the next Kevin Mitchell. Who knows? The point is nobody knows and that’s the beauty of baseball.

I have no doubt the Yankees will make some lop-sided trades this season and spend some big money for some quick damage control. But who knows how that will turn out either?

I know one thing… This season and moving forward, the Mets have hope for a brighter future built around a solid young core of players and farm system bursting with talent. I’m not so certain you can say the same thing for that other team from the Bronx.

After mugging with several friends on the Venezuelan WBC team, Santana long-tossed in the outfield, and followed that with several pitches off the mound from where he fielded bunts.

The timetable is a bullpen session, then batting practice and possibly pitching in a game, March 14. That would leave three starts before the start to the season.“We’re not worried about April 1,” Collins said. “We’re worried about 30 starts. … This is about protecting him.’’

Collins and Santana didn’t appear on the same page Sunday when the latter threw off the mound and the manager questioning his reasoning later, saying he had nothing to prove.

MUPRHY UPDATE: Daniel Murphy, sidelined with a strained right side muscle, played catch, took grounders and hit in the cage. He followed that up by saying he didn’t have a timetable for when he’d take live batting practice and appear in a game. “I want to play,’’ Murphy said. “But, I want to be smart. There’s three weeks left. There’s time.’’

THE GAME: Jon Niese gave up four runs on six hits in 2.1 innings, and Carlos Torres was hit for seven runs on eight hits in 1.2 innings as the Mets were beaten, 14-10, by the Venezuelan WBC team. Collin Cowgill continues to impress, going 3-for-4 with two RBI as the DH. … Marlon Byrd hit a three-run homer and Lucas Duda was hitless in two at-bats.

K-ROD SEEKS REDEMPTION: Former Mets reliever Francisco Rodriguez did not distinguish himself during his tenure with the Mets. It wouldn’t be a reach to say the highlight of his stay was general manager Sandy Alderson’s ability to trade him the summer after his fight with his former father-in-law outside the family lounge at Citi Field. The punch cost Rodriguez an injured hand and night in jail.

Yesterday, he visited with Collins as a member of Venezuela’s WBC team. He told reporters after the game he would like a chance to make amends with the Mets.

“I would love to,” Rodriguez said. “They’ve got a great coaching staff over there. To come back and redeem myself would be great, because I’ve got to be realistic and honest. You would have to be real blind to not see that I fell when I was there. That’s not even a question. To be able to get one more shot and get it done would be great.”

JUST WONDERING: With Mark Teixeira out eight to ten weeks, and to open the season on the disabled list along with Curtis Granderson and Alex Rodriguez, nobody is projecting a hot start from the Yankees. The media is expected to crush the Yankees assuming a slow start, which could take some of the negative attention away from the Mets.

METS NOTEBOOK: Despite the Mets scoring ten runs, Collins said he’s concerned about the offense. “We’re not swinging the bats very good,’’ he said. “But, we still have around 40 at-bats (per starter) to go.’’ … Kirk Nieuwenhuis is getting treatment on his bruised left knee and said there’s no timetable for his return. I’ll have something with Nieuwenhuis in the morning. … The Mets are in their 25th spring in Port St. Lucie, the seventh longest tenure in the majors. … Matt Harvey will start Thursday against Miami, followed by Greg Burke and Brandon Lyon. … Dillon Gee, Bobby Parnell and Josh Edgin will pitch Friday against Detroit at Lakeland. … Former Mets bullpen coach Guy Conti lives in nearby Vero Beach and is a guest instructor.

Jose Reyes smacked two homers, but it wasn't enough to beat the Yankees on Saturday.

The Mets eight game winning streaked was snapped this afternoon as the Yankees beat up on Mike Pelfrey and handed the Mets a 5-3 loss in game two of the Subway series.

Game Summary

Mike Pelfrey did not continue his streak of great starts as he struggled early and often against the Yankees. He gave up five runs on seven hits and two homeruns in just the first four innings. Not the Pelfrey we are used to this season. However, he did turn it around after that and didn’t give up a hit for the next three innings. Pelfrey ends the day with seven innings pitched, five earned runs on seven hits, and two home runs in the Yankees bandbox of a stadium. Pelfrey also walked three and struck out two batters. I’m liking that Mets pitchers now can at least get into the sixth and seventh inning and keep their team in the game even when losing. Pelfrey receives his second lose of the season.

Ryota Igarashi has seemed to get back into his groove before he went onto the DL in this game. Iggy had an inning pitched, giving up one hit, one walk, and with the help and guidance of Rod Barajas, able to get the clutch strikeout to end the inning. Also, Igarashi’s last two pitches to get the strikeout were 96 and 95 MPH. Glad to see he’s got the high speed when he needs it.

The Mets together only got six hits against three Yankee pitchers and were only able to score three runs in the game. The biggest contributors were the tag team of Jose Reyes and Angel Pagan. Pagan went 2-3 including his thirteenth double of the season.

Jose Reyes had his biggest game, I think, of the season. He continues his hot streak going 2-4 with two big homeruns, three runs-batted in, and three runs scored. I guess the “Mets win when Reyes scores” quote was not in use today as they Mets lost 5-3.

David Wright’s hot streak cooled off going 0-4 with three, count ‘em, three strikeouts. Davis, Carter, Francoeur, and Blanco all had 0-fers in the game as well.

Turning Point

Curtis Granderson’s two-run homer off of Mike Pelfrey in the fourth inning put the Yankees over the Mets and the Mets were never able to come back.

Game Ball

Jose Reyes had a great offensive night, with help from the smallish Yankee Stadium.

Next Game

Mets finish up their Subway series against the Yanks with another matchup of lefty aces with Johan Santana going up against CC Sabathia. Important rubber match for the Mets. Game time is 1:15. Let’s Go Mets! Beat Those Yankees!

But here is where I’m having a hard time….I read a report in USA Today a few days ago about the winners and losers of the winter meetings.  The Mets were not considered to be a winner or a loser.  Think about that.  By being neither, the Mets have cemented themselves as being apathetic and non-committal to the whole hot stove process.  And if you are not intent on improving your team, you are destined to lose more games than you win.  It’s that simple.

And then this morning, I read this piece on Yahoo Sports about Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman, he of the 97 mph fastball.  Dude had a throwing session yesterday in which big league scouts were on hand and here are the teams they mentioned that sent a representative: Yankees, Red Sox, Astros, Nationals, Marlins, A’s and Orioles.  Of course, there were 15 teams represented in all, so there is no telling if the Mets did indeed send someone, but the writer didn’t mention them.  That’s either because the Mets did not care enough to send a scout, or because the writer did not care enough to mention the Mets.  Either way, it’s adding more fuel to the apathy fire.  Because really, why wouldn’t you go overpay like crazy for a guy like Chapman, who not only throws 97 mph, but is a LEFTY who could neutralize those big bats of the Phillies.

I think the version of the Mets you see now is what you’re going to get in April, plus maybe the return of Carlos Delgado.  And wow, what a heartwarming thought that is during the hot stove league season.

A rumored three team deal between the Tigers, Yankees and D’backs is now official according to several sources.

Here is what it looks like:

The Yankees get Curtis Granderson, the D’Backs get Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy, and the Tigers get Max Scherzer, Daniel Schlereth, Austin Jackson, and Phil Coke.

Jon Heyman tweeted the follwing,

Teams in agreement on trade. Assuming medicals check out, it’s a go.

And John Morosi adds more finalization,

They have a deal: Granderson to NYY, E. Jackson and Kennedy to ARI, A. Jackson, Coke, Scherzer, Schlereth to DET.

Congratulations to the World Champs and the kings of New York. Well done. That is exactly how a team is supposed to inspire and excite their fanbase. Once again the Yankees steal the show at the Winter Meetings and send their fans into a celebratory hysteria. Your unending willingness to improve your team is unmatched by your crosstown rivals who are content to wallow in mediocrity.

Last off season the Yankees signed the two biggest available stars in C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira, and their decision paid off handsomely in the form of their 27th World Series title.

Instead of resting on their laurels like many teams would have, the defending World Champs go out and make a huge 3-team blockbuster trade that most fans can only dream about for their teams, but to be fair don’t forget that the Mets also had a 3-team trade in the works

However, it was hardly a blockbuster and more like a toy cap gun with a silencer attachment. In fact, it was more about dumping a player than it was about improving the team on a massive scale like the Yankees did.

Is Curtis Granderson a superstar in the mold of a Teixeira or Crawford? Of course not, but it’s a significant move for the Yankees who add a solid player with tremendous upside, and upgrade an already championship caliber team. The mets can only watch with their mouths agape st the left fielder they could have had will patrol Yankee Stadium instead of Citi Field.

However, fret not Mets fans… Options like Pat Burrell, Juan Pierre, Jose Guillen and Cory Hart are still there for the taking.

In a year when the Mets probably don’t have to engage the Yankees in a bidding war for John Lackey or Matt Holliday, the Mets may actually sit this one out under the pretense that next years free agent crop will be better. That will buy them another year, and of course by then the Yankees will be “all-in” on Carl Crawford and Joe Mauer.

In a year when the Mets were the team that absolutely needed to make the biggest splash, they were once again outdone by their big league brother.

Sometimes it’s tough being a Mets fan in this city.

On this slow Mets news day, for the sake of entertainment, let us assume that both these players are available. Which of them would be a better fit on the Mets?

On the one hand, you have Carl Crawford of the Tampa Rays.

The 28-year old leftfielder owns a lifetime .298 batting average and batted .309 this past season.  He had a career high 60 stolen bases and has led the league in that category four times.

The three-time All Star has also led the league in triples three times and has had 90 or more runs scored four times, including this season when he crossed the plate 98 times.

According to Baseball Reference, Crawford has averaged 28 doubles, 14 triples and 13 homers in his eight year career with a .295 BA / .335 OBP / .437 SLG.

For those of you who value WAR, Crawford checks in with a 5.5. In the field, Crawford excels with a UZR of 17.5 and a UZR/150 of 17.6.

Then we have Curtis Granderson.

The aspiring star of the Detroit Tigers is also 28 and just finished his fourth full season in the majors. Unlike Crawford who is blessed with amazing speed, Granderson is not exactly a slouch and has averaged a modest 15 stolen bases per season, and even led the league in triples himself twice.

He only batted .247 in 2010, but some would look past that and take note that his on-base percentage is a notch better than Crawford. (.344 v .335) Granderson strikes out a lot and once swung and missed 174 times to lead the league in his first full season. Last year he whiffed 141 times.

The one thing Granderson convincingly has over Crawford is his enormous power which continues to grow. Last season he hit a career high 30 homers after swatting 23 and 23 big flies in the two years prior.

His career slugging percentage stands at .484. He had a 3.4 WAR last season. Defensively, Granderson played mostly centerfield for the Tigers and had a UZR and UZR/150 of 1.9, a significant improvement over the prior season when he finished with a -9.4. That said, those who watch Granderson everyday will tell you he is a human highlight reel in the outfield.

According to Baseball Reference, Granderson has averaged 30 doubles, 14 triples, 25 homeruns, 105 runs and 72 RBI per season. That’s a heck of an average season.

Although both of these gifted players would represent major upgrades in leftfield for the Mets, which one really represents what the Mets need most?

Would you be happier with another top of the order hitter to join Jose Reyes and Luis Castillo, or more of a power hitter who could bat behind Carlos Beltran?

Honestly, you can’t go wrong with either of them. But if I had the final say, I would probably choose Granderson in this case.

Also, just because both rumors suggesting their availability have been debunked, it’s no secret that both teams may be cutting payroll next season. Most teams will not admit to having a player on the block because it creates bad feelings if they ultimately choose to keep the player or can’t move him. Especially when those players are fan favorites like Crawford and Granderson are. So just because they say they are not on the block, it doesn’t always mean they are not being shopped or taking offers.