Believe it or not, I ended up missing most of the game last night tending to some medical issues. But you have to love the the technology era we live in. Thanks to my phone, those mid-inning video updates from the MLB app, my Twitter app, and of course DVR. It felt like I was there. This morning at 7:05 AM I watched the game in it’s entirety and wow was I impressed.

I can’t even begin to  imagine the enormous amount of pressure Wheeler had to deal with in the days, hours and minutes leading up to his first MLB pitch. There was a lot riding on it and the jitters were obvious, but so was everything we ever heard about the kid. That fastball was explosive, the curve was huge, and that slider looked like an effective weapon as well. It’s clear to me that changing speeds will be the key to Wheeler’s prolonged success. Any of those pitches can be an out pitch for him.

This much is now clear to me. The future of the New York Mets is now in the hands of Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler, much as it was in 1968 with Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman.

I’m not drawing comparisons to those two all time Mets greats. Of course, Harvey and Wheeler have years to go and a lot to accomplish before we even mention them in the same breath as Seaver and Koosman. But as far as their impact goes, I see a perfect symmetry between 1968 and 2013. In both those years, a pair of highly touted young pitchers created a seismic shift that would impact the franchise in very much the same way.

I don’t need to state the obvious to all of you, but Harvey and Wheeler are here to stay and are permanent fixtures in this plan we keep hearing about. Of course, whether this translates to a new Mets dynasty remains to be seen. You can’t win games without run support, as Harvey has plainly shown, being denied seven wins already this season.

Scoring runs is where it becomes tricky for the Mets. They have no can’t-miss hitting prospects on the way, and it’s already been three years without one significant addition to the MLB roster. That’s an extremely long time for any GM to find just one piece of the puzzle, but it is what it is.

Alderson acknowledged his failure in that area, but preaches patience and sounded like someone who wanted another chance from the Mets fan base before they give up on him like so many already have. Sandy said he would add one and possibly two significant additions to the lineup prior to the All Star break, so I’m willing to see what that is.

Obviously, he knows and we know that it will take at least a couple of young arms, but rest assured neither will be Harvey or Wheeler. So are we talking Rafael Montero and Noah Syndergaard? Absolutely. Those are the only two arms that rival GM’s know and want.

We’ll see how it plays out. For now, enjoy the moment and the spectacle of Harvey and Wheeler. Any future greatness for this franchise begins and ends with those two.

Terry Collins and David Wright knew the significance of what happened on that mound at Turner Field last night.

“I saw some big things obviously out of those two guys, and I just hope, not only you guys that were here to see it, but people saw it,” Collins said. “They’re going to enjoy watching these two young guys for a long time. They’re going to be around, and they’re going to be in the same rotation. You got two guys that can win some baseball games for you.”

The Mets captain was equally impressed and liked what he saw.

“That’s a formidable two arms that hopefully develop into a 1-A and a 1-B,” Wright said. “Obviously, just like every other Mets fan, I was eager to see what all the hype was about. It gives you a good glimpse of what could be in the very near future.”

Harvey and Wheeler alone are not “The Plan”, but last night we did see a big chunk of that plan.

Martino says this supports Alderson’s claim that he could be a buyer at the trade deadline and not a seller which many expected to be the case.

The GM’s decision not to shop the closer speaks to the difference in his approach this year. Despite the team’s ghastly play, Alderson is shooting for contention as soon as possible, and is ready to build the big league team; as we have reported, the Mets are far more likely to trade prospects next month than acquire them. Alderson is looking for outfielders under control beyond this season, among other major leaguers.

“What I’d like to be able to do is maybe acquire a player or two who will not only be with us this year but into the future,” Alderson told the fans. “That makes sense and is consistent with what we’ve been trying to do longer term. We’re going to keep working at it and I’m sure you’ll see some different faces between now and say the end of July or the All-Star break.”

Parnell is 5-3 with a 2.83 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP in 29 games this season. He has 26 strikeouts in 28.2 innings. He has nine saves in 12 opportunities this season.

Before the weekend, MetsBlog posted something on trading Daniel Murphy and Bobby Parnell. I found the thought of that difficult to believe and discussed it with SNY editorial producer Andrew Vazzano, who told me it was being discussed by the team. ”We’re not just pulling this stuff out of thin air. These are things that are being discussed by the team.”

My problem with trading either player is that it purges the team of two more major league talents. After listening to Sandy Alderson this weekend, it’s clear that he’s done trading established talent and has shifted gears.

He is now intent on adding the players he needs to build around David Wright, Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler.

And you can bet your bottom dollar that unlike Lucas Duda and Ruben Tejada, he DOES consider Daniel Murphy and Bobby Parnell as part of the future of this team – as well he should.

Murphy is putting up numbers at second base that we haven’t seen in a long time, and Parnell is the first homegrown closer we’ve developed since… Randy Myers perhaps?

I’m not saying nobody is untouchable, because when you’re this bad nobody should be untouchable. But let’s be real here, and lets stop creating storylines based on speculation or flimsy evidence.

Who would replace Murphy and Parnell if we were to move them? And how do you then rebuild a team around one position player in Wright and three starting pitchers in Harvey, Niese and Wheeler? That would take another five years on top of the five losing seasons we’ve already endured. Does anybody want that?

David Wright, 3B

MMO Player of the Week!

Just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse, the Mets go ahead and prove us wrong. Although it’s a long shot to say that anybody was expecting to win a series against the best team in baseball (and the way this team was playing, against the Cubs), hopes were not high coming into the week. The streaky defense and simply atrocious offense were barely able to scrape out two wins in six games played. In an otherwise depressing week, one man stood out above the rest: our Player Of The Week, David Wright!

Wright sparked his offensive resurgence with a double and a homer in the Mets’ 5-1 win against Shelby Miller on Wednesday. He proceeded to single three times the following day, walk and single another three times on Friday, walk and double on Saturday and double once more on Sunday. A player getting this many hits was almost an alien concept to us; until we remembered who was getting them. He’s a 6-time all star for a reason and this week did nothing but remind us of that. His collective 10 hits gives him a phenomenal line of .529/.600/.824 for the week and a line of .297/.390/.491 on the year. Wright has been the only player contributing anything to this horrid offense as of late. It’s quite frustrating to see him waste his talents in a lineup that offers no protection around him. Thankfully, he’ll be around for 7 more years to come.

HONORABLE MENTION:

How could we forget Matt Harvey? The young stud had another great start, yielding only 5 hits and one run while striking out 7. His only mistake (yes, he can make mistakes) came on a hanging breaking ball that Matt Carpenter took full advantage of, smacking a line drive past the diving Marlon Byrd and resulting in an RBI triple. Harvey settled down after that and did not let another run cross the plate. Unfortunately for him, the lack of offense and ugly bullpen pitching undeservedly handed Harvey his first loss of the season. Hey, at least it wasn’t another no decision… right?

*Stats taken into consideration are from 6/9 – 6/15 and will run from Sunday – Saturday going ahead…

David Wright has gained some ground on Pablo Sandoval according to the latest All Star voting update released by Major League Baseball this evening.

Last week, Sandoval had more than a 200,000 vote lead, but now Wright has narrowed that gap to just 126,403 votes.

The Mets have made an aggressive push to get the vote out, as has MMO and we are starting to make a big impact. There’s no question that Wright is the most deserving third baseman in the National League, and we should do everything we can to close the gap and get this done for one of our own!

Modest and humble as always, the Mets captain spoke out about the organization’s ambitious get-out-the-vote campaign and asked them to tone it down, saying:

“You appreciate what they’re trying to do, and they’re very good at it. But, at the same time, this is a team game. As much as I’d like to be here to represent this team in the All-Star Game, we can’t let this become an in-between inning, one-player production. Especially with the way that we’re playing as a team, I feel very uncomfortable being singled out for All-Star Game-type stuff.”

Wright’s a class act and it’s up to us to make sure he’s at third base when that first pitch is thrown during the 2013 All-Star Game at Citi Field on Tuesday, July 16.

Met fans can support Wright and the rest of the team by using this Official Online All Star Ballot until Thursday, July 4, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

*** Remember that you can vote up to 25 times, and you can cast 10 more votes just by registering with MLB.com.

The 2013 AL and NL All-Star teams will be unveiled on Sunday, July 7, on the 2013 MLB All-Star Game Selection Show, televised nationally on TBS.

#VOTEMETS

Chicago Cubs vs New York Mets

Citi Field, Flushing • 1:10 PM

RHP Matt Garza (1-1, 6.26) vs RHP Jeremy Hefner (1-6, 4.11)

Starting Lineup

1. Jordany Valdespin – 2B
2. Daniel Murphy – 1B
3. David Wright – 3B
4. Marlon Byrd – RF
5. Lucas Duda – LF
6. John Buck – C
7. Omar Quintanilla – SS
8. Kirk Nieuwenhuis – CF
9. Jeremy Hefner – RHP

Game Notes

The Mets haven’t scored more than five runs at home in their last 25 games (since April 25). It’s the third-longest streak in team history, behind a pair of 26-game stretches (1968, 1979).

Jeremy Hefner’s 4.11 ERA ranks second among Mets starters, and he’s allowed only one earned run in each of his last two starts. He also hasn’t had a non-quality start since May 18 — which came against the Cubs.

Third baseman David Wright flied out to the warning track in left in his third plate appearance on Saturday, snapping a career-high-tying streak of reaching in nine straight plate appearances. Wright, five hits shy of 1,500 for his career, is batting .455 with two homers in his last eight games, five of which have been multi-hit efforts.

Carlos Torres exercised a clause in his contract which essentially forced the Mets to promote him to the majors. The Mets had 48 hours to either promote or release Torres after he exercised the clause on Friday. Greg Burke was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas, while Collin McHugh was designated for assignment to make room for Torres on the 40-man roster.

Ike Davis was 1-for-4 with a walk, RBI and two strikeouts Saturday night for Las Vegas. He is bating .211 since his demotion.

Mets players will be wearing blue wristbands and blue ribbon uniform decals today to raise awareness for the Prostate Cancer Foundation…New york is 26-32 all-time on Father’s Day, including 1-2 vs. the Cubs.

Game Preview

The Mets try to redeem themselves today as they play the Cubs after dropping the first two games in the series. Yesterday Jon Niese fumbled through his start but left the team in a position where (under normal circumstances with a lineup that can string together hits into runs) a team could still win. That didn’t happen as the bullpen took a misstep, widened the lead and the Mets offense faded into the distance. Today Jeremy Hefner, making another audition to stay in the rotation when Wheeler arrives, faces off against Matt Garza.

Hefner has been a nice surprise on the team this season. Don’t let the 1-6 record fool you, he has been putting in work this season (sorry, I’m with my students too much and it’s changing my vernacular). Over 13 games he has pitched 70.0 innings with a 4.11 ERA walking 22 batters and striking out 51. In his last four games he has pitched to the tune of a 2.52 ERA over 25.0 innings with 21 strikeouts.His last poor start was against the Cubs where he allowed 4 ER over 4.0 innings of work. The Cubs have the following numbers against him:

Schierholtz 2-6
Castro 0-4
Rizzo 1-3
Soriano 1-1, 2B, 2 HBP
Barney 0-2

The Mets bats go up against Garza who is 1-1 over 5 starts and 27.1 innings of work while posting a 6.26 ERA. This is mostly due to his last outing where he allowed 9 ER in 5.0 innings. He wasn’t pitching yet this season when the Mets went to Chicago. The last time the Mets met up with Garza was back in 2011 where he allowed 3 ER in 7.0 innings of work. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

Buck 3-12, 2 2B
Byrd 4-11, 2 HR
Duda 0-3
Wright 0-3
Turner 0-1

Lets Go Mets!

David Wright reached base in a career high-tying nine consecutive plate appearances after walking and hitting a run scoring double in his first two trips to the plate yesterday. He also accomplished the feat, August 23-24, 2005. Wright had six singles, a double and two walks during his streak.

Since June 5, the Mets third baseman is hitting .441 (15-34) with five runs scored, three doubles, two home runs and six RBI over a span of eight games. His on-base percentage during that span is .500 and he has multi-hit games in five of those eight contests.

Wright is five hits shy of 1,500 for his career. He already is the franchise holder for career hits. He would become the 30th active player to collect 1,500 hits, but of the previous 29 players only six have collected 1,500 hits with their current team (Derek Jeter, Todd Helton, Paul Konerko, Jimmy Rollins, David Ortiz and Robinson Cano).

Chicago Cubs vs New York Mets

Scott Feldman (5-5, 3.22) vs Jonathon Niese (3-5, 4.24)

Citi Field, Flushing • 1:10 PM

 Starting Lineup

1. Jordany Valdespin – 2B
2. Daniel Murphy – 1B
3. David Wright – 3B
4. Marlon Byrd – RF
5. Lucas Duda – LF
6. Justin Turner – SS
7. Anthony Recker – C
8. Juan Lagares – CF
9. Jonathon Niese – LHP

Game Notes

Terry Collins said before the game today that shortstop Ruben Tejada is not close to being activated from the disabled list. Tejada has yet to begin running on flat ground; but has been running in a pool. Tejada, 23, injured his quad sliding awkwardly to field a foul popup on the third base side during one of the subway series game against the Yankees. He was initially expected to miss up to eight weeks.

Shaun Marcum allowed four runs in the second inning last night…It was the sixth time this year he’s surrendered three or more runs in an inning…Marcum has allowed 20 of his 34 runs this year in those six innings…Marcum has allowed at least one multi-run inning in each start this year. Marcum dropped to 0-8, the second-longest skid in franchise history to begin a Mets career, as the Chicago Cubs won the series opener, 6-3, Friday night at Citi Field.

David Wright went 3-3 with a walk last night and ended Thursday’s game with three straight singles…He has reached base safely in seven straight plate appearances (six singles, one walk), tying the third-longest streak of his career…Wright reached base safely in a career-best nine straight plate appearances from August 23-24, 2005. Since June 5, Wright is hitting .452 (14-31) with five RBI over a span of seven games.

Daniel Murphy went 2-2 with two RBI tonight with runners in scoring position…Murphy is hitting 16-52 (.308) with RISP this season…Murphy is hitting .522 (12-23) with RISP and two outs.

Jon Niese was 2-0 after his first three starts, and he got a combined 34 runs of support in those two games. However, his record has dipped to 3-5, and the Mets have averaged just 2.6 runs per game in his last nine appearances.

Scott Atchison pitched a scoreless inning tonight for Binghamton (AA) of the Eastern League vs. Bowie…Atchison allowed one hit and recorded one strikeout…He’s been on the 15-Day Disabled List since May 14 with inflammation of his right elbow.

Zack Wheeler, the Mets’ top pitching prospect, is scheduled to make his Major League debut Tuesday in the second game of a doubleheader against the Braves. Mets manager Terry Collins on Friday officially announced Wheeler would pitch in the second game of the twin bill, and Collins acknowledged the start would be widely watched, no matter when the 23-year-old made it.

Thanks everybody for the support along this road to the show. It's an honor to be called up by the @Mets Big thanks to my family and friends

— Zack wheeler (@Wheelerpro45) June 15, 2013

And the great fans of NY. It's going to be very exciting for many years to come. Thanks again everybody.

— Zack wheeler (@Wheelerpro45) June 15, 2013

Game Preview

The Mets look to bounce back from last night’s game as they face the Cubs in game two with Scott Feldman going up against Jon Niese. Niese is 3-5 over 12 games on the season while pitching 68.0 innings with a 4.24 ERA. In his last four starts he’s totaled 27.0 innings with a 1.69 ERA walking 7 while striking out 18. He missed the Cubs earlier this season and last year he allowed 8 ER over 14.0 innings against the Cubs who have the following numbers agaisnt the Mets:

Soriano 4-14, 2B
Castro 5-13, 3B, HR
Barney 4-9
Rizzo 1-7, 2B
Hairston 0-3

The Mets bats go up against Scott Feldman who is 5-5 over 12 starts and 72.2 innings with a 3.22 ERA. His last four starts have been a palindrome of sorts as he has gone 5.1 IP, 5 ER, 6 IP with 2 ER, 6 IP with 2 ER and most recently 6.0 IP with 5 ER. He looked good against the Mets earlier this season as went 6.2 innings (he has only done that twice this season) allowing 7 hits and no runs. The Mets have the following numbers against Feldman:

Buck 3-15, 2 2B, HR
Wright 1-5
Duda 1-3
Murphy 2-3
Cowgill 0-2

Lets Go Mets!

Chicago Cubs (26-38) vs New York Mets (24-37)

Citi Field, Flushing  • 7:10 PM  

Edwin Jackson, RHP vs Shaun Marcum, RHP

Starting Lineup

1. Jordany Valdespin, 2b
2. Daniel Murphy, 1b
3. David Wright, 3b
4. Lucas Duda, lf
5. Marlon Byrd, rf
6. John Buck, c
7. Omar Quintanilla, ss
8. Juan Lagares, cf
9. Shaun Marcum, rhp

Game Notes

The Mets have a 2-7 record in June and the Cubs are 3-8, and the teams will begin a three-game series at Citi Field on Friday.

Mets Manager Terry Collins was named to this year’s National League All-Star coaching staff yesterday by NL All-Star manager Bruce Bochy of the San Francisco Giants. It will be the second straight year Collins has served on the All-Star coaching staff after working under Tony La Russa last year in Kansas City. Collins also was a coach for the NL team at the 1995 All-Star Game in Texas.

Major League Baseball also announced yesterday that Mets head trainer Ray Ramirez will serve on the National League training staff for the 84th All-Star Game this year. Ramirez was a trainer for the American League All-Star team in 2004 in Houston.

The Mets have hit 12 home runs over their last eight games, including six home runs in their last four contests. New York has hit 31 home runs in 34 home games this year…The Mets had 67 home runs in 82 home games last year.

Marlon Byrd hit his 10th home run of the year yesterday, marking the fifth time he’s reached double-digit home runs in his career. It’s the first time he’s reach double-digit home runs since 2010 when he had 12. Byrd also hit 10 home runs in 2007 and 2008 and had a career-high 20 home runs in 2009 with Texas.

Mets starting pitchers have collected eight consecutive quality starts at home, compiling a 1.63 ERA (10 earned runs/55.1 innings) over this run, which began on May 26. The Mets are 4-4 in those games. Over the team’s last 17 games, Mets starters have compiled a 2.88 ERA (35 earned runs/109.1 innings) with 104 strikeouts.

Since June 5, David Wright is hitting .393 (11-28) with five runs scored, two doubles, two home runs and five RBI over a span of six games. His on-base percentage during that span is .433. He has multi-hit games in four of those six contests. Wright trails the Giants’ Pablo Sandoval by 200,776 votes at third base after the latest All-Star starting player fan voting was released on Sunday. Fans can vote online at Mets.com.

Zack Wheeler allowed one hit and one run over 5.2 innings last night for Las Vegas (AAA) vs. Tacoma. He struck out seven and issued two walks, but suffered the loss in the 11-0 setback. Wheeler is 4-2 with a 3.93 ERA (30 earned runs/68.2 innings) and ranks fifth in the Pacific Coast League with 73 strikeouts and ninth with a 1.28 WHIP.

Rafael Montero was promoted to Las Vegas (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League where he will start tomorrow vs. Colorado Springs. Montero was 7-3 with a 2.43 ERA (18 earned runs/66.2 innings) with 72 strikeouts in 11 starts with Binghamton (AA). He was third in the Eastern League in ERA, first with a 0.92 WHIP and sixth in strikeouts…Montero had a 23.2 Eastern League scoreless innings streak.

Game Preview

The Mets and Cubs start a series in New York tonight as the Mets continue to look for a reliable source of offense. Yesterday Harvey allowed one run, and that was enough to lose the game as the Mets bats did nothing for him, even with David Wright going 3-4. Anyway tonight Edwin Jackson gets the nod for Cubs as he goes up against Shaun Marcum.

Marcum was the definition of hard luck in his last outing. After the the Mets / Marlins game went into extras, Marcum took the hill and tossed 7 scorless frames. In his 8th inning, the 20th in the game, he allowed one run, which saddled him with the loss. It was one of the longest relief outings in major league baseball since the late 80′s and an impressive outing for Shaun forcing his season ERA down to 4.96. However, the Mets bats struggled and he is now 0-7 on the season. The Cubs have the following numbers against Marcum:

DeJesus 3-23, 2B
Navarro 5-19, HR
Castro 2-16, 3B, HR
Barney 4-14, 3 2B, HR
Soriano 2-11, 2B

Edwin Jackson is 2-8 this season over 12 games and 65.2 innings while posting an ERA of 5.76. He picked up the loss against the Mets earlier this season allowing 3 ER over 6.2 innings of work. The Mets have the following numbers against Edwin:

Byrd 6-21, 4 2B, HR
Buck 3-16, HR
Wright 4-13, HR
Murphy 2-12, HR
Valdespin 0-6

Lets Go Mets!

“It’s nice when the organization is trying so hard to do something for one of their players and I can’t thank them enough for that,” Wright said.

“But at the same time, I’ve asked them to kind of back it down a little bit, especially with the stuff between innings. You appreciate what they’re trying to do, and they’re very good-hearted, but at the same time, this is a team game.”

Interestingly enough, Wright told reporters that it wasn’t the Mets reaching out to Cougar Life that bothered him the most, although I’m sure it had to play some part.

Yesterday, Deadspin leaked a series of email exchanges between the Mets and Cougar Life who was asking them to get their clientele, comprised of older women, to vote for David Wright after they named him “The Hottest Cub.”

I’m glad Wright spoke up. I think it’s better when fan sites like this one and others do what they can to drum up voting and I thought the Cougar Life thing was way off putting for my tastes.

Am I surprised that Wright reached out to someone in the Mets’ marketing department and asked them to turn down the volume? Not at all… This speaks to the type of person Wright is; one who takes integrity and honor very seriously.

Honestly, Wright deserves to be starting over Pablo Sandoval. He blows him and most third baseman in the league out of the water across many statistical categories.

The lack of voting support is not a reflection of the Mets fan base which is three times larger than the San Francisco Giants fan base.

I blame the fact that Wright is not leading in the vote to the product on the field and five straight losing seasons which has seen many Met fans tuning out.

The fan base has become disconnected, divided, frustrated and unwilling to pay good money to watch the team. You have some that are more patient who grin and bare it, while others are just so sick of the losing and are unwilling to tolerate it anymore.

My advice to the Mets is to fix the team and I will assure you that the All Star voting will fix itself…

There will be no more need for gimmicks and stunts like Cougar Life.

The problems isn’t the fan base, it’s you.

Don’t blame us… Blame yourselves…

Now go and cast 35 votes for David Wright if you haven’t already by voting here…

Original Post 6/13

Deadspin writes:

When the first vote totals for the MLB All-Star Game were released last week, David Wright was in second. A desperate Mets marketing department didn’t want Wright to lose to Pablo Sandoval for the second year in a row, especially not with the game being held at Citi Field. So one employee decided to turn to an untapped voting base, one that would support Wright in droves: tens of thousands of older women who want to **** him.

You have to read the entire email interaction here….

Last month, Cougar Life—”the cougar dating site for younger hot men to meet sexy older professional women”—surveyed its female members. David Wright beat out Cole Hamels and Matt Kemp to take the title of “hottest cub.”

Ummm… I like my way better… Just #VoteWright… Go here…

It took us all winter to recover but when April 07 rolled around, we were ready. Sometimes you learn and become stronger by losing. 86 was an amazin’ year, but lets not forget the fact we lost two close pennant races in 84 and 85. We’d learn, we’d grow, we’d be hungry. So obviously, 2007 would surely be our year. But it was not to be. After the Mets historical collapse, blowing a seven game lead with 17 games left, it was devastating. Choking is for OTHER teams: The Cubs in 69, the entire division in 73, Boston in the 10th inning. But still, we dusted ourselves off and looked forward to next year.

But 2008 brought more heartbreak. For the second straight year, our Mets missed the wild card by one game on the very last day of the season.

That period was undoubtedly the most heartbreaking, gut-wrenching three year span in team history. But man oh man, what I wouldn’t give to be in that situation again. I view those years as a great movie…that just had a bad ending.

The Mets fan base is an interesting bunch. Since our inception, we’ve never expected much. Look, if we wanted to win every year, we’d be Yankee fans. The difference between us and them is simple: Yankee fans feel anything less than the post-season is a failure. On the flip-side, Mets fans are generally content finishing at .500.

We don’t ask for a dynasty. We don’t hunger for 20 straight division titles or however many the Braves won. Cardinal fans have seen their team competing year-in and year-out since the 1930′s. San Francisco waited over fifty years for their first title. Yet, they have always had solid fan support.

But us? We just ask for competitive baseball. Just give us a good team. Not great. Good. Fun to watch. And maybe an actual pennant race thrown in once in awhile for good measure. That’s all we ask. Yet, we can’t even get that from the Wilpons and Alderson.

Those of us who witnessed the Seaver/Koosman days always hold it close to our heart. But think about it. In the 8 years from 69 to 76, we got just 1 championship and 2 pennants. Yet, the sweet cherished memories are recalled fondly. We talk about the 80’s as if we were the Yankees of the 1920’s. However, we only managed one World Series and one division title. The reason these years are so special for us is NOT because we won a string of championships, NOT because we dominated the league year after year. Rather, we were good. Competitive. From 69 through 76 and from 84 through 90, we knew we at least had a shot.

Those feelings of hope are now long gone. 162 games of Mets baseball is no longer fun and enjoyable, but seems more like six months of torture. In the mid 80’s, even if the Mets trailed, you could just FEEL that we’d win. It was not a matter of IF we’d win, but HOW we’d win. Over the last few years, even if the Mets are leading late, we expect the worst. We anticipate the bullpen blowing a lead or someone making an error that opens the floodgates.

Yes, we’d love to be Champions…but we’d be content with just being good and respectable. Me personally? I’d love to go through the pain and heartbreak of 06, 07, and 08 all over again. It sucked at the time. But it was nice to be oh-so-close. Ask yourself: Would you rather see the Mets lose the Wild Caed in game 162 or basically being out of it by Memorial Day.

Sandy Alderson’s first season was 2011. Since that time, our attendance and our wins have gone down while disgust and contempt has gone up. It was just 2007, not really that long ago, where the Mets were considered the powerhouse of the NL East. For once, WE were the team to beat. Yet, since Alderson has taken over, not only have we not been competitive and not only have we fans become an embittered and sour bunch, but we haven’t even played a meaningful game after the All-Star Break.

Last season we surprised some people by staying in the thick of things for the first half. But we then faltered badly. This season has been a monumental failure almost since Opening Day. I mention about the good ol’ days of 06-08. Hell, I can even refer to the good ol’ days of 2012 where, at least for a little while, we had hope. Hope– something that doesn’t exist anymore.

To Sandy, Fred and Jeff—we’re not asking for a dynasty or to dominate the league for 5 straight years. Just a decent product, a team we could support and feel excited about. That’s all. We’d be happy with that. But as we are in the midst of season number three with Alderson, not only does a championship appear nowhere on the horizon, but even respectability seems like an impossible dream.

As I said earlier, 06-08 was like a great movie that just had a bad ending. Now, with the current state of this team, we are just a bad movie. Period. If the 2013 Mets were a movie, I’d walk out of the theater after 20 minutes and ask for a refund.

St. Louis Cardinals vs New York Mets

RHP Adam Wainwright vs RHP Matt Harvey

Starting Lineup

1. Jordany Valdespin – 2B
2. Omar Quintanilla – SS
3. David Wright – 3B
4. Daniel Murphy – 1B
5. Lucas Duda – LF
6. Marlon Byrd – RF
7. John Buck – C
8. Kirk Nieuwenhuis – CF
9. Matt Harvey – RHP

Game Notes

The Mets have had six weather postponements this season, the most of any major league team. The Mets will play a doubleheader at Atlanta on June 18, a single game at Colorado on June 27, a split doubleheader at Washington on July 26, a single contest at Minnesota on August 19 and a single-admission doubleheader on September 14 vs. Miami.

The Mets are 9-16 in day games this year, including 4-10 at home. David Wright is ninth in the NL with a .351 batting average during the day.

The Mets hit three home runs (Lucas Duda, David Wright, Marlon Byrd) last night. It was the club’s third three-home run game in the last seven games (also June 2 at Miami and June 5 at Washington). It was the seventh time this season the Mets had three or more home runs in a game. The Mets hit three or more home runs eight times last year.

The Mets have hit 11 home runs over their last seven games, including five in their last three contests. New York has hit 30 home runs in 33 home games. The Mets had 67 home runs in 82 home games last year.

Mets starting pitchers have collected seven consecutive quality starts at home, compiling a 1.68 ERA (nine earned runs/48.1 innings) over this run, which began on May 26. Over the team’s last 16 games, Mets starters have compiled a 2.99 ERA (34 earned runs/102.1 innings) with 97 strikeouts.

Matt Harvey is undefeated after his first 13 starts of a season extending his franchise record. Dating back to his final start of 2012, he has gone 14 consecutive starts without a loss. Only four pitchers in Mets history have gone at least 15 straight starts without a loss: Johan Santana (18; 7/4/08-4/6/09), Dwight Gooden (18; 5/30/85-8/25/85), Tom Seaver (18; 8/9/69-5/6/70) and R.A. Dickey (16; 4/25/12-7/19/12).

Harvey has eight no-decisions in his last nine starts. This marks the 29th time in major league history that a starting pitcher received eight no-decisions in a nine-start span within one season (with no relief appearances during that streak). Harvey’s 2.66 ERA over those nine starts is the lowest in any of those 29 sequences. The previous low was a 3.07 ERA by Cincinnati’s Erik Hanson from June 12-July 28 in 1994. Harvey is third in the NL with a 2.10 ERA and is fourth in the NL with 95 strikeouts.

Opponents have swung and missed at least 10 times in each of Matt Harvey’s last 16 starts, the longest current streak against any major league pitcher. Harvey is the first pitcher in Mets history with four or more strikeouts and three or fewer walks in 19 consecutive starts. Surpassed Dwight Gooden’s streak of 16 such performances in 1985. Harvey’s streak is the longest in the majors since Cliff Lee had 24 straight such starts from July 4, 2012-May 6, 2013.

The Mets six minor league teams (Las Vegas, Binghamton, St. Lucie, Savannah and the two Dominican League teams) have combined for a .565 (156-120) winning percentage, the third-best among major league teams. Only Texas (.574) and Houston (.566) are better.

Left-handed reliever Jack Leathersich was promoted to Las Vegas (AAA) after last night’s game. Leathersich was 2-0 with three saves and a 1.53 ERA (five earned runs/29.1 innings) in 24 games with Binghamton (AA). Leathersich had 55 strikeouts in those 29.1 innings. Leathersich has 194 strikeouts in 114.0 innings during his minor league career.

Game Preview

The Mets and Cardinals play the rubber game of the series today, which also falls on Matt Harvey Day! In a slightly, not as exciting theme, Harvey Day is once again “really bad weather day”. The tri-state is looking at another 1-2 inches of rain today, so it will be interesting to see if the Mets can get this game in today. Anyway, last night the Mets finally won again thanks to a third great start in a row by Dillon Gee and solo homers by Duda, Wright and Byrd. Harvey goes up against a villain in Mets history: Adam Wainwright.

Matt Harvey is 5-0 on the season while pitching 13 games over 90.0 innings of work with a 2.10 ERA and 95 strikeouts. After having a bad start two starts ago, Harvey bounced back with a 7.0 inning, 1 run performance. The Mets bats however decided to dip out for the season day, so the Mets ended up losing in 20 innings. He faced the Cardinals last season allowing 3 ER over 5.0 innings while striking out 4 batters. The Cardinals have the following numbers against Harvey:

Craig 1-3
Freese 1-3
Holliday 0-3
Jay 1-2
Molina 1-2

Adam Wainwright is 9-3 on the season over 13 starts with a 2.34 ERA while pitching 96.0 innings. He leads the league with 3 complete games and 2 complete game shutouts (and wins too). One of his losses this year came from the Mets who got 6 hits and 4 runs, 3 earned, over 6.0 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

Wright 3-12, 2 2B
Buck 1-11, HR
Byrd 3-11, 2B
Duda 2-5, 2B, HR
Murphy 6-9, 2 2B, 3B
Omar Q 4-9, 2 2B

Lets Go Mets!

Dillon Gee was dominant for the Mets as they beat the St. Louis Cardinals by the score of 5-1 tonight at Citi Field to even the series at one game apiece.

It was the third consecutive solid outing for Gee who is 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA in that span. The righthander held one of the most potent offenses in the game to just one earned run tonight in 6.2 innings pitched, scattering just six hits and two walks while striking out seven. Just a tremendous effort from Gee who improves to 5-6 for the season.

The Mets roughed up highly touted pitching phenom Shelby Miller for three home runs tonight. Lucas Duda went deep in the fourth inning to put the Mets up 3-0, David Wright launched a towering drive in the sixth, and Marlon Byrd blasted his ninth homer of the season in the seventh to complete the trifecta. All three homers were solo shots.

Jordany Valdespin and Omar Quintanilla went 0-for-8 at the top of the order, but Mets 3-4-5 hitters saved the day going 5-for-11 with four RBIs and four runs scored.

The bullpen did the job with 2.1 perfect innings of relief from Scott Rice, Brandon Lyon and Bobby Parnell.

Breaking News: We cannot confirm or deny reports that Josh Satin was abducted by aliens en route from Las Vegas on Sunday. However we do believe that Satin may have become the victim of foul play at the hands of a menacing manager who goes by the name of Terry Collins and is known to prey on rookies.

With the win the Mets improve their record to 24-36. Weather permitting (there’s a wicked storm brewing) dueling aces square off with Matt Harvey (5-0, 2.10 ERA) opposing Adam Wainwright (9-3, 2.34) at 1:10 PM.

Lets Go Mets!

Two years ago, never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be typing the first six words of this post, but it’s true. Daniel Murphy has proven himself as a formidable second baseman in 2013, and jerking him around the diamond is not going to do him or the Mets any favors.

The 28-year old Jacksonville-native has had a remarkable year on both sides of the diamond this season, most impressively in the progression of his fielding. Coming off a season in which he was an eye sore at second in 2012 and looked very inexperienced, Murphy has busted out this season to emerge as one of the better defensive second baseman in the National League. Murphy has had improved range, better footwork and has just looked more like a middle infielder, not to mention he leads all NL second baseman with 42 double plays turned.

There is no doubt that Murphy’s advancements at second are a direct result of his getting consistent time there to learn the ins and outs of the position. When I spoke with Murphy last month, he confirmed this.

“Having more time there has made me become more consistent, more comfortable, and has given me a better understanding of how to position myself and how much time I have,” said Murphy.

Now that he is finally settled into his new home on the diamond, Terry Collins has opted to throw a monkey wrench into that plan and send Murphy over to first with the demotion of Ike Davis and stick Jordany Valdespin at second when facing right-handed pitching.

I understand wanting to get the best righty/lefty matchups and I especially would like to see Valdespin get some consistent at-bats, but not only is it not fair to Murphy to unroot him from the position he has taken the better part of three season to learn, but it also isn’t right to have Josh Satin ride the pine until a southpaw comes along after he has worked so hard all year in Triple-A Las Vegas.

They cannot do to Satin what they did to Lagares and have him rot in the dugout. They called him up, he should be getting regular at-bats.

I get that Collins wants to get a good look at what their young guys can do now that the white flag has been all but waved, however Murphy is presumably the Mets second baseman of the future, not Valdespin. Valdespin’s future in orange and blue is in the outfield.

Murphy along with David Wright have been the primary offensive producers this year in 2013, and disrupting Murph’s defensive groove could potentially also affect his bat, which the Mets cannot afford to happen if they have any hope of finishing above the Marlins.

The Mets have spent three years making Daniel Murphy a second baseman, now keep him there. 

Jeremy Hefner started the game and while he was charged with six runs, only one of them were earned. He let up eight hits and walked two in 7.0 innings pitched  while striking out two. One of the hits was a three-run blast by Allen Craig in the fifth.

Greg Burke allowed two unearned runs in the sixth inning and David Aardsma allowed a solo home run to Shane Robinson in the eighth inning to complete the Cardinals nine-run output.

Sloppy game defensively for the Mets who had two critical errors; one by Daniel Murphy who was making his first start of the season at first base, and another by Kirk Nieuwenhuis who misjudged a flyball in right field. In baseball, the ball always finds you.

All of the Mets scoring came in the first inning on a solo homer by Omar Quintanilla, his second, and a sac fly by Marlon Byrd to score David Wright. Jordany Valdespin played second, batted leadoff and had two of the Mets five hits in the game.

The Mets are now 13 games under .500 with a 23-36 record. They allowed seven unearned runs for the first time since 2008. Just another awful game from the Mets who look lifeless right now.

Quick note: Matt Harvey (back tightness) threw his routine between-starts bullpen session on Tuesday without issue. Harvey remains on track to start Thursday against the Cardinals.

Dillon Gee (4-6, 5.20 ERA) opposes Cardinals phenom Shelby Miller (7-2, 1.91 ERA) in the second game of the series which begins at 7:10 p.m. tomorrow.

A New York player will captain both Home Run Derby teams during this year’s All-Star week. David Wright will captain the National League while Robinson Cano will look to lead the American League to it’s fourth-straight title.

Wright, who hasn’t participated in the Derby since 2006, will select three additional players from the National League to complete his squad. Wright currently sits tied for 27th in the National League in home runs with eight. He’s tied for third on the Mets with Marlon Byrd behind Lucas Duda (10) and John Buck (11).

This marks the first official hometown representative for the Mets for the All-Star activities at Citi Field.

A Mets Player has not won the Home Run Derby since Daryl Strawberry shared the award with Angles first baseman Wally Joyner in 1986 in The Astrodome.

Thoughts from Joe D.

Wright currently ranks second in All-Star voting at third base, behind San Francisco’s Pablo Sandoval, and needs your votes start the All-Star Game at Citi Field.

Lets do what we can to see Wright overtake Sandoval so that he can rightfully be the starting third baseman for the NL. He is ahead of Sandoval is just about ever offensive category and as a defender he blows the chubby hobbit away.

Vote for David Wright now at cast your 35 votes at Mets.com. We have until Thursday, July 4, at 11:59 p.m. ET to get this done. Come on Met fans… Lets Do This!

Lineup design tends to follow a classic formula:  the leadoff hitter gets on base, the number two guy gets him over, the number three or four guy knocks him in. It’s that simple. Or it would be in an ideal baseball world. The Met lineup has generally been anything but ideal this season as their recent record-setting 0-for-19 with RISP stretch during the soon-to-be-infamous 20-inning Marlin meltdown proves. And it will surely take more than a simple flip-flopping of the batting order to remedy the situation but I would like to propose one nevertheless.

A breakdown of the numbers has revealed one apparent indicator for a greater probability of run production by the Mets: Daniel Murphy should hit third. The reasoning is fairly simple: batters who can put the ball in play with greater regularity will have a higher level of success in advancing and scoring runners than those who do not. As of this writing, Daniel Murphy and David Wright have both recorded 249 plate appearances this season. In those appearances, Wright (the incumbent #3 batter) has put the ball in play 173 times resulting in 60 hits and 1 sacrifice fly. Murphy has put the ball in play 203 times resulting in 67 hits and 2 sacrifice flies. Assuming a constant level of runners in scoring position, one would expect that the odds of one being driven home would increase with a higher level of balls in play. Murph’s propensity to put the bat on the ball not only has resulted in seven more hits and one more sac fly, but also created a higher probability of an error being committed by the opposition due to the increased number of chances, something that could also result in a run scoring. The offset to this is the higher probability of a double play as demonstrated by Murph’s 6 GDP’s which leads the team. Still, we are looking for every edge we can in getting runners home and the tradeoff for a hard hit ground ball possibly being turned into a DP less than 3% of the time is still preferable to a strikeout or popup for a run starved offense.

Installing Murphy as the number three hitter naturally pushes Wright into the cleanup slot, a position for which he is well suited. Duda fits logically into the 5 hole behind him, and frankly, everything else is pretty much a crapshoot at this point. If the team is going to find a successful model to emulate, short of making an unlikely series of trades and FA signings to transmogrify the lineup into a run-scoring dynamo, they are probably best off following the example of the recent version of the SF Giants and the classic Dodger teams of the early ‘60’s. This would fit with the apparent shape the team is taking now, with an emphasis on dominant starting pitching, but needing an efficient top-of-the-order mechanism to generate at least a modicum of regular scoring chances. A big time slugging lineup a la the Yankees or Reds is not in the cards for a team that plays half its games in Citi Field, newly friendlier confines or not. So for the model to work, the team needs to find a real leadoff man or better yet, a tandem in the 1-2 holes to allow them to take advantage of what they have in Murphy and Wright. If some of those components are currently available on the roster (possibly in the form of Quintanilla and Valdespin) remains to be seen, but a long-term solution is probably still dependent on moves yet to be made.

We can anticipate changes to come, obviously, but if the Mets are to find the winning formula, they need to make the best use of the assets they have.  One of those is Daniel Murphy and at this point he can be put to better use.  We may be grasping at straws here, but eventually, moves of this type could be more meaningful once the talent level of the players surrounding the team core is elevated, assuming it is. It is likely that we will see a fair amount of movement with respect to the roster and the lineup as management searches for an effective combination of players to put on the field. Some degree of stability will be needed and establishing a consistent core in the middle of batting order would go a long way toward providing it. Daniel Murphy is not a perfect player by any means, but he has a certain set of defined abilities that could be utilized in what could be a more productive manner.

I think all of us knew the 2013 Mets were not a playoff caliber baseball team. However I was also of the belief that although the Mets were not postseason ready, they would at least be competitive. Boy was I wrong. Here we are a week before Father’s Day, and we find the Mets in total disarray. In fact the Mets have not been relevant since Mother’s Day. So today we present a 3&3 featuring the top three Surprises (players meeting expectations), and the top three disappointments.

Masterful Matt: I usually don’t buy into the hype surrounding young players, however Matt Harvey appears to be something special. Matt has a 5-0 record at this point in the season, with a 2.10 ERA. He has struck out 95 batters in 90 innings pitched, and the opposition is batting .196 against him. Pretty much each and every one of Matt’s starts have been quality starts. The intangible that Harvey brings to every game, is he gives his teammates and fans the feeling that the Mets will win that night’s game. That’s huge.

Dan Is Still The Man: Now that Ike Davis is in Area 51, there are reports circulating that the Mets may move Daniel Murphy to first base. Don’t do that. Murphy has proven to be a very solid second baseman. He’s worked very hard to learn how to field his position, just let him be. Not that I have any doubts that Murphy would excel anywhere the Mets choose to play him, but his bat plays better at second. Murphy has done everything the team has asked of him. Not only that, but he is one of just two genuine MLB hitters the Mets have, the other being that guy at third base.

Wright As Rain: We all know what David Wright brings to the team on the field each and every night. What I want to mention here is David’s emergence as a leader. For a while I wondered if David had the moxie to speak up and lead this team. Over the last few games, whether it’s frustration over losing, or him flexing the power of his captaincy, I see him exerting himself more and more on the field. With a young team, that’s exactly what the Mets need.

What Happened To Ruben: Last season, Ruben Tejada had us all saying “Jose who?”. This year, Tejada has been a major disappointment. Prior to going on the DL, Ruben was batting a paltry .209. More shocking has been his fielding which has regressed sharply. Before the start of this season, I considered the Mets infield to be pretty good. Boy was I wrong.

Viva Ike Vegas: After being swept by the Marlins this past weekend, Ike Davis was handed a plane ticket to Area 51… coach. My only question is what took so long? Ike was batting .161 when he was sent to Vegas. It’s really hard to understand what happened to Ike, but hopefully he’ll be able to get his act together real soon.

Abandon (Owner)Ship: While Sandy Alderson certainly deserves part of the blame for this mess, the fish stinks from the head down and by that I mean Fred & Jeff Wilpon. If there was such a thing as ownership malpractice, the Wilpons would be guilty of it. How can Mets ownership see the substandard product on the field and expect fans to pay top dollar to watch? Joe D. posted a great entry about the mystique of the new stadium wearing off. It’s true. Nobody is going to pay hard earned money to see this team as currently constructed. This feels like the late 1970′s. Unless the Wilpons do something to earn our goodwill and trust, Mets attendance will continue to suffer and deservedly so.

So there we have it. Hopefully the next edition of 3 Up & 3 Down will address on field happenings.

Bill Madden of the Daily News with the sobering reality most Met fans probably don’t want to hear:

There were 21,747 gluttons for punishment at Citi Field Sunday for the conclusion of another Mets-Marlins series, which now qualify for the worst baseball on the planet. Not satisfied with having tortured their fans for 20 innings of record-tying ineptitude the day before, the Mets lost in similar fashion — just not so long in doing it — and when it was over, when they had gone another 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position, on top of the 0-for-19 the day before that equaled the worst performance of clutch hitting by a team in the last 50 years, and gotten one infield hit after David Wright’s two-run double in the third inning, it was as if Alderson and Collins couldn’t wait another minute to start shipping the bums out of here.

I was asked what I thought about the moves and as I asserted in my report on it yesterday this won’t change anything in Flushing.

This is not the cavalry coming and it’s more like bringing in a few pallbearers to put the 2013 season to rest. None of the players coming in can be classified as upgrades.

As Madden also pointed out in his article, the problem is, the changes made Sunday are all internal changes and, internally, the Mets don’t have any players at Triple-A who are much better than the ones they’re sending out.

Since the end of last season I’ve been harping on the Mets needing to bring in at least one position player from the outside for the rebuild process to work. The Mets have no outfielders that are close or that you would call a keeper. Even top pick Brandon Nimmo is still in A-Ball since being drafted in 2011 and the word is that’s exactly where he will stay for the rest of this season. Gavin Cecchini is still in extended spring training and awaiting short season baseball to begin. The Mets took another position player in last week’s draft in Dominic Smith and he’ll be at least 4-5 years away – with all due respect to his mother who has much higher aspirations. Such is the love of a mother.

Anyone who thinks we can be a playoff contender on the strength of pitching alone and a purely homegrown roster is misguided, misinformed and are clueless as to the dearth of position players in our system even after three Sandy Alderson drafts.

The San Francisco Giants wouldn’t have won a World Series without Angel Pagan and Hunter Pence. The St. Louis Cardinals wouldn’t have a 2011 World Series banner without Matt Holliday‘s seven year mega-deal and wouldn’t be the best team in baseball today without giving Carlos Beltran $13 million a season.  No need for me to mention the 2009 Yankees, the 2008 Phillies, and the 2007 Red Sox, and how all three won their World Series, right?

It takes quality to get quality. We don’t get Zack Wheeler if lets say a player like Collin Cowgill or Andres Torres was the return. It took an all star caliber talent like Carlos Beltran to land him. It took a reigning Cy Young winner to bring in Travis d’Arnaud. You don’t get something for nothing…

It’s going to take a Zack Wheeler or someone like him to bring back the legitimate bat in the outfield that this team so desperately needs. Get that into your heads.

(Photo Credit: Ron Antonelli)

Well, after last night’s debacle and the recent stretch in general, I would say that hope is on life support and if nothing improves before the end of June, the chord will be pulled.

With that being said, the timing was right for the Mets to shake things up and shake them up they did. In almost one fell swoop Ike Davis, Rick Ankiel, Mike Baxter and Robert Carson were sent packing.

My biggest issue right now with the Mets is how the playing time was being distributed. While I agreed with cutting Ankiel to make room for Kirk Nieuwenhuis, I don’t agree with having Jordany Valdespin and Juan Lagares spending so much time on the bench. We need to see what they can do.

Lagares has hit decently over the past couple of games and defensively he has flashed the leather and a strong arm. Valdespin has had a few clutch moments and is toolsy, but still very raw. How do you polish up a player like that? You play him. So either send him down to Triple-A where he can play everyday or commit to starting him 4-5 times a week and continue to develop him. Maybe the best move for now is a demotion at least until we have more clarity after possibly trading Marlon Byrd at the deadline.

Apparently, Collins is starting to see the light as he claimed that Valdespin will start to get more playing time on Sunday, but we’ve heard him makes such claims before.

I hope that this time Collins means it, and not just with Spin, but with all the youngsters that now also include Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Josh Satin in addition to Spin and Lagares.

Heading into next season, the front office needs to identify what pieces need to be acquired and which current players can supplement our team’s core that for now includes Matt Harvey, David Wright and possibly one or two others.

Thoughts from Joe D.

Albin raises a big issue…

My biggest fear is that Terry Collins is only concerned with saving his job, and in his mind that means winning as many games as he can to keep the season relevant. Wrong approach… Realistically, he should be using the rest of this season to determine which players, if any, can serve a useful role in 2014 either as a core player or as a bridge until other prospects are ready to take over.

That he doesn’t get that is a big problem. That him and the front office still think it’s about winning games this season, is a huge problem. Listening to Collins and Sandy Alderson talk about results yesterday tells me they don’t have their priorities in order.

2013 is not about results. If it were, then shame on Sandy Alderson for the way he handled the offseason – he gets a big Fail. This season is about development and evaluating players. At some point they have to stop half-assing this rebuild process. The sooner they can do that, the faster this team can become relevant again.

PLEASE DON’T LET THIS GUY BEAT DAVID WRIGHT…

The second National League All-Star update has been released and six-time All-Star David Wright is losing even more ground to Pablo Sandoval of the San Francisco Giants for starting third baseman.

With 1,473,381 votes, Wright now trails Sandoval by over 200,000 votes almost doubling the gap from the first ASG voting release a week ago.

Of course with attendance and interest waning at Citi Field, and the San Francisco Giants continuing to sellout almost every home game, the only shot Wright has at being selected as a starter would be through an aggressive online get out the vote campaign. But so far that doesn’t seem to be working.

Daniel Murphy has picked up some slack and moved up to the 5th spot among NL second basemen, but it’s unlikely he’ll even get close to the runaway leader Brando Phillips of the Reds.

John Buck remains third among catchers and has no chance to catch Buster Posey who is the leading the National League with 1,961,861 votes.

Former Met Carlos Beltran has made his way into the top three in the outfield and trails only Justin Upton and Bryce Harper.

You can vote for Wright, Murphy and the rest of your favorite Mets by clicking on the following banner…