Binghamton 6, Portland 3

The Binghamton Mets cashed in on three Portland errors and caught a few fortuitous breaks in a three-run ninth inning en route to a 6-3 win over the Sea Dogs Friday night at Hadlock Field. The B-Mets stretched their season-best winning streak to five games and moved within one game of the first-place Portland Sea Dogs in the Eastern Division.

Portland’s defensive woes started early in the ninth. Richard Lucas led off the inning against reliever Keith Couch with a slow roller to third. Michael Almanzar barehanded the grounder and fired an errant throw to first, allowing Lucas to move to second.

With Lucas representing the go-ahead run, Alonzo Harris pushed a bunt to the mound. Travis Shaw charged from first and fielded cleanly, but fell to the ground before getting a throw off. Danny Muno followed with a chopper to third. Alamanzar attempted to nab Lucas at the plate, but lost his grip in the process and the B-Mets took the lead for good.

Darrell Ceciliani added with an RBI single to left and Muno scored the final run of the inning by scampering home after a throwing error by Xander Bogaerts at short.

Owning a three-run lead, Jeff Walters struck out three in a scoreless ninth to collect his league-leading eleventh save.

For the first time in the four games, the B-Mets struck first. Muno led off the game by pulling a double down the first base line against Portland starter Matt Barnes. Ceciliani pushed Muno to third with a sac bunt and Cesar Puello brought him home with a bloop single to center.

Portland erased the lead in the third against B-Mets starter Erik Goeddel. Peter Hissey‘s chopper up the middle glanced off Goeddel’s glove and rolled into right field for a single. The Sea Dogs cashed in on the lucky bounce when Tony Thomas sent a two-out, RBI double down the left field line.

After fighting off a B-Mets threat in the second, Barnes settled down and retired 11 consecutive B-Mets. His streak came to a halt in the sixth when he walked Ceciliani. Puello made him pay and helped the B-Mets retake the lead, by bouncing an RBI double off the centerfield wall. Allan Dykstra added to the advantage by pulling a run-scoring double down the rightfield line.

Binghamton’s two-run lead did not last long. After Travis Shaw beat out a bunt single, Michael Almanzar blasted Goeddel’s 1-0 offering over the left-centerfield wall to tie the game at three.

Goeddel settled for the no-decision after allowing three runs on six hits over six innings of work. Barnes also did not factor into the decision after six innings on the hill.

B-Mets reliever John Church (2-3) took the reins in the seventh and posted two scoreless innings of relief. The righty earned his second victory of the season after Binghamton’s three-run ninth inning. Couch (1-1) took the loss in relief

The B-Mets (23-18) continue their three-game series against the Sea Dogs (23-16) Saturday afternoon at 1:00 PM. LHP Mark Cohoon gets the ball for Binghamton against RHP Anthony Ranaudo.

Key Stats

Daniel Muno: 1-for-5, 1 2B, 2 R

Darrell Ceciliani: 1-for-3, 1 BB, 1 RBI, 1 R

Cesar Puello: 2-for-5, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 R

Allan Dykstra: 2-for-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Alonzo Harris: 2-for-3, 1 BB, 1 R, 2 SB

Erik Goeddel: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 ER, 6 K

John Church: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER

Jeff Walters: 1.0 IP, 3 K

(Team Report)

Binghamton 8, Harrisburg 4

One night after being no-hit, the Binghamton Mets scored eight runs in the first two innings en route to an 8-4, rain-shortened victory over the Harrisburg Senators Friday night at NYSEG Stadium.

After Harrisburg scored a run on an Anthony Rendon double in the top half of the first, Binghamton came out swinging against Harrisburg starter Caleb Clay. Darrell Ceciliani led off with a single, and Danny Muno followed with a two-run home run over the left field wall. Josh Rodriguez was then hit by a pitch, moved to third base on an Allan Dykstra single, and scored on a double play ball to put Binghamton on top, 3-1.

The bats remained hot in the second inning, as Binghamton batted around, scoring five times. Ceciliani continued his strong night with a two-run triple. After Rodriguez singled him home, Clay was relieved by Matt Swynenberg. He was welcomed into the game right away, as Dykstra smashed a two-run home run over the centerfield wall to push the lead to 8-1.

On the mound, Erik Goeddel ran into trouble in the fourth. He gave up back-to-back doubles by Ricky Hague and Swynenberg, Harrisburg cut the deficit to 8-4. Goeddel’s night was finished after five innings. He allowed four runs on six hits, and picked up his third victory of the season.

Adam Kolarek threw a perfect sixth inning, and Jack Leathersich had recorded two outs in the top of the seventh inning before the rain came and ended the game.

The B-Mets (18-17) and Senators (16-19) continue their four-game series Saturday afternoon at 1:05 PM. Cory Mazzoni (0-1, 2.25) will start for Binghamton against Taylor Jordan (0-0, –).

Key Stats

Darrell Ceciliani: 3-for-3, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB

Daniel Muno: 1-for-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB

Allan Dykstra: 2-for-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R

Erik Goeddel: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 4 ER, 6 K

Adam Kolarek: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K

Jack Leathersich: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K

(Team Report)

Binghamton 8, Harrisburg 2

The Binghamton Mets broke a tie game with a three-run fourth inning and four pitchers retired the final 19 Harrisburg Senators hitters in an 8-2 win on Saturday night at Metro Bank Park. Binghamton’s victory, their first in May, snapped their season-long three-game losing streak.

Darrell Ceciliani led the offensive charge with a three-hit performance. He drove in three runs and scored three of his own, while Richard Lucas chipped in with two RBI on a double and two singles.

Binghamton wasted little time getting the offense going against Harrisburg starter Paul Demny. Alonzo Harris led off the game with a double to left center and scored when Lucas chopped a single back up the middle. Binghamton doubled their lead on a run-scoring groundout by Allan Dykstra in the third.

B-Mets starter Erik Goeddel sailed through his first two innings, but labored through the third. The righty allowed two hits, walked two and surrendered a pair of runs in the 39-pitch frame. Anthony Rendon‘s 11-pitch plate appearance ended with a walk and set the stage for Jerad Head‘s game-tying two-run single.

After Demny walked Goeddel with two outs in the fourth and Anthony Rendon misplayed Alonzo Harris’ chopper up the line, Ceciliani pushed a two-run single to center to give Binghamton the lead for good. Lucas tacked on with an RBI double to left.

Head’s hit in the third proved to be Harrisburg’s final basrunner. Goeddel (2-2) made the lead stand, retiring the final ten batters he faced to earn the win. The righty allowed two runs on three hits and fanned four over six innings to end his four-game winless streak.

The B-Mets added to their lead with three more runs against the Senators bullpen. Joe Bonfe delivered a pinch-hit run-scoring single in the eighth and Ceciliani crushed his first home run of the season, a solo shot, in the ninth. Cesar Puello added a run-producing fielder’s choice to cap the scoring.

Binghamton’s bullpen continued their perfect ways to wrap up the victory. Adam Kolarek posted a quiet seventh, Josh Edgin racked up one strikeout in a shutout eighth and Jeff Walters shut the door in the ninth.

The B-Mets (15-14) conclude their three-game series against the Harrisburg Senators (14-15) Sunday afternoon at 2:00 PM. LHP Mark Cohoon (2-0, 4.35) makes his second start of the season against RHP Caleb Clay (3-0, 2.17).

Key Stats

Alonzo Harris: 1-for-5, 1 2B, 1 R

Darrell Ceciliani: 3-for-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, 1 SB

Richard Lucas: 3-for-5, 1 2B, 2 RBI

Allan Dykstra: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB

Cesar Puello: 1-for-5, 1 RBI, 1 R

Erik Goeddel: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 ER, 5 K

Adam Kolarek: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 1 K

Josh Edgin: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 1 K

Jeff Walters: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 1 K

(Team Report)

Binghamton 4, Erie 3

Cesar Puello‘s two-run double down the first base line capped a four-run eighth inning in the Binghamton Mets 4-3 come-from-behind win over the Erie SeaWolves on Monday night at NYSEG Stadium. The B-Mets used three hits and two Erie errors in the decisive inning in the series-opening win.

After getting handcuffed for seven innings by Erie starter Warwick Saupold, the B-Mets broke through against the Erie bullpen. Facing reliever Michael Morrison and trailing 3-0, Alonzo Harris started the comeback by reaching on Corey Jones‘ fielding error at third. Darrell Ceciliani followed with a single and Josh Rodriguez walked to load the bases.

With Allan Dykstra at the plate, catcher James McCann fired to third in attempt to nab Harris, but his throw skipped into left field, allowing Harris to score. Dykstra followed by hammering an RBI double to left, cutting Erie’s lead to one. Puello capped the comeback by bouncing a two-run, go-ahead double down the first baseline, plating Rodriguez and Dykstra.

The SeaWolves had jumped out to an early lead by tagging B-Mets starter Erik Goeddel for three runs in the first four innings. Daniel Field homered in the first, James McCann collected an RBI single in the third and Luis Castillo added a run-scoring double in the fourth.

Erie’s run in the fourth proved to be their last. Goeddel battled to complete five innings and handed the reins to Josh Edgin in the sixth. The lefty allowed two hits, but no runs thanks to Cory Vaughn‘s strong throw to the plate, retiring Castillo to end the inning. Edgin returned for the seventh and posted a perfect frame.

Chase Huchingson (1-0) retired all three batters he faced in the eighth and became the winner after Binghamton’s four-run eighth inning. Jeff Walters racked up his league-leading seventh save with a shutout ninth. Morrison (1-1) suffered the loss.

Saupold settled for the no-decision after tossing seven shutout innings. The righty surrendered just four hits and allowed only one runner to reach third base. Goeddel was taken off the hook thanks to Binghamton’s comeback after giving up three runs on eight hits.

The B-Mets (13-11) continue their four-game set against the SeaWolves (12-10) Tuesday night at 6:35 PM. LHP Mark Cohoon (2-0, 7.11) fills in for Binghamton against LHP Matt Crouse (2-1, 3.68).

(Take note that Vaughn left with a potential injury – and Tyler Pill will miss tomorrow’s start, which you can read about here…)

Key Stats

Allan Dykstra: 2-for-3, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB

Cesar Puello: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI

Francisco Pena: 2-for-4, 1 2B

Erik Goeddel: 5.0 IP, 8 H,1 HR, 3 BB, 3 ER, 6 K

Josh Edgin: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 3 K

Chase Huchingson: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Jeffrey Walters: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K

(Team Report)

Binghamton 8, Portland 6

The Binghamton Mets packed all their offense into the first two innings and held on to defeat the Portland Sea Dogs, 8-6, on Wednesday night at Hadlock Field. The victory helped the B-Mets avoid a three-game sweep and secured a winning record on their week-long roadtrip.

For the second straight night, the B-Mets put up a three-spot in the first inning, with Allan Dykstra posting all the offense with one swing of the bat. The B-Mets designated hitter blasted an 0-1 offering from Kyle Kaminska over the right field wall for his first round-tripper of the year.

Binghamton’s offense continued to roll in the second as the first five batters reached safely to start the frame. With the bases loaded on two singles and an outfielder error, Darrell Ceciliani stroked a three-run double to the left field alley. Josh Rodriguez and Cory Vaughn both added to Binghamton’s lead with RBI doubles later in the frame.

Portland cut into the B-Mets’ eight-run advantage with a three-run third. The first five batters reached against starter Erik Goeddel. JC Linares drove in one with a double to left center, Michael Almanzar added another with a single up the middle and Alberto Rosario beat out a potential double play with the bases loaded to trim the lead to five.

Goeddel labored through four innings in the no-decision. He exited after allowing three runs on six hits, while walking two and fanning three. He threw 97 pitches, including 35 in the first and 29 in the third.

Portland continued to chip away against the B-Mets bullpen. Southpaw Shawn Teufel took the reins from Goeddel and allowed three runs on three hits over 1-2/3 innings of work. Almanzar supplied an RBI groundout in the fifth and Xander Bogaerts punched a two-run triple to right in the sixth.

John Church entered with two outs in the sixth and retired Tony Thomas to end Portland’s threat. Making his league-leading tenth appearance of the season, Church worked around a leadoff double in the seventh, but struck out two to post a scoreless frame.

Jeff Walters worked around a single and a walk in a shutout eighth and collected his league-leading sixth save of the season with a perfect ninth. Church (1-3) was awarded his first Double-A win, while Kaminska (0-3) dropped his third straight decision.

Binghamton’s middle infield defense shined down the stretch. Tovar made a sliding play up the middle to rob Alberto Rosario of a hit and an RBI in the seventh. Tovar and second baseman Danny Muno teamed up for a double play to ease the pressure for Walters in the eighth.

The B-Mets (11-9) enjoy a day off on Thursday before welcoming in the Akron Aeros on Friday night at 7:05 PM. RHP Rafael Montero (3-0, 1.59) takes on RHP Danny Salazar (0-3, 4.58).

Key Stats

Alonzo Harris: 2-for-5, 2 R, 1 SB

Darrell Ceciliani: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 3 RBI

Josh Rodriguez: 2-for-5, 1 2B, 2 R, 1 RBI

Allan Dykstra: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB

Cory Vaughn: 2-for-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 SB

Erik Goeddel: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 3 K

John Church: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K

Jeffrey Walters: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K

(Team Report)

New Hampshire 5, Binghamton 2

The Binghamton Mets were kept in check by three New Hampshire Fisher Cats pitchers in a 5-2 loss on Friday night at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.

The teams traded runs early. With two outs in the first, Ryan Schimpf laced a 1-1 pitch from Erik Goeddel over the right field wall, giving the Fisher Cats an one-run lead. Binghamton answered back in the top of the second on an RBI groundout from Blake Forsythe knotting the game at one.

New Hampshire broke the tie with a pair of scores in the second. After the first two reached against Goeddel, Adam Loewen stroked an RBI single up the middle and John Tolisano produced a sac fly to center field. Kevin Pillar stretched the lead to three in the third by banging an inside-the-park home run off the center field wall.

The B-Mets struggled to find their offensive groove against New Hampshire starter Austin Bibens-Dirkx. After allowing a single to Richard Lucas in the second, the righty retired 12 of the next 13 B-Mets he faced, including five strikeouts.

Goeddel’s night came to an end in the fifth inning after the Fisher Cats loaded the bases on three singles. Shawn Teufel entered and walked Clint Robinson, forcing in a run. The southpaw escaped further damage by inducing Kevin Nolan to bounce into an inning-ending double play. Goeddel finished with five runs allowed on eight hits over 4-1/3 innings of work.

The B-Mets finally broke through against Bibens-Dirkx in the seventh, his final inning. Cory Vaughn smoked a 2-2 pitch over the left field wall for his second homer of the season. The Oregon native completed the inning and capped his night without any further damage.

Vaughn’s blast would be Binghamton’s final gasp on offense. Fernando Hernandez tossed a perfect eighth inning and Chad Beck shut the door with a scoreless ninth.

Bibens-Dirkx (2-2) allowed two runs on six hits over seven innings in the winning effort, while Goeddel (1-2) suffered his second-straight loss. Beck collected his fourth save.

The B-Mets (8-7) continue their four-game set against the Fisher Cats (8-8) Saturday afternoon at 1:35 PM. RHP Rafael Montero (2-0, 2.16) gets the ball for Binghamton against RHP Marcus Walden (0-2, 5.27).

Key Stats

Cory Vaughn: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

Blake Forsythe: 1-for-3, 1 RBI

Darrell Ceciliani: 1-for-4, 1 SB

Erik Goeddel: 4.1 IP, 8 H, 2 HR, 1 BB, 5 ER, 4 K

Shawn Teufel: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 3 K

Adrian Rosario: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 3 K

(Team Report)

New Hampshire 6, Binghamton 1

The B-Met pitching staff issued nine walks on the way to a 6-1 loss to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats Saturday afternoon at NYSEG Stadium.

Starting pitcher Erik Goeddel walked four hitters in 4.1 innings before being removed from the game. Manager Pedro Lopez then looked to the bullpen, but they fared no better.

After allowing the inherited runner to score on an Amadeo Zazueta single in the fifth, B-Met reliever Adrian Rosario ran into trouble in the sixth after issuing a bases loaded walk to Ricardo Nanita. John Church then came in, and surrendered two more bases loaded walks. For the inning, the Fisher Cats scored three runs on just one hit.

Binghamton took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning against starting pitcher Ryan Tepera. After Alonzo Harris led off with a single, stole second base, and advanced to third on a fielder’s interference call, he scored on an RBI fielder’s choice by Richard Lucas.

After the rough first inning however, Tepera breezed through the Binghamton lineup for the next five innings. He allowed no more than four B-Mets to come to the plate in an inning, and turned it over the bullpen in the seventh. Tepera threw six innings, gave up one unearned run, and allowed three hits.

Fernando Hernandez threw the final three innings for New Hampshire, and earned his first save of 2013. The B-Mets were able to load the bases in the bottom of the ninth, but couldn’t push a run across.

The series finale between the B-Mets (5-4) and the Fisher Cats (6-4) is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 1:05 PM. The game features two Opening Day starters, as Rafael Montero (1-0, 1.54) takes on Austin Bibens-Dirx (1-1, 0.69).

Key Stats

Richard Lucas: 2-for-4, 1 RBI, 2 SB, CS

Alonzo Harris: 1-for-4, 1 R, SB, CS

Erik Goeddel: 4.1 IP, 1 H, 4 BB, 2 ER, 7 K

(Team Report)

Las Vegas 4, Fresno 3

Darin Gorski had a decent outing and the late hitting for the 51s sealed the win, 4-3.

—

Darin Gorski had a solid outing, going five innings allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits, walking four and striking out three. Gorski did not exhibit solid command, but managed to miss the bats enough to walk away with a respectable start. Gorski will always be a contact pitcher, and the development of his breaking ball will determine his final resting place. Greg Peavey went two innings, allowing two hits and striking out one. Justin Hampson got the win, giving up one hit in his inning of work. Jeurys Familia came out for his inning to grab the save, giving up two hits but striking out one batter. Pitching has been a huge part of the 51s success and will continue to be.

On the offensive side, Vegas continued its early scoring mentality netting a run on a Wilmer Flores RBI groundout and an Andrew Brown RBI triple. Josh Satin would push an RBI single in the sixth inning to tie the game. A Jamie Hoffman RBI single in the top of the ninth inning would seal the win for the 51s. Despite many offensive explosion type games, the 51s have shown some clutch hitting as well as some great situational hitting.

Zack Wheeler toes the rubber for the 51s tomorrow evening at 10:05 ET as Las Vegas (4-1) continues their series with the Fresno Grizzlies.

Key Stats

• Juan Lagares - 2 for 5, R
• Travis d’Arnaud – 1 for 3, R, BB
• Wilmer Flores – 0 for 3, R, RBI, BB, K
• Darin Gorski - 5 IP, 5H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
• Jeurys Familia - 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, SV

Binghamton Mets 7, Erie SeaWolves 2

Erik Goeddel had a great outing and the offense made sure there was no doubt in the 7-2 victory

—

Erik Goeddel put together a strong outing, going six innings giving up two runs on eight hits, walking no one and striking out five. Goeddel relied on generating ground balls and leaning on his defense, which is always a positive plan when you have a great defense behind you. Jack Leathersich came out for two innings of work, and allowed one hit while striking out two batters. Leathersich may be the fastest mover in the Mets system based on his ability to be a crossover reliever and dominate lefties. Jeffrey Walters came out for the ninth inning and allowed two hits and walked one batter pitching the ninth. The premier pitching surplus is present in Binghamton and they are utilizing it well.

The B.Mets offense didn’t take the day off either, with five earned runs crossing the plate and a few runs scoring due to some shoddy defense from the SeaWolves. Cesar Puello hit an RBI double in the fifth and was thrown out in a run down play being aggressive. Alonzo Harris hit a solo home run in the sixth inning. Wilfredo Tovar had an RBI fielders choice in the seventh, scoring Cesar Puello. Darrell Ceciliani had a two-RBI double in the seventh, and Cory Vaughn struck out swinging but a wild pitch allowed Darrell Ceciliani to score from third. Rhyne Hughes netted an RBI on a force attempt in the ninth inning, scoring Alonzo Harris.

Rafael Montero looks to build on his strong opening day start against Erie tomorrow evening at 6:05 ET.

Key Stats

• Alonzo Harris - 3 for 5, HR, 2 R, RBI
• Cory Vaughn – 0 for 5, 3 K
• Cesar Puello – 1 for 3, R, RBI, BB, K
• Erik Goeddel - 6 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
• Jack Leathersich - 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER. 0 BB, 1 K

Akron Aeros 13, Binghamton Mets 3

The Mets may be awesome – but even they can’t win them all, as the B-Mets dropped this game to the Aeros 13-3.

If this game only lasted five innings, the Mets would have walked away with a commanding victory – and although the numbers may look a little rough, there were a lot of positives to take away from Tyler Pill‘s AA debut. After walking the first batter, Tyler Holt, to begin the game, Pill retired the next nine batters straight. This including striking out the side in the third and allowing just two hits and one run through the five innings overall. The run was unearned as well, due to a throwing error in the fourth.

Pill fell apart in the sixth, however, where he allowed three hits, a walk, and a run without recording an out. He was pulled from the game in favor of Mark Cohoon, who allowed all three inherited runners to score, which left Pill’s final line at five hits and two walks through 5+ innings, with four earned runs. Cohoon, unfortunately, struggled on his own as he was on the hook for eight hits and four earned runs after recording only three outs.

The Mets did scratch out three runs on the other side of the ball, as Darrell Ceciliani ripped an RBI double to score Wilfredo Tovar – and Blake Forsythe drilled an RBI double of his own to drive home Ceciliani. Ceciliani was not done either, as he picked up an RBI single in the seventh for the third Binghamton run.

It was a sloppy game defensively though, with Binghamton committing five errors in the field, which led to four unearned runs and a harder time on the already taxed pitching staff. The good thing about baseball is that even when you have games like these, you can shake it off with a great effort the very next night.

The B-Mets start a series with the Erie SeaWolves tomorrow evening at 6:35 PM, where Erik Goeddel makes his AA debut.

Key Stats

• Darrell Ceciliani - 2 for 5, 2B, 2 RBI, R, Err.
• Blake Forsythe - 1 for 4, 2B, RBI
• Richard Lucas - 2 for 4, 2 Err.
• Tyler Pill - 5 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 R (4 ER), 5 K, L.

TO HEADLINE 2013 METS CONCERT SERIES AT CITI FIELD

 Tickets on Sale NOW!

Go To Mets.com and (718) 507-TIXX

Foreigner will perform following the Mets-Chicago Cubs 7:10 p.m. game on Friday, June 14. The Grammy-nominated classic rock band has sold over 70 million albums worldwide and produced 14 Billboard Top 20 hits including “Feels Like the First Time,” “Hot Blooded” and “I Want to Know What Love Is.”

Nas, a Queens native and life-long Mets fan, will perform after the Mets-Philadelphia Phillies 7:10 p.m. game on Friday, July 19.  A hip-hop icon since the early 1990s, Nas emerged from the Queensbridge neighborhood of Long Island City, a hotbed of rap artists since the ’80s. Nas has since gone on to sell over 20 million albums worldwide over the span of his legendary career and has acted as an ambassador for hip-hop culture throughout the globe. He has released nine solo albums that have been certified double-platinum, platinum or gold. Nas’ new release is the critically acclaimed Life Is Good, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200, marking the sixth #1 album that the artist has produced in his career. Nas was nominated for four GRAMMY awards in conjunction with the release.

O.A.R. will perform following the Mets-Kansas City Royals 7:10 p.m. game on Friday, August 2. The rock band, who has sold out Madison Square Garden multiple times, had their 2011 release King debut at No. 12 on the Billboard Top 200 and No. 2 on the Top Rock Album chart.  O.A.R. recently released a live CD and DVD entitled Live on Red Rocks and they are currently at work on their next studio album.

Third Eye Blind will perform after the Mets-Detroit Tigers 7:10 p.m. game on Friday, August 23.  The rock band has released two multi-platinum albums and had three singles “Semi-Charmed Life,” “Jumper” and “How’s It Going to Be” chart in the Billboard Top 10.

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GOTTA LOVE THIS 2013 CONCERT SERIES LINEUP!

Awesome job by the Mets this year in putting together a powerhouse lineup of great performers for their Citi Field Summer Concert Series!

The Friday night post-game performances will begin approximately 20 minutes after the conclusion of each game from a stage in the outfield behind second base.  Admission to the concert is included in the price of the game ticket.  Tickets to the Mets Concert Series and all Mets home games will go on sale tomorrow, Friday, March 1 at 10:00 a.m. at Mets.com and (718) 507-TIXX.

In a conference call Wednesday evening, Mets GM Sandy Alderson addressed several issues surrounding the team. Here are some of the things he told us:

• Catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud will not be allowed to block the plate. The reason for that is obvious – his health.
• The leadoff spot is still up in the air but Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who is the leading candidate, still has a lot of work to do.
• If Nieuwenhuis plays full-time he will strikeout over 100 times that could give the Mets four players with over 100 strikeouts when you consider David Wright, Ike Davis and Lucas Duda. While strikeouts are a concern, hopefully they will be offset by an increased on-base percentage and run production.
• If the Mets are competitive this summer, he knows he will face the dilemma of trading pitching prospects to acquire an outfield bat and it’s not something he’s looking forward to do, but he may not have a choice.
• Alderson said how the Mets handled Matt Harvey last year should buy him patience from fans wanting to rush Zack Wheeler. He added there’s no sense in force-feeding a young player if he’s not ready. If the rotation pitches reasonably well there will be no obligation for him to bring up Wheeler when he can only benefit by more development.

These and other issues from Alderson’s conference call will be explored in greater detail in future posts.

MURPHY BREAKOUT: Terry Collins told us that Murphy is still a week to ten days away from returning to the lineup. Knowing the scrappy player and how he never wants to miss a start, it must be killing him not to be on the field as it is Collins. Joe D. reminded me that this is the first Spring where he’s not learning a new position and I agree with him that this will lead to a much improved season at the plate including a spike in home runs.

DUDA CONCERNS: If the Mets could take one positive out of Wednesday’s 12-4 waxing at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals, it is that Lucas Duda broke a 0-for-7 slide with groundball single. No, they did not stop the game to give him the ball. Duda finished 1-for-3 with one strikeout, so it isn’t as if he’s found it all of a sudden. The Mets like his power potential, but must be concerned about his wasted at-bats. He had 120 strikeouts with only 51 walks in 459 plate appearances last season.

PEDRO HAS HEART: The Mets and Pedro Feliciano got some good news the lefty reliever’s heart tests came back clear, and that he can resume baseball activities. I’m happy to hear the good news. Pedro’s been fun to cover, one of the nicest players the Mets have had and always greets reporters with a smile and a hello.

CAPTAIN WRIGHT: Wright returned to the lineup with two singles. He’s not scheduled to play Thursday, but is Friday against Detroit at Port St. Lucie. David Wright hopes to play third instead of DH in that game. On Saturday he leaves for the World Baseball Classic. Collins is polling the clubhouse for opinions on Wright’s potential captaincy and wants this done prior to Opening Day, It’s impossible to think his teammates will vote him down.

JOHAN DOWN BUT NOT OUT: You have to feel bad for Johan Santana who was frustrated after his last bullpen so much so that the team decided to let him shut it down and work on some issues locating his pitches. The good news is that Adam Rubin reported yesterday, that he will throw off a mound on Friday with the hope that he’ll be getting ready to make a Grapefruit League start in about ten day.

ZACK WILL BE BACK: Zack Wheeler was scratched from yesterday’s start with a slight strain of his right oblique. Although the Mets have not said anything, expect him to miss at least another start. It’s precautionary and considering his value to the organization it’s the smart move. This front office has made a noticeable and improved difference in how seriously they take a players injuries no matter how minor. In all honesty, I couldn’t say the same thing about the last regime.

SPRING AHEAD: Four more days until I check into my hotel in St. Lucie and will begin covering the team again from Mets camp. It’s been a strange and new experience reporting about the team while being 500 miles away, and I look forward to covering them the old-fashioned way again beginning next week. I promised Joe D. some exclusive player interviews for MMO so look for those. And I look forward to bringing you some more insights from Sandy and his staff as well. Be good everybody.