The newest Met, Rick Ankiel, couldn’t hold onto Ty Wigginton’s sinking line drive for a double. Wigginton then scored from second on an infield hit off pitcher Scott Rice. Matt Holliday followed with a two-run homer, and just like that it was over and the Mets had their fourth straight loss, 6-3, at St. Louis to fall seven games below .500.

ON THE MOUND: Jeremy Hefner had his third straight quality start, giving up three runs in six innings. Hefner retired the last ten hitters he faced. Even so, the Mets are now 0-7 when he starts. … Rice and Scott Atchison combined to give up three runs on five hits.

AT THE PLATE: The Mets had four hits, three from Daniel Murphy. … Ten more strikeouts by Mets hitters, surprisingly, none by Ike Davis or Lucas Duda.

METS MATTERS: Reliever Frank Francisco has a mild strain of the flexor pronator in his right elbow. He will be shut down for 72 hours before he resumes throwing. … Outfielder Andrew Brown was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas to make room for Ankiel.

THEY SAID IT:  “We aren’t scoring. I told him he got us to where we needed to be.’’ – Manager Terry Collins on Hefner’s performance.

BY THE NUMBERS: 12: Number of times in their last 16 games the Mets scored three runs or less.

ON DECK: Dillon Gee (2-4), Shaun Marcum (0-3) and Jonathan Niese (2-4) will be the Mets’ next three starters in this series against John Gast (0-0), Shelby Miller (5-2) and Adam Wainwright (5-2) for the Cardinals.

Among the highs and lows to already come out of the first month of this season, the continued improvement of Daniel Murphy has certainly been one of the brighter spots to this point so far.

Playing out of his natural position, Murphy has slowly made the proper adjustments on both sides of the diamond. After being jostled all over both the infield and outfield, Murphy has finally found himself a home at second base with the Mets while also improving significantly with the bat. I caught up with Murphy at Citi Field yesterday and he spoke with me about his strides so far this season.

“I didn’t get a whole lot of work in Spring Training since I was injured” said Murphy regarding his defense. “But I think that 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.”

Another Met playing out of his original position is Lucas Duda. What has lacked with his .239 batting average he has made up for in his power and improved ability to get on base. After being sent to Buffalo following an extremely poor first half of 2012, Duda came back showing more plate discipline and emerging as an overall better hitter. Murphy says he has been impressed with how Duda has performed this year.

“He’s been awesome.” said Murphy. “I think Justin Turner said yesterday that ‘Duda really knows how to grind out an AB’ and I have not seen him give many at-bats away this year. That’s kind of a goal we have as an offense personally to not give at-bats away, and he’s been locked in and done a great job of getting on base.”

All the while, Duda has not only had to learn to adjust with the bat, but also with the glove as he learns on the job patrolling left field at Citi. As he has done, Murphy sees the similarities in both of their defensive improvements.

“The same thing as I have at second.” said Murphy. “He’s become more comfortable, he’s starting to understand how to position himself and to read swings. What he’s doing is not easy. It’s very difficult to go from the infield to the outfield and I think he’s done a great job.”

Murphy can relate to attempting to make the transition from the infield to the outfield, although he knows that their results have varied significantly.

“He’s doing better than I did.”

Although the situations are similar, Murphy understands why Duda wouldn’t ask him for advice about making such a transition after his failed outfield experiment.

“No, I don’t know if I’d have anything good to give him.” said Murphy, when asked if Duda has come to him about the transition from infield to outfield. “Try to be as relaxed as you can. Tom Goodwin has done an awesome job with him and a great job with positioning him. I think he does a good job of picking the brain of Marlon Byrd.”

Although the outfield did not work out for Murph, it seems to be suiting Duda in 2013. Murphy in turn has found his niche at second. Both came up with the Mets as talented bats that needed a position other than the corner infield and through several trials and tribulations have both found where they belong for the New York Mets.

I want to thank Daniel Murphy for taking some time during batting practice to speak with me. He’s a terrific guy who really adds a lot to the clubhouse and chemistry of the team. You can see how his teammates respect him as a leader as well as a productive player and integral part of the everyday lineup.

“On a cold night you have to hit the ball 25 feet farther. So, in other words, if the fence is 338 feet and you hit the ball 338 feet, you’ll be 25 feet short.” – Ralph Kiner, attempting to explain the effect of cold weather on the flight of a baseball.

The New York Mets and Minnesota Twins played last Friday night’s game in between snowflakes. According to Major League Baseball, the game time temperature was 34 degrees. Pitchers were licking their fingers and blowing hot air into their balled up fists. Infielders were wearing ski caps. The dugouts were filled with hoodies and heated benches. Toasty, right?

“But when you got outside the dugouts, it’s pretty stinking cold,” Mets manager Terry Collins told the media.

In April 1982 a massive snowstorm hit the northeast, wiping out games almost the entire first week of the baseball season in New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Boston, Cleveland, Chicago and Detroit. The weather was so poor the Yankees returned to Florida while their scheduled opponent, the Texas Rangers, worked out under the stands at Shea Stadium. Meanwhile, the Mets beat the Phillies at Veterans Stadium, 7-2, in the season opener. It was all downhill sledding after that.

The Mets moved on to Chicago, where two snowstorms blasted the city just days before the Cubs scheduled opener. It was 34 degrees – and windy – at first pitch. The maintenance teams shoveled the snow into piles under the seats at Wrigley Field. Not a good idea.  Fans pelted Mets players with snowballs, prompting the Cubs public address announcer to appeal to the 26,091 fans: ”Please refrain from throwing snowballs on the field.”

Snow, in April, at the ballpark, isn’t new, but it certainly is unusual looking. David Wright looked like he was posing for a Christmas card …

The cold weather can be dangerous, too.

Former Mets catcher Rick Cerone remembers playing in Toronto in April 1977 as a member of the Blue Jays. The weather was so cold he suffered frost bite on his right hand and he never fully recovered.

”It snowed the first five innings,” said Cerone. “Ever since my hand got frostbitten that day, I’ve had bad circulation in it. Whenever it’s the least bit cold, I had trouble feeling the ball. I use heat packs to keep my hand warm. But that’s what cold weather can do. It’s not just how the cold affects you that day, it’s how it can affect the rest of your career.”

In an interview with the New York Times, Dave Winfield remembered how the cold weather nearly cost him his career. ”My junior year at the University of Minnesota, I was a pitcher as well as an outfielder. We were playing Michigan State in snow flurries and 30-degree weather, when I heard something pop in my elbow. For the next five months, I couldn’t throw a ball 30 feet. I thought I might be through, but lucky for me, my arm came back.”

Standing in the snow, Sandy Alderson looked across the field searching for the infield diamond. He couldn’t spot it. Earlier in the day he was on Twitter suggesting the conditions were more football than baseball. So, he wondered out loud, if the Mets and Rockies might still play later Monday night?

“There isn’t a bright line test,” he said. “Is it 30 degrees? Twenty-eight? Twenty-six? I don’t know where you draw the line.”

The answer: No. We found our bright line. A winter storm warning means no baseball in Colorado. The storm will remain in effect until 6am Tuesday morning.

The Boys of Summer will attempt to play a day-night doubleheader Tuesday at Coors Field. The weather forecast: Cloudy with a chance of snow in the morning. A chance of rain and snow in the afternoon. Highs 37 to 43. Sounds like they’ll be walking a fine bright line again.

Yesterday, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reported that the Mets decided to send Omar Quintanilla to Triple-A Vegas to start the season so they could minimize the risk of losing him to waivers early in the season. Quintanilla is not currently on the 40-man roster.

Collins said the Mets were wary of carrying Quintanilla out of spring training in part because if they ever needed to free a spot on the major league roster and Quintanilla was the casualty, he would need to be exposed to waivers and the Mets would risk losing a valuable piece.

The Mets decided to carry Kirk Nieuwenhuis as an extra outfielder to provide another option to a weak outfield configuration.

It was a logical decision by the Mets who felt that they could get by for a week or two without having to rest the younger Ruben Tejada. But now it’s time to shore up the infield and cut loose one of the six outfielders.

Kirk has options remaining so he’ll be the one to go whether it’s deserved or not.

So, my kids surprised me last night with a really early Mother’s Day gift – tickets to Banner Day!

After ESPN’s decision to schedule the original May 26th date for Sunday Night Baseball, the Mets held a fan vote to allow fans to choose when Banner Day should be held and ended up moving the date to Saturday, May 11. I’ll be there.

You have to understand – Banner Day was always my favorite day on the calendar. For those who are not familiar with the concept, Banner Day was a chance for the fans to express their loyalty and love for the Mets using homemade banners. The center field wall at Shea would open and fans would stream in with banners showing the world that they bled orange and blue. This would happen between games of a doubleheader ( back in the day when doubleheaders were played all the time on the regular schedule).

I would be watching on TV, glued to the screen, to see not only the banners, but the celebrity judges who would ultimately decide which banner was the winner. The judges were former Mets, New York City celebs and sometimes broadcasters. They would sit at a table set up in the infield as hundreds paraded by them and hammed it up for a chance to be declared the winner.

I love Banner Day. I don’t know if any other team does this, but it always made me proud to be a Mets fan. Even in the lean years, people would flock to Shea to express their passion for our Metropolitans. The creativity of the fans made it a fun event. I always wanted to go and make a banner, but never did.

When Banner Day was done away with after the 1996 season, I thought it was a part of history that was not to be messed with. I was sad to see it go.

Thankfully, they brought it back in 2012 and even R.A. Dickey, who was only here for one of them, understood the relevance of it for the fans and it’s place in Mets lore:

“Giving people a platform to be creative is great,” said R.A. Dickey last year when the Mets revived the tradition. ”That’s one of the things that makes this place unique. Nobody else does it. That’s what makes it neat.”

When the Mets brought it back last year, I was thrilled. A part of my childhood was coming back and it was great to see it back. And now I get to make a dream come true by actually going. I am so looking forward to seeing the banners and the clever slogans telling the world that we have our Mets backs, no matter what the scoreboard says or where we are in the standings.

If I want to participate, I have to be at Citi that day by 10 am. Since I live near Philly, that might not be possible. But, who knows? Maybe I’ll be inspired to create a banner and walk with my Mets brethren. I can express the love and solidarity that I have had with  this team since 1968.

Will this be a banner year for the Mets?  I better start working on my clever slogans….

Updated by Joe D. on 2/27

We may hear those words blare over the Citi Field PA system one day in the near future during a Mets game… Maybe…

Whether or not Wilmer Flores should be handed an outfield glove has been debated quite passionately on MMO many times over the last several months. We’ve all debated the pros and cons of such a move, and obviously so have the Mets.

As Andrew Keh of the New York Times pointed out, Flores has continued to distinguish himself as one of the more promising hitters in the Mets’ organization, but he is a player who, at the moment, seems to lack an obvious position. That said,, everything keeps pointing to the outfield.

“It’s an obvious question,” General Manager Sandy Alderson said Tuesday morning, “and we’ve considered it. Our focus is developing him as a hitter, and that’s not something we want to interfere with.”

As for Flores, he keeps saying the same thing each time he’s asked, “Sure, why not? I’ll play anywhere they ask me to play.”

Look for Flores to get some playing time in the outfield this month and next as well. It may only be an experiment for now, but it’s becoming quite clear the team is not looking to trade him and view him as a keeper. That means a position change will have to be coming…

Stay tuned…

Original Post 2/26

Last night was the first time most Mets fans got the chance to see Wilmer Flores play second base, including myself. Seeing Flores at second base was one of the main things I was focused on during last night’s game against the Washington Nationals. I’m sure other fans were focused on Flores as well, as talks about running Daniel Murphy out of town began as soon as the Mets announced that Flores would be taking reps at second base this spring.

Making the jump from third base to a middle infield position is generally a very difficult one. The switch from the middle infield to third base is much, much easier. Flores, has now made the switch from the middle infield to third base, and now back to the middle infield.

The reason why the switch from third base to the middle infield is difficult is because the positions are fundamentally different. Sure, you mechanically field the grounder the same way at third base as you would any place on the diamond, but aside from that, just about everything else is different—different reaction times, different angles off the bat, turning the double play is different, different footwork, and different positions to be on cut-offs.

Two of the main things I watched for last night was to see how Flores approached grounders hit in his direction, and how he turned the double play.

Third base is a position where the balls are generally hit sharply, so the player usually waits for the ball to get to him, rather than charge and play the ball. They may have to move laterally, but generally don’t move in on the ball unless it is a weakly hit grounder or bunt—hence being called the “hot corner.” At second base it’s the complete opposite. If the player waits for the ball to get to him, in other words, let the ball play him instead of “playing the ball,” the most routine grounders will turn into infield hits. I wanted to see if Flores took that with him to second base, because playing third base for the past couple of years could have re-programmed him mentally. Flores did a good job of “playing the ball,” and it looked as if his instincts from when he was a former shortstop are still there.

When turning the double play, Flores looked smooth. I was watching for Flores’ pivot, and how he received the throws from the shortstop. There are a couple of different ways for a second baseman to receive the toss on a double play from the left side of the infield. They can use a timing play where they try to time the toss from the left side, and come across the front of the bag to get more momentum on the throw. The other way is to wait at the bag, which generally leads to the second baseman making a flat footed throw off the back foot. Flores arm is definitely strong enough for the latter, and he demonstrated it in last night’s game.

It’s only one game, but Flores had a successful night at second base. It seems the instincts are still there from when he used to play shortstop, the arm strength is there, and now we have to see how his range is on some more challenging ground balls. Everyone will be keeping a very close eye on Flores at second base this spring, the bat is definitely there, and it seems like he may have found a home defensively.

To read previous editions of this feature, go to our MMO Prospect Pulse Archives.

Follow MMO Minor League Analyst Mitch Petanick on Twitter at @FirstPitchMitch for even more Mets Minor League and prospect coverage.

Wilmer Flores played second base yesterday in a Spring Training game for the Mets. Flores did not embarrass himself defensively and looked to have an idea offensively. So after roughly six innings it is safe to christen a man with 0 AB above Double-A with the starting second base job?

No. Nope. Nah. Negative. Not Yet.

Flores has even less MiLB experience at 2B than Daniel Murphy did when he tried a similar transition, and even at that point Murphy had significant innings at first base (same side of the infield, similar reactions). Wilmer Flores saw his first minor league action at new positions this year with seven games at first base, 27 games at second base and 87 games at third base. For a man who played 300+ career MiLB games at shortstop to not even take one inning at the position shows where Flores will wind up in the grand scheme of things.

The biggest knock has been movement in general, but specifically lateral movement and Flores ability to compensate for lack of speed with efficient footwork. In yesterday’s game, Flores made a few solid plays and no miscues in his four chances to handle the position. Just for an analysis, we will look into each chance.

1. Man on first, groundball hit directly at Flores, runs in front of the runner and shovel-passes the ball to Brandon Hicks (SS) covering second, turning the double play.

Thoughts: Flores got to the ball which wasn’t hit very sharply, got rid of the ball smoothly and did it in one fluent motion. This play shows more awareness and body control but did show Flores’ soft hands.

2. Man on first, groundball hit directly at David Wright (3B), throws to Flores covering 2B, throws to Ike Davis to complete double play

Thoughts: This was the most challenging play Flores would have all day and shows why he may still need some more reps to get smoother. Wright gives Flores an average to solid feed, although it was thrown directly into Flores numbers and not off to a side where Flores could easily avoid a baserunner. Flores had to stand tall, and due to the throw handcuffing was forced to throw flat-footed to Ike Davis and still got the runner by half a stride. Flores exhibited a strong arm and turned that play. The footwork around the bag was a bit rough as he could have taken the slide-step to the outfield-side of the bag to avoid contact but instead did an odd shuffle and stayed on the base

3. Ball hit to Flores left (glove side) hard, Flores goes down, gets the ball, spins and throws to Ike Davis for the out.

Thoughts: The reaction play will always be a great way to test a second baseman and this shot was a decent test. Though hit within Flores vicinity, the reaction to drop and get it with a slide and spin was a good move. If Flores goes for an outright dive, he runs a higher risk of booting the ball. By spinning as he catches it, he puts himself in the best position to throw and uses more of his body to block the ball in the event it doesn’t wind up in his glove.

4. Ball hit directly at Flores, gathers and throws to Ike Davis

Thoughts: This is a standard play regardless of which base a player would be covering. Scoop, regroup, throw. Flores didn’t look hesitant or worried and knew he had time to throw out the runner.

5. Ball hit on a big bounce near the plate, Flores rushes in but has almost no chance to throw out baserunner

Thoughts: This was the toughest play but not the most challenging for one reason. The player running on the play notched three infield hits, and not one was a bunt. Flores was forced to charge and throw from where he reached the ball which was above his head. For what it’s worth, Flores missed getting the runner by about a full stride, but on first watch it appeared to be a bang-bang play.

Conclusion: For his first six innings in a spring training game, Flores didn’t look bad with the glove. He made the routine plays, made a few difficult ones and was both the feeder and the pivot man for a double play. Wilmer looked confident and not like he was afraid to make mistakes. Just for reference, Reese Havens has been playing second base for nearly his entire MiLB career. He made two miscues yesterday in half the innings. Is Flores the savior? No. Can he be a useful MLB player with the glove? Useful in terms of adequate…sure lets go with that. Flores will probably see a fair-share of reps at both second and third base now that David Wright will be leaving for the WBC.

*side note – Flores went 0-2 at the plate, both fly-outs to the right fielder. Flores hit them both the opposite way and I do not know if that was a product of hitting the ball where it is pitched, or a specific game plan to go opposite way.

Turner burst onto the scene in 2011 and was an RBI machine in his first extended big league action. But even so, Turner said at the Kids’ Holiday Party that he’s not taking anything for granted in anticipation of this season.

“I’m still going to go in there, just like I did last year, to win a job and make the team out of spring training,” he said. “I’m just trying to work hard everyday and get better everyday.”

Justin Turner at the Mets Kids' Holiday Party

With the return of a healthy Daniel Murphy, all signs point to Turner assuming a super utility role. Though the team has not revealed any of its plans, Turner is going to spring training thinking he will need to earn a spot on the roster by showing his versatility.

“I’m willing to do anything just as long as I’m in there to help the team win,” Turner said. “I like being in the lineup, so whatever position they want me to play, I’ll be more than willing to go out there and do my best.”

With the departure of Jose Reyes, Ruben Tejada will slide to other side of the diamond to play shortstop. Turner said that he knows Tejada is more than capable of playing on the other side and said Ruben will be an exciting player to watch.

In the meantime, Turner said that he has experience playing shortstop and has the ability to bounce around the infield, including first base. If need be, he’d even be willing to serve as the team’s emergency catcher, but he would certainly like to avoid that option.

He’s also played a handful of games in the outfield in the minors and feels confident that he’d be able to run down a fly ball, especially with the reduced fences at Citi Field.

For the first time in his career, Turner is likely to earn a professional roster spot out of spring training. However, this hasn’t changed the way he has prepared this offseason nor will he be content with simply making the team.

“I try just to focus on the things that I can control,” he said. “That’s me. Obviously, Sandy’s [Alderson] doing everything he can to constantly try to make the team better and try to have a winning, successful season in 2012.”

Turner’s main offseason goal is to improve his speed and agility in order to increase his range in the infield. He feels that an extra step will help him get to the balls that found holes last season.

On the lighter side of things, Turner plans to engage teammate R.A. Dickey in another Twitter battle, possibly in spring training. He said he’s always on Twitter checking out the latest hot stove updates.

With plenty of new faces on the Mets this season, Turner is not worried about adjusting to his new teammates. The Mets are Turner’s third team (Reds and Orioles) so he’s been used to meeting new teammates.

“I’m a pretty easy-going guy,” said Turner. “I get along with everyone pretty well so I’m not too worried about the new guys.”

Looking forward, Turner reiterated that despite his success, last season is in the past. If all the players had Turner’s attitude, this team can accomplish some big things.