Las Vegas 7, Omaha 3

Behind a staunch performance from the bullpen, the Las Vegas 51s snapped a three-game losing streak Friday night in Omaha, Neb.

The 51s defeated the Storm Chasers 7-3 to even their four-game series at one win apiece.

The game was tied 3-3 after five innings, when Las Vegas manager Wally Backman pulled starter Matt Fox and began to use his relievers. Omaha would only get one base runner the rest of the night.

Armando Rodriguez struck out three batters over the next two innings before giving way to Gonzalez Germen and, ultimately, Josh Edgin, who struck out the side in the ninth.

The 51s offense also ignited in the sixth and seventh innings. Third baseman Eric Campbell notched a two-out single to drive in designated hitter Josh Satin and make the score 4-3 in the sixth.

Catcher Landon Powell added to the lead with his second home run of the year, a solo shot, in the seventh. Second baseman Wilmer Flores registered his 26th RBI of the season a few at-bats later with a line drive to left field.

The 51s road trip continues with games at Werner Park Saturday and Sunday. They don’t return to Las Vegas until Friday, May 24, against the Salt Lake Bees.

Key Stats

Collin Cowgill: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 RBI, 2 R

Josh Satin: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 RBI, 2 R

Wilmer Flores: 2-for-4, 1 RBI

Eric Campbell: 1-for-4, 1 RBI

Landon Powell: 1-for-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R

Matt Fox: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 HR, 3 ER, 6 K

Armando Rodriguez: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K

Gonzalez Germen: 1.0 IP, 1 K

Josh Edgin: 1.0 IP, 1 BB, 3 K

(Team Report)

Omaha 5, Las Vegas 4

D.J. Mitchell struggled and allowed ten of of Omaha’s 11 hits over his five innings of work, which led to four earned runs crossing the plate. At the time of his departure from the ballgame, Las Vegas had scored three runs.

Eric Campbell was responsible for all of them with an RBI single in the second and a two-run single in the third. Gonzalez Germen came on to start the sixth and recorded the next six outs without any problems, picking up two punchouts along the way.

Josh Edgin allowed a run in the eighth when Chad Tracy grounded out to score Anthony Seratelli. Seratelli doubled earlier in the frame.

Andrew Brown scored a run in the ninth after he lead-off the frame with a triple, but Kirk Niewenhuis struck out with the bases loaded to end the game.

Key Stats

Josh Satin: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 R

Andrew Brown: 2-for-4, 1 3B, 1 BB, 2 R

Zach Lutz: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 1 BB

Eric Campbell: 3-for-3, 2 RBI

D.J. Mitchell: 5.0 IP, 10 H, 1 BB, 4 ER, 3 K

Gonzalez Germen: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K

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

Keep your fingers crossed for good new on Zack  Wheeler.

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas dropped a game to Albuquerque, 8-5.
• Binghamton took down Akron, 7-3.
• St. Lucie one-hit Brevard County, 4-0.
• Savannah lost via walk-off, 4-3. 
  

Prospect Pipeline

• Zack Wheeler‘s MRI is not worrying me as much as it should. Mitch detailed some concerns with the inverted W delivery that he employs yesterday and how it can weaken a shoulder – but I think I’m just hoping for the best here. Wheeler has been so impressive in his past few starts that I doubt it is anything serious. What I am worried about, however, is further changes to his mechanics that may throw him off his game.
• Logan Verrett continued to impress with another quality start yesterday, which was mapped out by our own John Bernhardt who went as far as to call it gritty in discussion with me. Verrett received a no-decision in yesterday’s start, but rocks a 3.15 ERA in eight starts with a 5-1 record. Opposing hitters are batting just .207 against him with 40 hits in 54 innings.
• Matthew Bowman, or Princeton’s Lincecum as Teddy K. calls him, was absolutely masterful last night when he tossed seven innings of one-hit ball. He combined with T.J. Chism for the one-hit shutout. Bowman is a polished pitcher with some college experience, so his domination of Savannah and potential future domination of St. Lucie can be taken with a grain of salt. It is still awesome to see, however. 
• Gabriel Ynoa continues to show some poise for his relatively young age, as he recorded a quality outing yesterday with six-and-a-third innings of two-run ball. This is a name you should really keep tabs on going forward.
• How about Jack Leathersich continuing to employ a ridiculous strikeout rate? He has 33 strikeouts in 17.2 innings, and if my math is correct, he stands at about a K/9 of 17…Wow. Opposing hitters have been held to a .190 average against him.
• Zach Lutz is on a six-game hitting streak and he has had multiple hits in three of those games, with a three-hit performance coming in last night’s game. He owns a .324 average over his last ten games and has also launched three home runs. Of course, there’s that PCL curve to worry about…
• Maikis De La Cruz has looked sharp in his time replacing Brandon Nimmo on the Savannah roster so far. He owns a .391 ( 9 – 23) average in the short sample size.
• Kevin Plawecki actually caused the universe to implode when he decided to hit a triple – not a double – during Tuesday’s Sand Gnats game.

Stat Line of the Day

Matthew Bowman: 7.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 9 K

Transactions/Updates

• Collin McHugh was called up to the New York Mets yesterday. Brandon Hicks was optioned down to Single-A St. Lucie.
• Josh Edgin was promoted to Las Vegas.
• Matthew den Dekker is expected to resume baseball activities in early June.
• OF Jonathan Clark was called up to St. Lucie from the Brooklyn roster.
• Travis d’Arnaud will be examined tomorrow before rehabbing in the PSL.

Video of the Day

Everyone should take a minute out of their day to watch this touching video of Mets catcher Landon Powell and his family. Powell is currently playing for the Las Vegas 51s.

Photo of the Day

So how much longer are we keeping Plawecki in Savannah with me?

Binghamton 9, Harrisburg 3

An ominous gray sky and a persistent drizzle dampened my spirits as I started an excursion to Binghamton’s NYSEG Stadium for the second consecutive day.  Saturday’s sojourn was for naught, nearly four hours driving in the car and no baseball.  The prospects of a double washout loomed.

Halfway to Binghamton, the clouds almost evaporated in the sky giving way to sunshine, blue skies and baseball.  I couldn’t help but think that this sudden weather transformation might signal an omen, an abrupt change of fortunes for the better for our New York Mets as their young minor league pitching arms begin to find their way to the big squad.

This spring, Cory Mazzoni raised some eyebrows in Florida when he threw 8 innings in spring training raking up a 3.38 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP.  After a bout with elbow inflammation temporarily put Mazzoni on the sidelines, the power throwing righthander is back in the rotation at Binghamton. On Sunday afternoon, Mazzoni turned some heads logging an impressive outing as the B-Mets topped Harrisburg, 9-3, to earn a split in a doubleheader. On a strict pitch count, Mazzoni worked 5 2/3 innings and appeared headed for a shutout before Binghamton manager Pedro Lopez signaled that 80 total pitches was enough. Josh Edgin replaced Mazzoni with a runner on first and two outs but surrendered a two-run homerun to Josh Johnson on his second pitch.

Here are Mazzoni’s pitching numbers: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 K

• Batter’s Faced:  19
• First Pitch Strikes: 11 of 19  58%
• Ahead After Three Pitches:  7 of 14  50%
• Total Pitches:   80       Strikes:  52 – 65%     Balls:  28 – 35%
• Strike Breakdown:   Called:  14-27%   Fouled:  16-31%    Miss:  8-15%   In Play  14-27%
• Full Windup:  Total Pitches – 66     Strikes: 42 – 64%    Balls: 14 – 36%
• FW Fastballs  Total Pitches -   52     Strikes: 34 -  65%   Balls:  18 – 35%
• FW Curveballs Total Pitches -    4       Strikes:   3 – 75%    Balls:   1 – 25%
• FW Sliders  Total Pitches -    5      Strikes:   2 – 40%    Balls:    3 – 60%
• FW Change-ups  Total Pitches –   5      Strikes:   3 – 60%    Balls:   2 – 40% 
• Stretch:  Total Pitches -  14       Strikes:   10 – 71%  Balls:  4 – 29%
• St. Fastballs: Total Pitches -  10       Strikes:   6 – 60%    Balls:  4 – 40%
• St. Curveballs: Total Pitches -    1       Strikes:  1 – 100%. 
• St. Sliders:  Total Pitches -    3       Strikes:  3 – 100%
• Fastball Range:  88-96 mph

Of Mazzoni’s 44 fastballs, all but 5 were 90+ mph and Mazzoni’s next to last pitch reached 96 mph. Mazzoni is a big guy with the good sized hips and the backside of many power pitchers.  His delivery is smooth and appears flawless. He works quickly and efficiently and had everything working well today. A huge early lead might have been comfort food for the B-Met starter. The B-Mets scored all 9 runs in the first two innings, plating 6 runners in the opening frame.

Wilfredo Tovar and Josh Rodriguez walked to open the Binghamton first. Tovar scored the games first run when Richard Lucas lined a single to left field that Senator outfielder Jose Lozado rushed and bobbled allowing the B-Met shortstop to score. After Alan Dykstra’s infield ground out advanced the B-Met runners to second and third, before the Senator’s shortstop misplayed Cory Vaughn‘s infield ground ball with Rodriguez scoring.

After Vaughn stole second, Blake Forsythe drew a base-on-balls to load the bases. Cesar Puello‘s ground single up the middle drove in Lucas and Vaughn putting the B-Mets in front 4-0.

Joe Bonfe‘s single to right held in the air just enough to slow down the B-Met baserunners loading the bases for Mazzoni. Mazzoni slammed an 0-1 fastball for what appeared to be a grand slam homerun. With Mazzoni in a homerun trot, the ball hit the top of the fence ending in a long, two-run single. Lopez argued that the ball had cleared the orange line striking an advertisement above the fence, the umpires huddled, but the long ball single stood.

Binghamton added three more runs in their second at bat, the big hits a pair of doubles by Forsythe and Bonfe with Bonfe’s blast knocking home two runs.

Bonfe, Forsythe and Mazzoni all had two hit games. Puello went 1-2, drew a walk, was hit by a pitch and scored 2 runs.

Josh Edgin struggled in relief pitching 1 1/3 innings and surrendering two earned runs on three hits and two base-on-balls.  Edgin closed the game leaving the bases loaded.

Key Stats

Cory Mazzoni: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 K (2-for-3, 2 RBI)

Josh Edgin: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 HR, 2 BB, 2 ER, 1 K

Joe Bonfe: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI

Cesar Puello: 1-for-2, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB

Blake Forsythe: 2-for-3, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB

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

Trenton 5, Binghamton 1

Binghamton Mets starter Rafael Montero cruised through six innings, but faltered late as the Trenton Thunder scored four runs in the seventh to beat the B-Mets, 5-1, in comeback fashion on Tuesday night at Arm & Hammer Park. The B-Mets collected three hits in the first two innings, but were held hitless for the final seven frames in their second straight loss.

The B-Mets packed all their offense into the first two innings against Trenton starter Jose Ramirez. Cesar Puello emphatically got the B-Mets on the board in the second inning by blasting an 0-2 pitch to left field for his second homer of the season. Puello’s blast extended his hitting streak to 14 games, the longest active hitting streak throughout Double-A.

It proved to be Binghamton’s only run of the game. Ramirez settled down to retire the final seven batters he faced before exiting after four innings of work. The righty allowed one run on three hits, walked two and hit a batter in his second start of the season.

Montero dominated the Thunder through his first six innings. The righty matched a season-high with eight strikeouts and allowed just two base runners on a walk and single.

His fortunes changed in the seventh. Jose Pirela started the inning by walking on nine pitches. J.R. Murphy followed by lining a single to left. With runners on second and third, Slade Heathcott bounced a two-run, go-ahead single up the middle and ended Montero’s night.

Josh Edgin came out of the bullpen and issued a two-out walk to Neil Medchill. The southpaw paid for prolonging the inning when Ali Castillo pulled a two-run triple down the first base line. Trenton added another run off Edgin on an RBI single from Heathcott in the eighth.

The Thunder bullpen picked up where Ramirez left off and silenced the B-Mets offense. Josh Romanski (2-0) struck out four over three perfect innings and Danny Burawa allowed only one runner in two scoreless frames to collect his first save. At one point, the three Trenton pitchers combined to retire 20 consecutive B-Mets.

Montero (3-3) allowed three runs on three hits in his third straight loss. He struck out eight and walked two.

The B-Mets (16-16) conclude their series against the Thunder Tuesday night at 7:05 PM. RHP Logan Verrett gets the ball for Binghamton against LHP Nik Turley.

Key Stats

Cesar Puello: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

Daniel Muno: 1-for-3

Allan Dykstra: 1-for-3, 1 BB

Rafael Montero: 6.1 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 8 K

Josh Edgin: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 3 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)

Erie 9, Binghamton 1

Erie starter Kyle Lobstein took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and led the SeaWolves past the Binghamton Mets by a 9-1 score on Thursday night at NYSEG Stadium. The B-Mets were held to a season-low two hits in their second straight loss.

The SeaWolves grabbed an early lead, plating the first run of the game three batters in against B-Mets starter Logan Verrett. Daniel Fields led off the game with a single, stole second and scored on a double from Ramon Cabrera.

Erie put the game out of reach with five runs in the fifth. The first four batters reached safely on singles. Marcus Lemon doubled the lead with an RBI single and two runs came home when Cabrera beat out a potential inning-ending double play with the bases loaded. Tyler Collins put an emphatic cap on the inning with a two-run homer to left.

Verrett (4-1) was tagged for six runs on eight hits in his first Double-A loss. The righty tossed six innings without walking any SeaWolves. He struck out just one, the fewest strikeouts he has collected in any of his pro starts.

Erie kept the offense going against reliever Josh Edgin in the seventh. Hernan Perez looped a triple down the right field line and Cabrera walked to set the table for Collins. The left fielder blasted a payoff pitch to right for his second homer of the game and fourth of the series. The round-tripper gave Erie a 9-0 lead.

Meanwhile, Lobstein easily handled the B-Mets lineup through the first six innings. Binghamton managed just two baserunners on an error and a walk. At one point, the southpaw retired 18 of 19 B-Mets.

Binghamton finally ended the no-hit bid in the seventh. After a throwing error and a walk put two aboard, Cesar Puello dumped a two-out RBI single into right field. The hit, which extended Puello’s hitting streak to nine games, plated Josh Rodriguez with Binghamton’s only run of the game.

Lobstein (3-2) finished the inning and earned his third win of the season. He allowed just one unearned run on one hit. The lefty walked two and struck out six. Will Startup and Justin Souza each posted shutout innings to secure the win.

The B-Mets (14-13) start a three-game series against the Harrisburg Senators at Metro Bank Park on Friday night at 7:00 PM. RHP Jacob deGrom (0-2, 4.91) opposes RHP Blake Treinen (2-3, 4.76).

Key Stats

Darrell Ceciliani: 1-for-4

Josh Rodriguez: 0-for-2, 1 R, 2 BB

Cesar Puello: 1-for-4, 1 RBI

Logan Verrett: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 1 HR, 0 BB, 6 ER, 1 K

Josh Edgin: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 ER, 2 K

Shawn Teufel: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K

(Team Report)

It’s Wheeler Day!

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas took down Reno, 9-5.
• Binghamton squeezed by Erie, 4-3.
• St. Lucie blew out Tampa, 7-1.
• Savannah got blown out by West Virginia, 10-1.

Prospect Pipeline

• At 2:35 PM ET, all eyes will be on Mets prospect Zack Wheeler as he takes the mound for the 51s. After a so-so last start, Wheeler looks to rebound against the Reno Aces. As always, the pressure is on Wheeler to try to throw a high strike rate and dispel the concerns about his control. The stuff will always be there for Zack Wheeler, and every start is a step towards the future for a man who already has one foot in the door. Wheeler’s last start was a mixed bag, because he dominated the first four innings only to fall apart in the middle of the game. He was victimized by two-out hits and walks, and it will be interesting to see how he handles himself this afternoon.
• On the topic of Mets pitching prospects, Domingo Tapia is taking the mound for St. Lucie tonight against the Tampa Yankees at 7:00 PM. Tapia is in the middle of a pretty impressive year and continues to warrant attention and respect. Matthew Bowman takes the mound for Savannah tonight, and he is also in the midst of an impressive campaign.
• Brandon Nimmo has hit a bit of a wall since peaking at a .450 average, as he has only two hits in his last thirty at-bats. Nimmo went 0-for-4 again last night and striking out at a high rate. Another thing to note is that Nimmo has only 16 ABs against left-handers this year, and he is 2-for-16 (.125) against them. Scouts are saying that he’s taking too many fastball strikes and falling behind in the count putting opposing pitchers at an advantage.
• Andrew Brown is still knocking the cover off the ball and is batting .360/.438/.584/1.022 in 89 at-bats. Of his 32 hits, 15 of them are of the extra-base variety including 11 doubles, 3 triples and a home run. It may be time to exit Collin Cowgill stage right, and enter Andrew Brown stage left. Cowgill has proven to be what we thought he was, a Quad-A player with a marginal skillset, but I will say this about him – he’s real gritty.
• Rylan Sandoval is on a mini-tear, batting .316 over his eight-game hitting streak, including a grand slam last night.
• RHP Robert Gsellman was promoted directly from Extended Camp to St. Lucie to fill the slot left open when Hansel Robles was placed on the DL before last night’s game. Gsellman gave St. Lucie four scoreless innings allowing just two hits, two walks while striking out two.
• Josh Edgin found his edge last night and managed two scoreless innings in his return to Binghamton while striking out three.

Stat Line of the Night

Rylan Sandoval: 3-for-5, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 R

Transactions/Injuries

• RHP Adrian Rosario transferred from Binghamton (AA) to Extended Spring Training.
• INF Joe Bonfe transferred from St. Lucie (High-A) to Binghamton (AA).
• RHP Hansel Robles was placed on the DL. We’ll follow up on that later today.
• Pedro Feliciano rejoined the St. Lucie roster and posted a scoreless inning.
• Cory Vaughn will miss tonight’s game with as a precaution. He was removed from last night’s game after gunning a runner down at home plate and subsequently feeling a weird sensation in his arm.
• Tyler Pill will miss tonight’s game as the B-Mets are also giving him the night off as a precaution. It could be fatigue related. Mark Cohoon will make the start in his place.

Quote of the Day

Art Pontarelli, the Mets area scout who signed Jack Leathersich, expects the hard-throwing lefty to get to the major leagues soon and to dominate when he arrives.

“You have to like the makeup,” Pontarelli said. “The thing in my opinion that indicates he’ll be a big leaguer is he has no fear. … He thinks he’s better than the hitter.”

Leathersich, 22, was the Mets’ fifth-round draft pick in 2011 out of UMass-Lowell. Though he is listed at just 5-foot-11, his fastball frequently touches 95 mph and sits routinely at 91-92. Interestingly enough, when I spoke to Jack in February, he told me his idol was another smallish, hard-throwing lefty – Billy Wagner.

Photo of the Day

Check out those Mets farmhands… They call that big one over there K-Plaw…

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)

As I expected, the Mets have demoted Josh Edgin to Double-A Binghamton to clear a roster spot for Shaun Marcum.

I even speculated that he should go to Binghamton which is where he ends up.

We’ll see him again, I’m sure…

Updated on 4/26

I got an interesting email from Kevin (K Maxx) this morning who asked, “if Terry Collins is so concerned about Josh Edging being overworked, why does he keep overworking him?”

I did a quick check and was shocked to see that Edgin made 75 appearances last season between the Mets and the minors. That would have placed him tenth in the NL.

The 75 appearances was the largest workload of his pro career and more than a 50% increase from his previous high of 49 appearances.

So far this season, Edgin has appeared in 10 of the first 20 games and is on pace for 81 appearances.

K Maxx may have a point.

Original Post 4/24

What happened to the Josh Edgin who came up and immediately became one of the more reliable and dominant relievers out of our bullpen last year?

As if his his 10.80 ERA and 1.97 WHIP in 10 appearances wasn’t bad enough, I took a quick glance at his splits and it really showed me how bad things really have gotten for Edgin since last season.

• Versus LH Batters – 368

• Versus RH Batters – .333

Those batting averages against are just plain awful to look at and clearly a sign that something is amiss. He no longer exudes the confidence he once did and his entire demeanor on the mound has done a complete 180. This is not the same intimidating and effective force we saw in 2012. It’s as if he was replicated by one of those giant seapods from Invasion of the Body Snatchers?

Good God, what’s happened to Josh Edgin?

Edgin burst onto the scene sporting a fastball with that had great late life and came in at 93-95 mph. The velocity and the movement are just not there anymore. His slider, which was so effective last season, is now “big and sloppy and flat”, according to Bobby Ojeda.

Terry Collins had a lot to say about Edgin after the game, and to say he’s very concerned is an understatement.

“One of the things I’m a little concerned about is that last year Josh Edgin made a lot of appearances. He also warmed up in the bullpen a lot of times and then didn’t come into the game. That also puts a lot of stress on your arm. Edgin pitched a lot last season and I’m afraid his arm isn’t responding well. I’m a little concerned that’s what we’re facing right now with Edgin.”

“I’ve had pitchers in the past where after their first full season the arm doesn’t respond well. I think that’s what’s happening. We’re going to talk to him and work with him tomorrow and try to see how we can get him back to what he was.”

You’ve lost that lovin’ feeling.

Collins was visibly frustrated while talking about Edgin and it sounded to me like his patience may be running out on his young southpaw.

“Command is everything when you’re in the major leagues,” Collins said. “Right now Edgin needs to do what got him here if he wants to stay here.”

When the Mets announced that they were calling up Robert Carson, you may remember I thought Edgin was as good as gone. Instead the Mets decided to part with Greg Burke. That was surprising to me. Now I see no other solution than to send Edgin to Triple-A Vegas or even Double-A Binghamton to recharge his batteries and get some of that confidence he once had back.

Edgin has lost his edge

The New York Mets were shutout by the Philadelphia Phillies 4-0 tonight at Citi Field. Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick hurled a complete game gem, limiting the revamped Mets lineup to just three hits and a walk.

For the Mets, Dillon Gee was matching zeroes with Kendrick for five innings and actually did a nice job of keeping the Phillies off the board until the dreaded sixth inning when it all fell apart for him. Gee was torched for four runs with the big blast coming off the bat of Ryan Howard who rocketed a three-run homer into the night. Howard owns Gee who now falls to 1-4 on the season with a 5.96 ERA.

The bullpen delivered three scoreless innings, two from Jeurys Familia and a surprisingly clean 1-2-3- ninth from Josh Edgin which was very good to see.

Offensively for the Mets? There was none. Ironically, Terry Collins juggled the lineup before the game and batted David Wright clean-up believing it would lead to more runs. (Hey Terry, your team is already ranked number one in the NL in runs per game.)

But there was no beating Kendrick on this night. The Mets flailed at his pitches and were completely powerless against him.

The Mets (10-11) now fall one game under .500 for the first time this season. Tomorrow, Shaun Marcum will be activated from the DL and make his Mets debut.

Have at it…

The Los Angeles Dodgers were in town this week, taking 2 out of 3 games against the Mets. This was a fun series, that pictured two well pitched games on Wednesday and Thursday. I’ll even go so far as to say Wednesday night’s game was one of the most enjoyable ball games I’ve watched in a while.

Where’s The Spin: No doubt about who would lead of this edition. Jordany Valdespin wins the only game the Mets took in the series and then tells reporters afterward that the team won the game because of Mike Baxter‘s hustle. Nice. But, how come he was not in the lineup after hitting a dramatic game winning grand slam home run in the tenth inning the previous night?

Wright On: Wright gets a nod for his game tying hit in the ninth inning on Wednesday night. Wright did exactly what a captain should do. The Dodgers had some mojo going after Jerry Hairston‘s great catch on Daniel Murphy. Wright stepped up, two out Baxter on third and promptly laces a single to center. So much for the non-clutch label.

Heff Deserved Better: Jeremy Hefner pitched a gem on Thursday afternoon, going seven innings, giving up one run, three hits, and four strikeouts. Job well done, Jeremy. Unfortunately, he got no run support. Let’s hope he can string some back to back quality starts together.

Mattingly’s Moves: In the ninth inning of Wednesday night’s game, Donny Baseball decide to use an extra infielder, and play with only two outfielders. The problem I have with this, is it took way too long for the Dodgers to get set on defense. As Ron Darling mentioned on SNY, Terry should be out complaining about the delay. Second head-scratcher from Mattingly was using his ace pitcher Clayton Kershaw as a pinch hitter to bunt. I get it, Kershaw is a very good bunter. But, the Dodgers pitching staff has been hit hard with injuries, so why risk getting your ace injured on a bunt play? Is Donny that desperate to save his job?

Post Game Celebrations: Joe D. had a post here on Thursday about the pie in Valdespin’s face on Wednesday night being a cheap shot. Looking at it live, I didn’t realize it, but then saw Joe was 100% correct upon further review. There was more behind the pie incident than we fans will ever know about. Joe called for an apology, was criticized for it, but that’s exactly what Valdespin and the team got. Buck assembled them all before yesterday’s game and apologized to the team and then turned to Valdespin and said he was sorry in Spanish. Valdespin accepted, shook hands with Buck, and the matter is over. I don’t like the pie in the face, and I also don’t like the entire team crowding around home plate after a walk off home run like a bunch of little leaguers.

Where’s His Edge: On Tuesday, sophomore reliever Josh Edgin worked 1/3 of an inning, giving up four hits and two runs. On the season Edgin is 0-1 with a 10.80 ERA. Not good enough. His fastball has no life, his slider is flat, and it may be time to consider a trip to Vegas because he is not helping the team right now.

The Phillies are in town this weekend. Chase, Ryan, Cole, J-Roll….all our old friends enemies . Lets hope for the best, and Let’s Go Mets.

In the top of the third inning, a comebacker struck Niese on his leg sending him to the ground writhing in pain. Niese sat down in the dirt along the first base line and grimaced as the Mets trainer helped him to his feet after a minute or so and exited the field. X-rays were negative and Niese left with a bruise. The Mets said he was day to day.

“We’ll see how it feels tomorrow. But I should be able to throw a bullpen and make my next start,” Niese said.

“I’m glad it’s not as bad as what it could have been,” he added. “Everything kind of locked up down there. I couldn’t move my toes. It was kind of scary at first.”

The Mets scored twice in the third after Clayton Kershaw retired the first two batters. Robert Carson, who took over for Niese, walked in his first big league plate appearance and set up RBI singles by Daniel Murphy and David Wright. But that would be all the scoring for the Mets who had just had four hits, all singles, on the night.

The Dodgers put the game away in the eighth inning after reliever Josh Edgin was tagged for two runs on two singles and two doubles.

One Mets bright spot was when Juan Lagares made his big league debut during a double switch in the fifth inning. The center fielder was promoted from Triple-A Las Vegas earlier in the day and flied out to the warning track against Kershaw in his first at-bat.

Then Lagares singled his next time up for his first big league hit. ”When I got to the dugout all of my teammates said congratulations. That, for me, feels good,” he said.

Right-hander Matt Harvey will try to snap the Dodgers’ five game winning streak at Citi Field tonight at 7:10 PM. We’ll be live blogging the game from the press box at Citi and hope you’ll join us.

The Mets have announced that they have recalled LHP Robert Carson from Triple-A Las Vegas.

Carson, 24, is 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA in eight appearances with Triple-A Las Vegas and has allowed two hits, two walks, while striking out seven in 7.2 innings pitched.

To make room on the active roster for Carson, the Mets have designated LHP Aaron Laffey for assignment.

In four appearances and two starts for the Mets, Laffey had a 7.20 ERA, allowing eight earned runs on 16 hits with four walks and nine strikeouts in ten innings.

The 40-man roster now stands at 39.

Original Post 4/21 at 1:00 AM

According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, left-hand reliever Robert Carson, who was beaten out by fellow lefty Scott Rice for a bullpen spot at the end of spring training, is due to join the Mets, a baseball source told him.

Carson, 24, is 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA in eight appearances with Triple-A Las Vegas and has allowed two hits, two walks, while striking out seven in 7.2 innings pitched.

Rubin did not mention who could be cut from the active roster, but earlier today Joe D. speculated that Carson was primed for a promotion and identified Josh Edgin as a primary candidate for demotion as well as Greg Burke. Both have struggled out of the bullpen this season.

Rafael Montero is fast approaching a promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas Tops Colorado Springs 10-6
• Binghamton Shuts Out New Hampshire 3-0
• St. Lucie Edges Fort Myers 6-5
• Savannah Tops Lakewood 6-4

Prospect Pipeline

• Brandon Nimmo had another triple last night and reached base three times (two walks). Let’s face it, if Nimmo isn’t getting on base as much as he is (.520 OBP), then Jayce Boyd and Kevin Plawecki wouldn’t be having as good of years as they currently are. I didn’t research it, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find that 50% or more of Plawecki’s and Boyd’s RBI came from driving in Nimmo this season. Nimmo is the prime example of how having a solid lead off and No. 2 hitter in the lineup are the keys to the success of a team’s offense as a whole.
• Catcher Juan Centeno, who was called up from Double-A Binghamton to replace the injured Travis d’Arnaud, had an impressive Triple-A debut. Centeno went 1-for-2 with two RBI and a run scored, and also did a nice job behind the plate blocking a couple of pitches in the dirt. (Joe D.)
• Shortstop Phillip Evans was pulled from the game after not running out an infield popup. Gnats’ manager Luis Rojas explained that he had no tolerance for a lack of hustle and gave Evans an earful after the game. (Joe D.)
• Savannah first baseman Jayce Boyd had three hits and drove in four runs as the Sand Gnats defeated Lakewood 6-4 on Saturday. The hot-hitting Boyd is batting .367/.473/.532 in 16 games with 16 RBI this season. (Joe D.)
• Newly signed ex-Yankee Sean Henn made his Mets debut at Triple-A Las Vegas in relief on Saturday night. The left-hander allowed three hits and an earned run in two-thirds of an inning. (Joe D.)
• Sports Media Watchdog caught up with Brandon Nimmo who talked about his hot start. “We’re just going to keep going with this and keep having fun,” said Nimmo. He also praised the organization’s coaching staff for always having something helpful to say when he needed to hear it. “I’m not a major-leaguer yet, but even then, I’ll work on being more consistent, both physically and mentally.” By the way, Sports Media Watchdog is owned by Mike Silva, formerly of New York Baseball Digest. A sharp guy who knows what he’s talking about. (Joe D.)
• How many more games does Rafael Montero have to dominate before he gets the call to Las Vegas? Then how many games will he have to dominate before reaching Citi Field? Because as we learned yesterday, “all he does is dominate.” I’m trademarking that phrase, and going to make a fortune on t-shirts. Seriously though, the kid has a solid fastball, a sharp slider, he’s working on a change up (which is usually the last pitch to develop for young pitchers), and he has complete control over the strike zone — he’s going to be a good one.
• Juan Lagares is slowly proving that he is ready for big league action. He’s been hitting lead off for Las Vegas and he is batting .356, with two home runs and a .390 OBP. The last time I checked the Mets could still use some outfield help and a leadoff man…what’s the hold up?
• Domingo Tapia seems like he has completely bounced back from his start on April 11, where he didn’t make it out of the first inning. Even with that anomaly, his stats are still ridiculous this year — in 19.2 innings of work, he has an ERA of 2.29, and 18 strike outs to seven walks. Now take into account that four of those walks came in the game where he only pitched .2 of an inning. So in his other 19 innings of work he’s only allowed two earned runs, three walks and struck out 17 batters…wow.
• I’ve been preaching it for months — T.J. Rivera is for real. All he does is hit wherever he goes. The native New Yorker from the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx seems determined to make the long journey from undrafted free-agent to Citi Field. We are all rooting for you T.J.!

Stat Line of the Day

Rafael Montero: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 6 K

Transactions/Injuries

• According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, left-hand reliever Robert Carson is due to join the Mets, a baseball source told him. MMO’s Joe D. is projects that Josh Edgin could be heading to Triple-A Vegas to make room for Carson on the Mets roster.
• Rehabbing Frank Francisco threw an inning of scoreless relief in the eighth inning, in his second outing with St. Lucie. That’s two scoreless innings for Francisco since getting back into real game action..

Quote of the Day

Rudy Terrasas on Matt Harvey: “My first impression was that this was a big, strong kid who was built for innings. And then when you saw what came out of his hand, you put it all together and thought, boy this is a pretty good-looking pitcher. He had a plus fastball and plus secondary pitches. The good ones are going to be more polished, and that was the case with Matt. The other thing that impressed me was Matt’s demeanor on the mound. He didn’t let anything bother him; he had a game plan, and he stuck with it.”

Photo of the Day

Brandon Nimmo?! Brandon Nimmo?! Wait until they get a load of me…

One of the most revealing things about the Mets’ 7-6 loss to the Nationals today, is that they are 7-1 this season when Jon Niese and Matt Harvey start, and 1-7 when they turn to Dillon Gee, Jeremy Hefner and Aaron Laffey. That says a lot, doesn’t it?

Today’s sacrificial lamb was 26-year old Jeremy Hefner who made a quick exit lasting only four innings and allowing four earned runs on four hits, three walks and a pair of homeruns to Ian Desmond and Bryce Harper. It might be time to consider bringing up Collin McHugh who seems to be having no problems pitching in the hitter-friendly PCL and owns a league leading 0.59 ERA. As for Heff, his 7.07 ERA tells the story.

Fifth starter Aaron Laffey came out of the bullpen for this one, but offered little relief and quickly served up a three-run homer to first baseman Adam LaRoche and couldn’t even finish his one inning of work. Laffey has a 7.20 ERA this season and there’s really no reason to keep him around even as a longman.

The backbreaking blow came when Bryce Harper nailed southpaw Josh Edgin with his second homer of the game in the eighth inning. The blast was proved to be the game winner. I like Edgin, but he’s been throwing batting practice this season and his velocity has tanked. This is not the same reliever we saw last season, and it may be time to cut bait with Edgin and his 9.00 ERA.

Offensively, the Mets were able to muster up six runs including five off of Nats starter Gio Gonzalez. The five runs all came in a big fourth inning, with Collin Cowgill and Daniel Murphy each driving in a pair. David Wright nearly got a hold of one, but had to settle for a triple. Ike Davis, who had two home runs yesterday off right-handed pitching, did what he usually does when a southpaw is on the mound and struck out three times. Sooner or later they’ll figure out they need to platoon him. Davis stranded three runners in scoring position in the process.

The Mets didn’t homer for the first time in eight home games at Citi Field this season.

The Mets obviously have two hug immediate concerns; a backend of the rotation which has totally sucked, and a bullpen that already needs some revamping.

Joe D.’s Crystal Ball:  Expect Shaun Marcum to be activated from the DL and Collin McHugh to get promoted from Las Vegas. Say goodbye to Aaron Laffey and Jeremy Hefner. In the bullpen, I expect that both Greg Burke and Josh Edgin are as good as gone. We could see Robert Carson get promoted and one of either Frank Francisco or Pedro Feliciano get activated after the weekend. I’m betting it’s Frank-Frank.

This game was underwhelming and a big letdown after Friday night’s prime time spectacle. If they don’t fix the backend of the rotation, the Mets will be 15 games out by the end of May. And so far, Zack Wheeler is not looking like a solution, let alone an option.

The road trip that began with a stumble in Philadelphia mercifully ended with a fall this afternoon in freezing Denver. The Mets left Citi Field at 4-2 and will arrive home tomorrow at 7-7. After losing two of three to the Phillies, the Mets won two in Minnesota in brutal conditions, then lost three games in Colorado, including today’s 11-3 mauling of Jon Niese, and of course, the bullpen.

ON THE MOUND:

Niese was not effective, and in his worst start of the season gave up three runs on nine hits and a walk in six innings. Technically, that’s a quality start, but Niese would agree that it was not. The Rockies ripped the Mets’ pen for six runs after two outs in the seventh. For the series, the bullpen gave up 18 runs on 22 hits in 11 innings.

AT THE PLATE:

David Wright went 2-for-3 with two RBI. The top three in the order, Jordany Valdespin, Daniel Murphy and Wright each had two hits. The Mets had eight total. … Ike Davis went 1-for-4 to raise his average to .146. No, they did not stop the game to give him the ball after the hit. … Since his grand slam last Friday in Minnesota, John Buck has gone 2-for-16.

METS MUSINGS:

Matt Harvey wasn’t around to watch the carnage as he took an early flight to New York in preparation for Friday’s start against the Washington Nationals.

Frank Francisco pitched a scoreless inning Wednesday night in a rehab assignment. There is no timetable for his return.

Terry Collins said not to expect any prospect be brought up soon.

Shaun Marcum threw 41 pitches today in an extended spring training game today in Port St. Lucie. He was scheduled to throw 65 pitches. Collins said Marcum must throw 90 pitches in five days, and then possibly another game before he’s activated. The Mets aren’t scheduled to need a fifth starter until April 27.

Lucas Duda did not play because of tightness in his back. The Mets wouldn’t say if he would be available Friday.

Lefty reliever Josh Edgin gave up two runs and has been hit for six in his last two appearances.

Triple-A catcher Travis d’Arnaud will be in New York Friday to have his broken left foot examined. GM Sandy Alderson said he doesn’t know if surgery will be required. That should be determined tomorrow.

ON DECK:

The Mets are home Friday to start a three-game series against Washington, beginning with the marquee match-up of Harvey against Stephen Strasburg.

Jon Niese gets credit for a quality start according to those stats…

As for the others?

Well this, my friends, is where our story begins…

Behold the Mets’ poison pen and embrace the horror…

• Josh Edgin has a 9.75 ERA and his fastball is slowing down in velocity by the day. The situation with him is nearing a panic level.
• Scott Atchison couldn’t get an out and allowed three earned runs to cross the plate. Simply put, he’s not getting it done.
• Jeurys Familia had a rude awakening in his first action since arriving from Sin City. I had high expectations for him today and I’m hoping this was just a blip on the radar. Perhaps a case of jet lag? Perhaps the physical shock of coming from a hot desert into an arctic tundra in the space of 12 hours?
• Jeremy Hefner can now boast that he’s flopped both as a starter and a reliever all in the space of a week. That’s not easy to do.

The toll on the New York Mets bullpen during this Colorado series was disastrous. All told, they pitched to the tune of a 13.09 ERA and during the three games they managed to squeeze in, the Mets bullpen allowed 18 runs (16 earned) on 22 hits and 8 walks in 11.0 innings.

Was it the frigid temperatures? Afterall, the first-pitch temperature was an crisp 28 degrees – the lowest temperature ever recorded in the 20-year history of the Rockies.

But then how do explain the Rockies impressive bullpen who posted an almost invisible 0.76 ERA? How does one explain away that?

Tsk, tsk, what is a poor Mets fan to do…

It was indeed a brutal scene to behold…

It was indeed a nauseating game to watch…

But remember, it’s only April, so let’s not hit the panic button just yet…

Instead, run down to the town square and fill your ice chests with some frosty brews…

Be sure to stop by the village market and stock up on your favorite snacks…

For tomorrow, the tragedy of this day will all be forgotten…

For tomorrow, ’tis Matt Harvey vs. Stephen Strasburg Day….

Updated by Joe D. at 3:50 PM

It’s official. The Mets just announced that they have recalled RHP Jeurys Familia from Las Vegas (AAA) and optioned RHP Greg Burke to Las Vegas.

Hat tip to Mr. North Jersey….

Original Post 2:40 PM

The Mets’ bullpen allowed 14 hits, 10 runs, eight earned over 9.0 innings during yesterday’s doubleheader and appear to be showing some leaks. Entering the Colorado series, the bullpen had posted a 2.08 ERA in their previous six games.

Overall, the Mets relievers are 2-1 with a 4.21 ERA (20 earned runs/43.2 innings) and they rank seventh in the NL in ERA.

The backend of the Mets rotation is certainly not helping matters and only adding to their woes.

With that in mind, the Mets have opted to call-up righthanded reliever Jeurys Familia, who is on his way to Denver to join the Mets, according to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.

This looks like a Taxi Squad move and it’s not immediately clear whether Familia would be activated upon his arrival or if he would be activated at all, writes Rubin.

Familia has allowed five hits in five innings with one save in four relief appearances with Triple-A Las Vegas and has yet to allow a run. In his last appearance, Familia pitched a hitless ninth two strikeouts.

The young fireballer ranked No. 7 in our 2013 Met Top Prospects Rankings where we wrote:

There is so much to like about Jeurys Familia. I am going to go out on a limb and say that Familia could be a successful reliever in the MLB right this second because of his electric stuff.

I saw a lot of this kid down the home stretch at Citi Field in 2012 and his fastball is everything scouts say and more. Electric and explosive.

Josh Edgin (7.50 ERA), Greg Burke (7.35 ERA) and LaTroy Hawkins (6,75 ERA ) have all struggled, and if I had to guess I’d say the 31-year old Burke will be the first to go if the team does activate Familia from the Taxi Squad..

The Starting Pitching

Two words: Matt Harvey. Harvey has been stellar … actually more than stellar, he has been intergalactic. What has impressed me about Harvey is his poise and his fledgling ability to control the came by sheer force of will. No one wants to face Harvey right now, he is overpowering … that’s a scary weapon to have on any team. Need a win? He’s your guy. You can’t put a value metric on that. You aren’t getting swept if Harvey is pitching. If he’s pitching the final game and you’ve won the first two you’re probably looking at a sweep.  Never underestimate the power of a true ace. Matt Harvey really does remind me of Tom Seaver, and there really are some uncanny similarities.

Then there is John Niese, who has been outstanding. I continue to maintain that Niese’s curveball is one of the most underrated pitches in the major leagues. When he’s dropping that thing in for strikes he’s as tough as anyone in baseball. Previous years Niese would unravel after a bloop and a walk. Not so since about half way through 2012, Niese is showing some tenacity under duress, which makes him pretty tough to beat. Right now Harvey and Niese comprise a legitimate one-two punch and there’s a school of thought that subscribes to the belief that two ace level pitchers at the top of a rotation is all you really need to contend. Unfortunately I’m not sure that’s true.

The rotation gets pretty dicey after our top two. Dillon Gee and Jeremy Heffner have been wildly inconsistent with command issues. You get the sense that maybe Gee wasn’t quite ready coming out of spring training, and Heffner just seems to leave too many fat pitches over the middle of the plate. We need Shaun Marcum to hurry up and get better because one more reliable starter and I think the balances are tipped in Mets favor in terms of matching up with other rotations. Lets just say Aaron Laffey seems ill-equipped as his replacement.

The Offense

Two words: Homer happy! The Mets have been hitting home runs like it’s 1998 … Duda hit one the other night at CBP in Philly that I swear was still going up when it hit the upper deck. The man may be lost in the field, but his power is freakish. I feel like he hasn’t even really gotten a hold of one yet, what happens when he does? He could knock a satellite out of orbit, he could hit one to North Korea. How about John Buck? Yeah yeah yeah, I keep hearing how he’s going to come back to earth, whatever. Here’s the thing, with the head start he’s got? Barring injury he’s going to have to come down pretty hard and pretty fast and extremely soon because if he keeps up this rate in another week or so it wont matter, he’ll be able to go back to his lifetime averages and still have the best season of his career (and probably make the all-star game). John Buck is playing with house money at this point.

David Wright I’m not worried about, and Jordany Valdespin needs more playing time. Ike Davis is going to break out sooner or later if he can get his head straightened out. Here’s the thing about Ike. When Ike first came up I was amazed that he was able to make as much contact as he did given his long loopy swing. He was able to because he has great timing, problem is when his timing is off he really struggles, again because of that long loopy swing. The thing that frustrates me about Ike is that he’s playing into the opposition’s prescribed approach. They put the stupid shift on (it’s stupid the shift – no other way to describe it) and they toss him a steady diet of breaking pitches.

Now, correct me, but when Ike came up didn’t he hit to all fields? I remember him talking about how his dad used to make him hit to the opposite field when he was a kid. What happened? I’ll tell you what happened, the stupid shift happened, it got into his head. Ike has fallen into the trap of not adjusting his game to the shift, like it’s taboo or something to change your approach because your approach is what got you to the bigs. Well the problem is, hitting to all fields IS what got Ike to the bigs … since when did he become a strictly pull hitter? I remember Keith Hernandez was incredulous at first that they were even trying the shift on Ike because Ike was always a guy who spread the ball around. Ike needs to get together with Hudgens and practice punching the ball down the third base line, get a few easy doubles, get that average up, get himself going, then he can hit as many homeruns as his heart desires. The rest of the lineup has been playing more or less as expected. We need an outfielder, badly, but in the meantime, Baxter and Valdespin should be splitting lead-off duties.

The Defense

Outside of a few misjudged fly balls by Duda and an inexplicable run of poor play by Tejada I think the defense is actually improved. Murphy has been solid. Ike hasn’t been great at first but I think he’ll settle in. Baxter is a great outfielder and Byrd can hold his own. Center field hasn’t been the disaster we were afraid of, and again, Duda plays the outfield like he’s wearing boots of lead. Wright has been a gold glove third baseman and John Buck has given us a strong veteran presence behind the plate. This team isn’t going to win or lose because of it’s defense, and that is actually a marked improvement.

The Bullpen

Jeckyl and Hyde. The bullpen has had it’s good nights and it’s nightmares. Greg Burke, after one bad outing has been pretty good, that freaky windup of his makes my eyeballs hurt so I can’t imagine it’s easy on hitters. Scott Atchison has been the token “scary old guy” in the pen and he’s been quality through and through, Hawkins has been inconsistent — pretty much the same guy I remember in Minnesota, and Bobby Parnell is throwing a 92 mph change up (need I say more?) I will say more … when he figured out how to dial it back to 91 or 92 to improve his command little did we know he’d still bring the 99 mph heat after he’d get ahead ..  so it amounts to a 92 mph changeup — which is SICK! Anyway, Parnell is fun to watch … and the rest of the bullpen is giving me hope. Josh Edgin has been shaky but reliable and I think he’ll settle in. Overall, with Francisco and Feliciano and Carson and (potentially) Mejia in reserve this bullpen may actually have some depth to bridge the inevitable injuries during the dog days of summer. Fingers crossed on this one.

Overall

I’m hopeful. Right now, as constituted, if they can stay relatively healthy I think this is a .500 team. Maybe a few games better. Things need to break right, the back end of the rotation will need a boost – either by means of Marcum or Wheeler coming to the rescue or Gee and Heffner figuring out their command issues. Ike has to get it going and Wright needs to hit a few out of the park (has he hit any since his injury?). There are concerns, this team’s success is tentative at best. The back end of the rotation let us down in Philly but hopefully Philly won’t always be lucky enough to face Gee and Heffner in the same series in their band box of a home park.

This next series against Minnesota is important. They need to establish resilience, and what better place than a sub freezing tundra on the edge of the great plains against a young and scrappy American League Central team with Ron Gardenhire as their manager. I’ll be there for every game with my lucky hat and my heat-treat pocket warmers.

TARGET FIELD: I think we’re gonna need a bigger shovel.