They criticize me to lower my self esteem but I’m going straight to the top. I was not born to lose.

Original Post 1:00 PM

“Valdespin knew that was coming. I don’t think it’s fair to say that since we didn’t hit one of the Pittsburgh hitters that he doesn’t have a friend. The notion that he was hung out to dry I think is a mistake. I’m not telling you he’s the most popular guy in the clubhouse, but I don’t think he was hung out to dry.”

That was the quote we heard from Mets GM Sandy Alderson when asked about the continuing Jordany Valdespin issue on Mike Francesa’s radio show yesterday.

Today, another new development has come to light according to Andy Martino of The Daily News.

Martino reported that Valdespin tried to “wiggle his way” out of pinch-hitting on Saturday against the Pirates. Valdespin allegedly sent word to trainer Ray Ramirez that he was “unavailable” to pinch-hit in Saturday’s blowout loss, according to Martino’s source who witnessed the dugout incident.

Much to the chagrin of Valdespin’s teammates, Ramirez sent word to Collins. Collins overruled the decision and sent Valdespin up anyway with body armor and an elbow protector.

Half of Alderson’s quote above now makes sense. Valdespin knew the inevitable plunking would occur if he stepped into the box so he tried to escape his fate. To say he wasn’t left out to dry seems like a stretch now with these new elements to the story.

This coverage is beginning to feel like the Casey Anthony trial, but the issue continues to be that Valdespin’s teammates and coaches decided to discipline him vicariously through the Pirates and not internally.

Valdespin has quirks, to put it mildly. He doesn’t play the game to the standards of conventional baseball in America, but this is clearly something he didn’t deserve given the circumstances.

We will be updating you with more information as it pertains to this story as it unfolds.

Thoughts from Joe D.

What have I been saying about this since day one?

Hung out to dry?

You betcha…

Big day on WFAN for the Mets – or at least during Mike Francesa’s time slot. After a 10 minute rant against the Mets to open the show, he had Sandy Alderson on for 15 minutes a few hours after that. There was a lot said by both of them – good and bad. Tonight you’ll get the rant, tomorrow you’ll get the interview along with my thoughts and summary.

This wasn’t easy to transcribe so I apologize now for any typos. Buckle up…

How bad must it be for the kid Matt Harvey? I mean they can’t score any runs for this kid. If the Mets could score just four rotten runs in a game this kid would be 8-0. When Harvey doesn’t pitch now, the Mets are so bad that it is embarrassing. They are so listless. They are so unwatchable. This is as bad as I have ever seen it. This is Craig Swan bad for these Mets.

I have a different take on the Valdespin thing. To me, the Valdespin thing speaks volumes about what the Mets have become. I don’t care if you don’t like Valdespin. He’s on your team. I don’t care if you detest Valdespin. He’s still wearing your uniform. And when the other team does that to him, and you guys act like you condoned it, and want to go out there and applaud it, that speaks volumes about what a bunch of losers you are.

To have a lowly team like the Pirates, who have sucked for 20 years, you’re telling me you’re gonna worry about how they feel about Valdespin hitting a homerun in a blowout game? How about worrying about winning a game instead of the Pirates’ feelings? How about not worrying about getting your nose rubbed in it everyday?

Valdespin – you don’t like him, it’s been very clear. I know Valdespin acts like a jerk sometimes. But you know what, he goes up to the plate with some gumption. He’s not an everyday player, but the Mets don’t have any everyday players in the outfield. I know Valdespin is different. And I know none of the other players like him. But that’s no excuse for a big guy like Buck to take his nose off when he hits him in the face with a pie after hitting a game winning grand slam. And if that wasn’t embarrassing enough now you treat your own guy as if he’s a leper on your own team and don’t even stand up for a guy wearing your uniform? Shame on the Mets.

I’m not sticking up for Valdespin, I know he’s half a jerk, but he goes up there and he tries. He goes up there and he tries to turn on a fastball late in games. He goes up there and comes up big sometimes and at least puts a little life into your stinking team. You want to jettison him, fine. Cut him. That way he can come back and hit a grand slam in a pinch hitting role against you guys and you can count on it.

You know what, he brings a little moxie to the team. But for the Mets to just stand there and say “oh my, what are the Pirates gonna think”, what the hell do you care what they think!

And then you watch him get hit by a pitcher wearing another uniform? Awful. To me that doesn’t say anything about Valdespin, that says all you need to know about the rest of these Mets. That just shows you what a sorry club the Mets have become. They are not just a joke – they are a bad joke. I thought they were trying to change the culture of this team around?

And another thing, I’ve been the biggest Ike Davis fan in the world, but enough is enough. That at-bat in the eighth inning last night after they pitched around and walked Wright – that at-bat was cryingly painful. It wasn’t even major league worthy. And the Mets crying and saying the ball hit the bag – oh gimme a break. What a joke.

Keep Wright, keep Harvey, keep 2-3 other guys, but other than that back up the truck and get rid of the other 20 guys because they are awful and we’ve seen enough of of them to last us a lifetime. They should be paying fans to watch this team because this is unbelievable and it has to change NOW. Except for the days that Harvey is on the mound, they are absolutely unwatchable.

I think Sandy Alderson is a smart guy and other than getting Wheeler and getting stuff for Dickey, all the other moves he’s made have been from hunger and I bet he has to admit that.

Another bullpen revamp and already half of them are gone, he signs this guy Marcum and the guy can’t even pitch five innings. He pushed and couldn’t stop talking about Cowgill and look at him now in the minor leagues. And who thought it was a good idea to have every hitter go to two strike counts every time  For what? They are going to end up leading the world in strikeouts? This team started out 7-4, but since then they are 7-16. Seven wins and sixteen losses… But worse than that, there’s no heart, there’s no life. there’s fire, there’s no toughness. It is really sad, and you know what? Enough’s enough!

* * * * * * * *

Now if you think that was hard to read, imagine how I felt having to write all of that for you?

Is he wrong about feeling bad for Harvey? Is he far off the mark on how bad this team is playing? Can you really say he was wrong about the Mets having a pity party for the Pirates because Valdespin rubbed their nose in it a little? You go ahead and discuss all of that in the comments. I’d love to read your thoughts.

I’ll have the Sandy Alderson interview up in the morning along with my thoughts.

In my game recap last night I mentioned the remarkable catch by Mets outfielder Juan Lagares as the highlight of the game.

Here is the video of that catch;

Opposing pitcher Jeanmar Gomez looked like he hit a sure-fire single against Mets starter Matt Harvey. But wow, what a grab.

Lagares hasn’t gotten it together yet at the plate, but he will. back in February I spoke highly of him and said he’d be a Met before the All Star break and that his defense was stellar. Even Terry Collins now admits he’s better than Matt den Dekker a fact we always maintained here.

In my Q&A with Paul DePodesta last Winter, I posted this:

• Mets are very high on Juan Lagares. When pressed why they haven’t produced a quality outfielder since Darryl Strawberry, they came back with Lagares and then added that they are impressed with his instincts at CF and are excited with his performance in Winter Ball, citing his bat and his 8% walk rate. They said Lagares could provide depth for Mets outfield this season.

When we ranked Juan Lagares No. 21 in our MMO Top Prospects in January, it came under some scrutiny and prompted this exchange:

TruthsaboutMurphy: He’s just not a good outfield prospect. He’s not fast enough for center and doesn’t have enough power for a corner outfield spot. Considering the options, he should not be on the top 25.

I told him he was wrong and that I base my opinions on intimate knowledge from my writers who have seen him up close and were all very impressed. We also base our opinions from speaking to various scouts, coaches and even the Mets VP of Player Development.

Lagares is legit with his glove, his speed and his bat. Hopefully, he will begin to show off the rest of his overall game and become an integral part of the Mets solution in the outfield.

Mom’s Day Starting Lineup

1. Ruben Tejada – SS
2. Daniel Murphy – 2B
3. David Wright – 3B
4. Ike Davis – 1B
5. Lucas Duda – LF
6. John Buck – C
7. Mike Baxter – RF
8. Juan Lagares – CF
9. Matt Harvey – RHP

Game Notes

In three of his first 17 career games, Matt Harvey has allowed one hit and thrown at least 7.0 innings…That is the most such games in the major leagues since 1916…Five other pitchers (Anibal Sanchez, Chris Nabholz, Mat Latos, Wally Bunker and Vida Blue) had two such starts in their first 17 career games.

The Mets have recalled RHP Greg Burke from Triple-A Las Vegas and have placed RHP Jeurys Familia on the disabled list with biceps tendinitis, the team announced. Familia will report to the Mets facility in Port St. Lucie to begin rehabilitation.

Ike Davis will bat cleanup Sunday. Davis hasn’t hit there since April 19 and has been hitting out of the No. 7 spot lately. Manager Terry Collins said he wants to put his run producers at the top of the lineup. This comes after a bit of an outburst by Davis after yesterday’s game vowing to ditch the Mets philosophy and hit a first pitch fastball whenever he pleases.

Reliever Frank Francisco is headed to the Binghamton Mets as part of his injury rehab. Francisco should be activated this week.

Numerous Mets will use Louisville Slugger pink bats along with pink batting gloves, cleats and sweatbands today as Major League Baseball honors Mother’s Day and raises awareness and money for breast cancer research. Every team across the league will also use commemorative pink stitched Rawlings baseballs. The game used items will be auctioned off on mlb.com with proceeds going towards MLB charities in support of breast cancer.

Nicole Malato, from Toms River, NJ will be the Mets’ honorary bat girl. Malato was diagnosed with breast cancer in May, 2011. She will take the lineup card out to home plate with Mets Manager Terry Collins. In addition, an all-female military color guard will be on hand for the National Anthem and the Mets will feature Mother’s Day vignettes on CitiVision.

Game Preview

In a common theme this year, Matt Harvey finds himself playing the role of stopper today as he tries to put the Mets back on a winning path. Yesterday the Mets dropped another game to the Bucs due to bad pitching from Niese and another lackluster day at the plate. At least it was Banner Day though. Against Harvey will be Jeanmar Gomez.

Matt had an unbelievable game last time out allowing only hit over 9 shutout innings while striking out 12 batters. Sadly, the Mets couldn’t score any runs, so he was saddled with the no decision. On the season he is 4-0 with a 1.28 ERA while striking out 58 batters of 49.1 innings of work. He has a 0.63 ERA in his last two starts while striking out 19 over 14.1. He has never faced the Pirates and has never faced anyone on the Pirates roster.

The Mets bats look to get things moving for Harvey day as they go up against Gomez who is 2-0 this season over 7 games, 2 starts and 22.2 innings of work with a 2.38 ERA. As a starter, he has pitched 9.0 innings allowing 2 ER and striking out 8 batters. Last season for the Indians he was 5-8 with a 5.96 ERA over 90.2 innings. He has never faced the Mets but has faced Buck, who is 0-3 against him.

Let’s Go Mets!

We have the teamwork, to make the dream work?

Jordany Valdespin has his flaws and it has nothing to do with his race. He could be Caucasian, African American, Pacific Islander, doesn’t matter … he’s had trouble with insubordination in virtually every stop on his way to the majors. He picked a fight with Ike Davis and Justin Turner for a prank they had absolutely nothing to do with, he took a silly picture wearing a Marlins cap and put it up on twitter, he is ridiculously full of himself and the fact of the matter is that in no baseball universe is it acceptable to celebrate the way he did when your team is six runs down in the ninth. It just looks bad and makes your teammates look bad.

That Jordany is universally disliked is a given. Word is Teufel can’t stand him and Collins isn’t far behind … Valdespin is stubborn and difficult and he’s been suspended numerous times for his belligerence, most recently in the winter leagues where he ran afoul of his coaching staff …

So lets stop acting like this is some sort of racially motivated conspiracy against a Latino player, or that this somehow reflects a lack of tolerance for his ethnic or cultural predilections. Lagares, Tejada and Familia seem to be doing just fine, as did Reyes who in many ways was far more animated … But Reyes was likeable, and his intent was to have fun and fire up his team. Jose never celebrated a homerun when his team was down a half dozen runs.

Yes Valdespin has a ton of talent, yes he’s probably the best outfield option on the team, yes he’s probably come a long way from his days of getting suspended in the minors, and no this isn’t about his ethnicity or his culture. This is all about Valdespin being Valdespin, a guy who in all likelihood would have a hard time fitting into any major league clubhouse.

As I write this, Valdespin comes up with the Mets down by nine runs and promptly gets plunked … not entirely surprising, still I felt bad for the kid. What was surprising was the reaction on the Mets bench. No support, not even a raised eyebrow. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything like that. Most teams have one or two players who are disliked, the 86 Mets had a few, every team has them … but I can’t imagine anyone on the 86 team getting plunked without someone on the Met bench going ballistic. Could still happen here with Valdespin, but I doubt it.

Apparently Valdespin is so disliked that his own teammates don’t seem to mind when the opposing team hits him. As Gary Cohen pointed out, what does that do for team chemistry?

Greg Jeffries had enemies on the Mets but I can’t imagine him getting plunked without some response from the Met bench. I’ll say this, if I were on a team where one of my teammates got hit and there wasn’t so much as a whimper from my dugout I wouldn’t like it. I’d trust my teammates a little bit less for not coming to Valdespin’s support regardless of how unsavory a character he might be. I might even wonder if these same teammates would come to my support.

When I began this piece I intended to conclude on a hopeful note by pointing out that Valdespin has too much talent, that he might benefit from some sort of structured intervention to help him adjust, that he’s still a Met and I hope he can succeed.

People fail to adjust for any number of reasons, anything from difficulty with social pragmatics to personality disorders to actual adjustment issues, but when a single person is so polarizing that an entire team turns it’s back when that person is assaulted — by the opposition no less — you know it’s time to make a change. No one wants to be on a team that betrays it’s own, a team that turns a blind eye when its players are plunked. As much as I may understand how difficult Valdespin might be, I question the entire team a little bit more after today’s pathetic showing.

Maybe Collins needs to go, maybe Valdespin needs to be traded … but there is no way you can have this sort of atmosphere bubbling under the surface of a clubhouse and expect to have teammates who can work together, lift each other up, and help each other succeed.

Personally I think the Pirates wouldn’t have even cared if Collins and the New York Media hadn’t brought the whole thing up the night before … but in the end Valdespin gets plunked and the Mets end up looking like a bunch of cold-hearted pansies who either hate each other so much they don’t care, or don’t care enough to defend their own. Either way it’s bad, really bad.

If I’m Sandy I’m on the phone after this game and I’m seriously evaluating my managerial and coaching alternatives.

The fact that Collins went crying to the press after Friday’s game was shameful. Tackle the problem face to face with the player and today you tell your pitcher to drill the next Pirate batter who comes to the plate.

You don’t admit your player acted poorly and allow your guys to be assaulted and potentially injured because of a bat flip, and because you’re glad it wasn’t David Wright, that’s just stupid. And, if there’s a guy in your clubhouse that inspires that much hatred? Well maybe it’s time to trade him or demote him, or better yet put a manager in place who can actually manage the personalities on his team.

Following the game, “They threw at him. I knew they might.” – TC

And you did nothing Terry? You let your kid get hit, because, he deserved it? That’s some leadership right there.

“I would have been bothered had it been somewhere up in the neck area,” manager Terry Collins said. “If nothing else, he grew by it, and that’s the most beneficial thing that could happen.” – TC.

Yes! Please throw at our players because we don’t have the temerity to teach them how to play the game ourselves … just not at the neck if you don’t mind. See, what’s really important here is that we not show up the other team … we don’t want to upset them while they’re clobbering us and we understand that if we get out of line they’re just doing us a favor when they bean us … it teaches us a lesson … we “grow by it.” So, thank you Pirates.

Unbelievable.

Terry quite probably precipitated the events on Saturday afternoon by bringing attention to the bat flip in the first place, then he did nothing after the kid got drilled in the forearm, didn’t even send a trainer out … mind blowing really. I don’t see anyone on this team running through any walls for this manager any time soon and today’s events certainly won’t help.

The lesson here is somewhere in the fact that this article started out as a critique of Valdespin and was originally going to end with a call for some sort of intervention (because the kid is talented) … then Jordany got drilled and the article turned into something far worse, an indictment of a team that will do nothing when one of it’s young players gets hit.

The problem is that in spite of all of Jordany’s flaws no one deserves to get plunked for flipping a bat — no matter what the player’s shortcomings might be. He’s still a team member, he wears the same colors and you come to his support if the opposition goes after him, I’ve known that since the third grade. So there is something far worse going on here, something missing in the character and resolve and cohesion of this team, something possibly irreparable without some dramatic changes.

Now that I’ve had some time to cool off, I was wondering how the rest of the Mets blogosphere was reacting to Spin-Gate and was surprised to find little to nothing about it on MetsBlog or anywhere else for that matter. Could it be I’m just overreacting? It wouldn’t be the first time…

However I did learn the Mets are recalling reliever Greg Burke because the Mets bullpen is overworked. It’s only May 11th, and already the Mets have made eight different bullpen transactions. I haven’t check other teams, but that sounds like a lot of moves this early in the season. That’s never a good sign.

Meanwhile, the Mets beat writers and columnists are weighing in on the fractured Mets clubhouse.

David Lennon of Newsday writes:.

Jordany Valdespin acted just like everyone expected he would Saturday when Pirates reliever Bryan Morris drilled him on the right forearm with a retaliatory 94-mph fastball.

He carried the bat with him halfway down the first-base line, which always makes for some anxious moments, before flipping it, end over end, toward the Mets dugout. When the seventh inning was over, Valdespin walked down the stairs and angrily rifled his helmet at the rack, a startling display from the volatile utility man.

The Mets’ response afterward was just as predictable.

To say his own teammates and manager were happy about the Pirates using Valdespin as a piñata would be unfair. Instead, let’s put it this way: They certainly didn’t sound upset.

“I would have been bothered had it been somewhere up in the neck area,” manager Terry Collins said. “If nothing else, he grew by it, and that’s the most beneficial thing that could happen.”

It was nice to see such genuine concern from the Mets manager about one of his player’s well-being.

I believe that Terry Collins has lost control of this team and anarchy is quickly setting in. So much so that slumping first baseman Ike Davis also decided to let it all out today and blamed the Mets hitting philosophy for his woes at the plate.

John Harper of the Daily News reported about Davis’ frustration and said that he has openly questioned the Mets’ hitting philosophy of taking pitches and working counts. Davis said, “It’s time to start swinging at first pitch fastballs.”

As I’ve said before, a one size fits all philosophy doesn’t work. To effectively get the most out of your players, one needs to consider each player’s unique skill sets, weaknesses and strengths.

What might work for some, may not always work with others. Ike Davis is a perfect example of that. The former Mets first rounder was very successful long before Dave Hudgens showed up. Clearly, something is amiss.

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York caught up with David Wright and I was waiting all night to see what Wright had to say about this Valdespin situation. Wright was on the on-deck circle when his teammate got thrown at and stood there motionless with a blank stare. After Valdespin jogged to first, Wright struck out to end the inning and the look on his face was priceless as Valdespin rushed ahead of him and slammed his helmet in the dugout and headed down the tunnel to the clubhouse.

“He’s young. He has a lot of flair about him. That’s his personality. And he doesn’t need to change the person that he is. I think toning some of it down might be appropriate. But he gets excited. He hits a home run and it’s exciting. Sometimes your natural reaction is to be excited about that.”

“You have guys that care about Valdy and are always pulling him aside. And he will pull guys aside and ask questions and things. I think he gets somewhat of a bad rap, sometimes unfairly. He’s obviously made some mistakes in the past.”

I didn’t see a lot of guys that cared about him after he got hit, did you?

I had a beer during the game so my judgement could have been clouded. There could have been a lot of care that I simply missed because of my one-beer drunken stupor.

Valdespin, by the way, declined through a team spokesman to speak about today’s drama afterward.

I think Lennon made a good point when he said that as long as Valdespin remains on the 25-man roster and is wearing a Mets uniform, his teammates have to at least pretend to stick up for him. Making fun of Valdespin or ripping him constantly to the media is no way to try to build a winning foundation in Flushing, which is what is supposed to be going on there. Whether Valdespin was in the wrong or not, why should the Mets care how the Pirates feel?

Maybe Valdespin should have never flipped his bat as he did, but as I wrote in my recap, I didn’t believe he was showing up the Pirates at all. I guess I was the only one who saw it and reported it, but Valdespin was glaring into the Mets dugout when he did that. In fact this is what I wrote Friday night:

Funny thing… Almost as if in a moment of defiance, Valdespin looked straight into the Mets dugout, flipped his bat, and rounded the bases with a swagger that screamed – You keep benching me and I’ll keep making you look like the clown prince.

I thought the message was for Terry Collins and NOT the Pirates.

I think Collins knew that and that’s why he “Spinned” the tables on him. You may remember before the game I took issue with Collins ranting about the Pirates potentially throwing at David Wright. He raged on about being on the lookout for Valdespin being retaliated against by the Pirates before the game. And wouldn’t you know it… That’s exactly what happened.

It may be time to get rid of Jordany Valdespin. He’s not wanted here and that has been obvious from when I first started sharing my conspiracy theory about that back in February. I’m not going to get all Andy Martino on you and say any of this has to do with race. It doesn’t.

As I said at the time, the winners in the Mets Spring Training battles wouldn’t be based on performance, but mostly on the fact that Alderson would rather have his guys play than the residue of the last era. That’s his right and his call as the general manager.

Otherwise, how else can you explain the best performer of the spring camp being relegated to the bench?

Unfortunately, they won’t get much for Valdespin if anything at all because the Mets have completely destroyed and demolished any trade value the kid might of had.

If this exciting prospect ever does fulfil his potential, it won’t be with the Mets, and most likely the team won’t have anything to show for him if and when that happens.

“We’ll be back next Sunday because if it’s Sunday, it’s Meet the Press.”

Banner Day Lineup

1. Ruben Tejada – SS
2. Daniel Murphy – 2B
3. David Wright – 3B
4. John Buck – C
5. Justin Turner – 1B
6. Marlon Byrd – RF
7. Andrew Brown – LF
8. Juan Lagares – CF
9. Jonathon Niese – LHP

Game Notes

As you can see, David Wright is in the lineup today after fouling a ball off his left knee in the first inning last night and being removed later in the game. “It’s pretty sore, but he thought he could play,” Terry Collins said.

Ike Davis had two hits yesterday and over his last seven games he is batting .304 to raise his average from .165 to .190 over that span. He’s been squaring up against the ball more frequently and is showing signs of turning it around. He still has a long way to go however.

According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, Frank Francisco will be bumped to Double-A Binghamton to continue his rehab this weekend. So far, Francisco has made five relief appearances with Single-A St. Lucie, and has not allowed a run in 5.0 innings. Terry Collins said he will not be activated until he can pitch in back to back games.

Game Preview

The Mets and Pirates play would could be a soggy game today at Citi Field. Last night, the Pirates evened the series with a 7-3 win over the Mets. For the Amazin’s yesterday, Marcum couldn’t find it again, allowing 6 ER over 4.2 innings. On the positive side, the Mets did slug two homers out thanks to Recker and Valdespin. Anyway Jon Niese gets the nod today as he goes up against Francisco Liriano in his season debut.

Jon Niese is 2-3 this season over 36.2 innings and 7 starts with a 4.66 ERA. He is coming off of his worst start of the season against Atlanta where he allowed 7 ER in 4.0 innings, really blowing up his ERA. Hurting him in that start was the combinations of hits allowed (7) and walked batters (6). Last season he had one very good outing against the Pirates where he allowed 1 ER over 7.2 innings of work. The Pirates have the following numbers against him:

Sanchez 4-19, 2B, HR
Barmes 4-12, 2B, HR
Martin 1-8, HR
McCutchen 3-6, 2 2B
Tabata 1-2, 2B

Francisco Liriano is not only making his season debut today but also making his debut as a National League pitcher. Last season, between the Twins and the White Sox, Francisco pitched 156.2 innings with a 5.34 ERA and a 6-12 record. He has never faced the Mets in his career, which isn’t too surprising considering he was with the Twins for just about all of it (except for the partial season with Chicago last year). Two Mets have seen him though. Buck is 1-6 with a double and Byrd is 3-4 with 3 RBI’s.

Lets Go Mets!

Starting Lineup

1. Ruben Tejada, ss
2. Justin Turner, 2b
3. David Wright, 3b
4. Lucas Duda, lf
5. Marlon Byrd, rf
6. Ike Davis, 1b
7. Anthony Recker, c
8. Juan Lagares, cf
9. Shaun Marcum, rhp

Game Notes 

New York collected its fourth walk-off win of the year last night. The Mets are tied for second in the majors with the Giants with their four walk-off victories. Cincinnati is first with five such wins. The Mets last three wins at home have come in walk-off fashion.

Desperate to help Ike Davis emerge from his season-long funk, Collins said he wrestled with the decision to bench his first baseman Thursday against left-hander Jeff Locke. Then Davis went ahead and came through anyway, hammering a tiebreaking double into center field in the seventh inning after entering as part of a double-switch.

Mike Baxter for the second time in three days delivered a walk-off RBI single, this time against Pittsburgh Pirates closer Jason Grilli, and the Mets won 3-2 at Citi Field on Thursday night. The Mets’ last three home wins have come in walk-off fashion.

Juan Lagares had a stellar leaping catch at the wall on a shot off the bat of Andrew McCutchen for the final out of the top of the ninth. That allowed Bobby Parnell to pick up his fourth win of the season to go with three saves. “He gets better jumps and routes to balls than Matt,” one Mets official said, contrasting Lagares with Matt den Dekker. “He makes it look easier. Matt makes up for his not-so-good jumps with his speed. But Juan is much better than people think.”

Jon Niese downplayed manager Terry Collins‘ assertion that he has been pitching with stiffness in his lower back, saying he felt “a knot” in his back after his last start, but that it did not affect him as he gave up seven runs over four innings Sunday in Atlanta.

Left-hander Pedro Feliciano has been placed on Class A St. Lucie’s disabled list with food poisoning. Feliciano missed time late last month with the issue, but returned to the mound for three more appearances before landing on the DL. He has been pitching for St. Lucie since Opening Day in an attempt to strengthen his surgically-repaired left shoulder.

The Mets are hosting Banner Day with fans of all ages parading on the field showing their homemade banners professing their love for the team tomorrow prior to the Mets-Pirates game. Edgardo Alfonzo, WFAN’s Josh Lewin, SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt, and 92.3 NOW Morning Show host Ty Bentli will serve as judges. Registration begins at 10 a.m. in the Bullpen Plaza. Banner Day was a Mets tradition from 1963 to 1996 and returned last year as part of the Mets 50th Anniversary celebration.

Game Preview

For the second time in three days, the Mets had a walk-off victory last night and for the second time in three days, the offensive hero at the end of the game was Mike Baxter with Bobby Parnell picking up the win. The Mets look to make it 2 in a row and 3 of 4 tonight as they take on the Pirates and Wandy Rodriguez behind Shaun Marcum.

Shaun Marcum has yet to have a break out game as a Mets pitcher, maybe that will change today. On the season he is 0-2 over three games and two starts while allowing 8 ER over 10 innings of work. Last season he was 1-1 against the Pirates while posting a 0.75 ERA (only 1 ER over 12.0 innings). The Pirates have the following numbers against the Pirates:

McCutchen 2-14, 2B
Jones 4-10, 2B, HR
Alvarez 4-14, 2 2B
Tabata 4-11, 2 2B
Barmes 1-11, 2B
Inge 1-8
Martin 1-8, HR

The Mets bats will try to break out vs Wandy Rodriguez tonight. You want to know how good the Mets offense was at the beginning of the season? The Mets offense is still 3rd in the National League in runs scored (even with the last two weeks). Wandy is 2-2 over 6 games and 31.1 innings with a 4.02 ERA. In his last three starts, he has allowed 13 ER in 15.1 innings of work. He was 2-0 against the Mets last year in as many games posting a 2.77 ERA. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

Byrd 7-28, 2 2B, 2 HR
Wright 7-24, 2 2B, HR
Buck 3-9, HR
Davis 0-7
Tejada 5-7, 2 2B
Turner 2-7, HR
Murphy 0-3

Let’s Go Mets!

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Jeurys Familia

Asked if he was concerned about the situation, Familia shrugged. ”I’ll be OK in a couple of days. I want to play,” he said.

Manager Terry Collins said he was aware of Familia’s condition before the game.

No word if the Mets will have Familia get a precautionary MRI or if he was examined by team doctors. It’s also uncertain how long Familia will be sidelined and unavailable.

Familia said the soreness began on Wednesday, when he pitched one inning against the White Sox and allowed a run.

The legend of Mike Baxter continues to grow as he came through in the clutch for the Mets yet again on Thursday night, with his second walk-off hit in three games!

This was a low scoring affair for the Mets due to Dillon Gee dancing out of trouble in each of his first five innings on the mound tonight, without allowing a run through them. He started the sixth for the Mets and allowed two singles and hit a batter to load the bases before he was removed in favor of Brandon Lyon, who allowed a game-tying sacrifice fly.

The only run support the Mets were able to provide Gee while he was on the mound was a sacrifice fly via Marlon Byrd in the second. They would rally to score in the seventh, via a smoked RBI double by Ike Davis, but LaTroy Hawkins gave up a solo shot to Pedro Alvarez in the top of the eighth, which tied the game up…again.

But fear not, Mets fans, as Mike Baxter, heroic wings and all, drilled an RBI single off Pirates closer Jason Grilli to win the game in exciting fashion for the Mets.

Say what you want about Baxter, but when you think about all the work he has put in for us, he has definitely become a fan favorite.

Lets Go Mets!

Starting Lineup

1. Ruben Tejada SS
2. Daniel Murphy 2B
3. David Wright 3B
4. John Buck C
5. Justin Turner 1B
6. Marlon Byrd RF
7. Andrew Brown LF
8. Juan Lagares CF
9. Dillon Gee RHP

Game Notes

New York will play consecutive four-game series (vs. Pittsburgh and at St. Louis) for just the third time since 2008. The Mets played two straight four-game sets last year, July 26-August 2 at Arizona and at San Francisco. The Mets played two four game road series, July 1-6, 2008 at St. Louis and Philadelphia.

Over the club’s last nine home games, the Mets have scored 22 runs (an average of 2.4 per contest) while hitting .181 (51-282). They have scored two runs or less in six of those games. Overall, the Mets have plated 71 runs in 17 home games (4.2 runs per game).

The Mets are averaging 4.70 runs per game, the third-most in the NL and the eighth-most in the majors. David Wright is tied for third in the majors with 23 walks and Lucas Duda is tied sixth in the majors with 21 walks. The Mets are sixth in the National League with 106 walks.

The Mets are fourth in the NL and 11th in the majors with a .272 (62-227) batting average with RISP. The club has 10 home runs in such situations, tied for the third-most in the majors. John Buck has four of those home runs, tied for the major league lead. David Wright is hitting .414 (12-29) with RISP, the seventh-best mark in the National League. As a team the Mets have stranded 203 runners, including seven last night, ranking 27th in the majors.

Frank Francisco pitched 1.0 scoreless inning yesterday for St. Lucie (A) of the Florida State League vs. Daytona. He did not allow a hit, issued two walks and recorded two strikeouts. Francisco has not permitted a run in five rehabilitation outings with St. Lucie. He’s worked 5.0 innings, allowed one hit, issued two walks and fanned six.

Matt Harvey will be presented with his NL Pitcher of the Month Award for April in a pre-game ceremony. Harvey will also receive an engraved watch for his Player of the Week (April 8-14) honor. In April, Harvey’s 1.56 ERA ranked third, his 46 strikeouts were tied for fourth and he limited opposing hitters to a .153 batting average, the lowest mark in the NL…He was one of only two NL starters to post four wins in April without suffering a loss.

Game Preview

The Mets fresh off of a split with the White Sox start a four game series with the Pirates tonight. Last night the Mets offense was flat, and too little too late. It wasn’t until the end of the game where the Mets started to get hits but they still couldn’t get runs. Anyway, Pittsburgh comes to town today and they are second in the NL Central with a 18-15 record. Tonight Dillon Gee will go up against Jeff Locke.

Dillon Gee is 2-4 this season over 6 games with a 6.16 ERA and 30.2 innings of work. In his last two starts he has allowed 8 ER over 11.0 innings of work. Gee hasn’t faced the Pirates since 2011 where he was 2-0 in as many games pitching 15.0 innings with a 2.40 ERA. The Pirates have the following numbers against Gee:

Tabata 4-10, 2B
McCutchen 1-9
Jones 2-7, 2B
Martin 0-5
Harrison 2-4
Alvarez 0-2
Barmes 0-2

The Mets will get a look at Jeff Locke today, who is in his 3rd season in the majors. This is the season where Locke is starting to put it together pitching 33.2 innings over 6 starts with a 3.21 ERA. At the start of the season, he wasn’t doing too well as he allowed 9 ER over 15.2 innings but in his last three starts he has allowed 3 ER over 18 innings. He has made one start against the Mets where he allowed 5 ER over 3.2 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

Buck 1-3
Murphy 2-3
Tejada 3-3
Davis 0-1
Duda 0-2
Recker 1-2, HR
Wright 1-2

Let’s Go Mets!

Starting Lineup

1. Mike Baxter RF
2. Ruben Tejada SS
3. Daniel Murphy 2B
4. David Wright 3B
5. Lucas Duda LF
6. John Buck C
7. Ike Davis 1B
8. Jordany Valdespin CF
9. Shaun Marcum RHP

Game Notes

• Josh Edgin, 26, was demoted to Double-A Binghamton to make room for today’s starter Shaun marcum. He has struggled this season with a 9.64 ERA and lefties were hitting .350 (7-for-20) against him.
• The Mets dropped below .500 for the first time this season with a 4-0 loss to the Phillies in Friday’s series opener. Dillon Gee matched zeroes with Kyle Kendrick until the sixth, when Gee surrendered a run-scoring single to Michael Young and a three-run homer to Ryan Howard.
• The new lineup had David Wright batting cleanup and Daniel Murphy batting third. It produced three hits against Philadelphia starter Kyle Kendrick. The Mets earned only one walk, failing to work the count against Kendrick as he breezed through a complete game.
• Daniel Murphy had his eight-game hitting streak snapped last night. Murphy is tied for eighth in the NL with seven doubles, is eighth with a .329 batting average and tied for seventh with 17 runs scored. Murphy has at least one hit in 15 of his last 18 contests, (.347, 25-72).
• Mets manager Terry Collins is concerned about Zack Wheeler‘s six-walk performance. “What worries me the most is that he’s not pounding the strike zone. We’ve got to have some strikes out of him because his stuff is going to play,” Collins said.

Game Preview

The Mets try to rebound after a subpar group of games today as they play the Phillies in game two of the series. Last night the Mets bats were shut down for the second day in a row as scoring was hard to come by. The team had an incredible streak of run scoring earlier in the season, so hopefully the can get it going against against Pettibone today.

The main headline for Mets today is the debut of Shawn Marcum. Marcum was 7-4 last year over 21 starts and 124.0 innings with a 3.70 ERA. Marcum hasn’t faced the Phillies since 2011. Back then he pitched 12.2 innings over two starts with a 3.55 ERA. Marcum’s velocity is down from last year but he’s a professional pitcher and I’m excited to watch him go to work today (and comparing him to a Laffey start makes Marcum relatively great). The Phillies have the following numbers against Marcum:

Young 4-16, 2 2B
Howard 4-8, 3 HR
Rollins 3-10
Utley 3-7, HR

The Mets bats draw Jonathan Pettibone making his second career start. In his Major League debut he went 5.1 innings allowing 6 hits and 2 earned runs against the Pirates. During that start he didn’t walk a batter and struck out 6. He had a good year in the minors last year pitching nearly 160 innings with a 3.10 ERA. This year he struggled in his two starts allowing 10 earned runs, 12 total in 9.1 innings. I’m curious to see what the Mets do against him today.

Lets go Mets!

Through the use of the scorecard, let’s take a look at how Johan Santana did this week:

Despite not having any wins this week between his two starts, the Mets won both games. Santana had an absolutely stellar start Tuesday against the Marlins, holding them to 1 run through 6.2 innings, striking out 11. Yesterday, the Mets finally scored with him on the mound, spotting him a 4-0 lead, which he left with, but the bullpen blew the lead and he wound up with two non-decisions this week.

Honorable Mentions

These players, although not winning the Player of the Week award, had a very strong showing this week and deserve to be recognized. We will also show how strong a showing they had through the use of the scorecard.

David Wright

Lucas Duda

Ruben Tejada

Not So Hot

The Not So Hot area mentions a few players who did not have a good week this week.

Ike Davis

Frank Francisco

Manny Acosta

Miguel Batista

Player Of The Week Scoreboard

This area shows the scoreboard of the Players of the Week, and who has won already this season and how many times.

T1. David Wright – 1

T1. Kirk Nieuwenhuis – 1

T1. Johan Santana – 1

Trivia

To finish off the Player of the Week announcement each week, I’ll be asking you a trivia question. The answer will be announced during the next Player of the Week announcement, as well as the first person who answered correctly. Another question will then be asked. Last Week’s Answer is: Pittsburgh Pirates. Alex68 was the first person to correctly answer the question. So here is this week’s question:

What Met was traded for himself?

As the eternal optimist I am when it comes to the Mets, I’m not giving up hope until the team is mathematically eliminated.

Even with a Carlos Beltran trade looming, who knows? The team can get hot.

They gutted out two clutch wins in Cincinnati so far and can make a statement with two more.

Now that it’s late July, catching the Phillies is a long shot. The Mets are 13.5 games behind Philadelphia and only play the Phillies six more times this season. With the Phillies pitching and clutch hitting, the Wild Card should be the Mets focus.

That being said, besides the middling teams in the NL Central and NL West, the Atlanta Braves are the Mets main target to catch in the Wild Card race.

The Mets are 7.5 games behind the Braves but also still play Atlanta nine more times. Though they have historically struggled against the Braves, a hot streak at the right time can push the Mets right back into the race.

That leads me to last night’s Braves-Pirates game. The marathon game lasted 19 innings, and the Mets could have closed the lead to 6.5 games had the Pirates won.

In the bottom of the 19th inning, Braves reliever Scott Proctor grounded a ball to Pedro Alvarez at third base. Alvarez had to range to his left, but he set himself and made a strong throw home to catcher Michael McHenry.

McHenry appeared to swipe tag Julio Lugo on the leg several feet in front of the plate, but umpire Jerry Meals called him safe, thus giving the Braves the victory.

Safe?! Are you kidding me Meals?!

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle raced out of the dugout and exploded on Meals, but the call was final.

This was an absolutely putrid call that you have to see to believe, if you haven’t seen it already.

Though a game like this may get lost in the shuffle of a pennant race, it could be one the Mets remember vividly. Since the Mets won their game, they could have gained a game on the Braves.

Now, looking at the big picture, it’s only a game. How much can it really matter?

Well, let’s say the Mets do get hot even after dealing Beltran. Let’s say that actually win a few games from the Braves. And let’s say the team is actually playing some meaningful baseball in September. That bad call could come back to haunt the Mets.

I understand that umpiring is a difficult job, especially since so many calls can really go either way. Unless MLB devotes itself to full instant replay (which I do not agree with), we will always have disputed calls.

But after seeing that call from last night’s game, that was just terrible. Not only did McHenry block the plate, but Lugo also slid right into him. It was an easy call, and definitely one that shouldn’t have decided such a close game.

Anyway, this call is futile if the Mets can’t string together some victories. It might just be me blowing smoke that a game (involving a Braves victory of course) ended that way.

So while this call may go down as just another example of poor umpiring, there’s a remote chance that it turns into a thorn in the Mets side.

Church, 31, hit .273 with four home runs and 40 RBI’s while splitting time as a member of both the Mets and Braves last season.

This news is somewhat surprising as it was rumored for weeks that the Pirates were looking to sign another free agent outfielder by the name of Rick Ankiel.

However, as Kovacevic notes that Ankiel’s agent, Scott Boras, is still touting his client as a starting outfielder.

Last season, Ankiel hit for a dismal .231 average and hit only 11 home runs, which is nearly half the amount he hit in 2008 (25).

While Ankiel may have a more powerful bat, the Pirates do not want to put themselves in a position of having to block one of their top prospects, Jose Tabata, when he gets called up from the minor leagues.

I think Ryan Church would be a solid pickup for any team, especially for the role of a reserve outfielder. He brings to the table a strong arm for the outfield and a bat that could potentially hit 20 home runs.

That’s a good number if we’re talking about the 1975 Mets.  But this is 2009, and 100-plus RBI seasons are much more common now.   In 2008, Wright himself drove in 124 runs, while Carlos Delgado had 115 and Carlos Beltran 112.  In 2007, Beltran had 112 and Wright 107.  2006?  Wright 116, Beltran 116, Delgado 114.  All of that makes 2009 just look ridiculous, and here is what I’m talking about.  Behind Wright’s 72 RBI, you have Daniel Murphy with 63 and Fernando Tatis with 48.  Carlos Beltran also drove in 48 in just 81 games, so you could argue that he would have hit the century mark.  Well even if he did, Wright would have likely been second with his 72.  And either way, the numbers are what they are, and they are pathetic.  Here, we were all so worried about the Mets’ bullpen going into 2009, but who would have predicted such a horrid run production decline, injuries or not.

For the record, five teams drove in fewer runs than the Mets, but only the Pirates’ Andy LaRoche (64 RBI) had less driven in than Wright as a team leader.  But that’s the Pirates, a team that hasn’t been competitive in almost 20 years.  Wright leading the team with 72 is like Kobe Bryant leading the Lakers with a 15-point scoring average.  It’s just baffling.  You can argue the Citi Field dimensions holding in home runs, but you can’t make a good argument for the RBI other than the Mets just stunk it up in 2009.

Yeah, I know, we need to get healthy.  That was a huge part of the production issue.  But Wright did play in 144 games, and if Carlos Delgado is re-signed, he’s still going to be almost 40.  We need some more productive bats in this lineup—to compete with the Phillies and everyone else.

The Mets have 76 home runs through 132 games, putting them on pace for 93, their lowest total since 1992 when Bobby Bonilla led the team with 19.  Gary Sheffield currently leads this Mets team with 10 (Jeff Francoeur has 11, but only 6 with the Mets), so it looks like our leader is on pace for 12 or 13, a number that harkens back to the ‘70’s.

And if it weren’t for the 2008 San Francisco Giants, who had 94 homers (the lowest total and only mark under 100 of the new millennium), this Mets’ power or lack thereof would really be a black eye in the record books.  It still might be, as it’s quite likely the tally can be between 85 and 90, depending on if Beltran comes back.

So for all of the bad things that have happened to our Mets this season, the lack of home runs is possibly the most insulting, most disturbing and utterly forgettable trend we’ve seen.  It’s even magnified by the fact that this team has the second-highest payroll in the game.  By comparison, those guys across town have hit 207 homers, and even the lowly and small-market Pirates and Royals are over 100 at this point.

I know I’ve written about this subject before, and I’m not worried about this being a problem in 2010 (yet), but you have to admit these numbers are just baffling, and we might not see a power outage like this for another 30 years.

But they don’t.  The Mets are 42-45, and there have been some encouraging peaks of sunshine through all this gloom and doom.  Remember in early May when we won seven in a row, sweeping short series against Philly and Atlanta and then a three-game set against Pittsburgh?  And remember some of those gems Johan pitched early in the season?  And taking two out of three against Boston?  And most recently, winning the last two games before the break as newcomer Jeff Francoeur ignited the team?  Those are things to look back on and try to find a spark from.

Of course, there is so much negative to look back on, too.  I remember writing about a critical stretch of games leading up to the break that had the Mets facing the Phillies, Yankees, Orioles, Rays, Cards, Yankees again, Brewers, Phillies again, Dodgers and Reds.  Well, the Mets went 12-20 in that span, a .375 winning percentage in ten series with at least eight opponents that are playoff contenders.  Very bleak indeed, but if you care to drink the Kool-aid being served by Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel, the team is due for a rebound once guys like Reyes and Delgado and Beltran and Putz (and Billy Wagner) return. 

I’m not holding my breath, and I think this team is going to remain mired in mediocrity this season, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they made some noise in the division, either.  After all, as we’ve seen from the other side, a 6.5 game lead is not insurmountable with even two weeks left to play—and we’ve got almost three months to play.  Let’s go Mets!

This weekend, the Mets welcome in the fourth place Pittsburgh Pirates. This is a Pirates team that has lost nine of its last ten games. Pittsburgh is playing .500 ball at home while posting a 5-9 record in Away games. We can only hope that the Mets bring the drive and progression we’ve seen over the last week, and not “play down” to a lesser team like they have so many times in the past.

Friday night will feature the return of Jon Niese taking Oliver Perez’s spot in the rotation. Niese has struggled so far this year pitching for AAA Buffalo. However, Niese has a good fastball and the makings of a tremendous curveball. If he can show the poise he’s showed before, he could put the Mets in a position to win against former Yankee pitcher, Scott Karstens. Karstens has had a rough start, going 1-1 with a 5.85 ERA this year.

Saturday, the Mets will face Paul Maholm, the best and most consistent starter of the Pirates rotation. Maholm will face up with a John Maine who has started to find himself and show the fire that he needs to overpower hitters with his fastball.

Sunday will feature Livan Hernandez and Ian Snell. The Mets will need to be patient with Snell who has been walking people left and right this season.

The Mets will need to continue to make steps forward in their offensive production. This week, David Wright has seemingly found his stroke while Jose Reyes continues to flounder at the plate. Thursday night, they both went deep against Jaime Moyer. While I’m happy to see Wright find his power stroke, I always get concerned when Reyes goes yard, thinking that he is going to start uppercutting the ball. An argument could be made that Citi Field was created for players like Jose Reyes. It’s a speedster’s paradise, and Reyes hasn’t been utilizing its assets.

The Pirates hitters have shown some pop, but haven’t been able to put up the numbers needed to get the win. Adam La Roche and Nate McLouth are the power threats to watch out for. But playing at Citi Field, the Mets should pay close attention to leadoff hitter Nyjer Morgan with his seven steals on the year as well as Freddy Sanchez with his .321 BA and 13 doubles on the season.

The Mets should walk away with at least two wins this weekend as the Pirates come in to port.

Arrrgh LGM.