3 UP

1. Flores’ Power Stroke

In the series, Wilmer Flores was 5-for-14 with a double and two homers. This snapped a cold stretch for Flores where he had only hit .094 across his prior 10 games.

With Flores hitting those two homers, he has now set a career high with 17. He’s also on pace for a career high in batting average (.272) and slugging (.488). Much of this is due to Flores having his best season against right-handed pitching while continuing to mash lefties.

2. Good Fundies

In this series against the Nationals, the Mets were much more competitive, and they didn’t give up. Sure, the Nationals being decimated right now with injuries didn’t hurt, but this Mets team wasn’t going through the motions in this series split.

This was perfectly encapsulated in how the first end of the doubleheader ended. With Travis Taijeron overrunning a Daniel Murphy single, Edwin Jackson tried to score from first. Normally, Jackson would’ve made it with ease.

However, Juan Lagares backed up Taijeron and he got his cut-off man Asdrubal Cabrera. Cabrera made a perfect strike to Travis d’Arnaud, who applied the tag to end the game.

When a team plays with “good fundies” like these, they increase their chances of winning games. More than that, they play more watchable games.

3. Wright Is Playing 3B

David Wright has begun his rehab assignment with St. Lucie, and he’s doing more than just serving as the team’s DH. Wright is actually playing third base. In consecutive games, Wright played five innings in the field. MMO‘s Logan Barer was able to catch up to Wright to speak with him about his current rehab stint:


3 DOWN

1. Potencia Outage

As Yoenis Cespedes looked to round third and head home, he pulled up lame. It was another leg injury for Cespedes. This time, it was his right leg. Likely, his season is over.

Cespedes’ first year of his massive four-year $110 million contract has been a bust with some of your biggest fears with this contract having been realized.

Still, it’s too soon to panic. Cespedes plans to change his training this offseason so that he can return to his 2015 form with the Mets.

2.  Who Exactly Are the Mets Developing?

In a four game series against the Washington Nationals, here was the allocation of games started among the Mets infielders:

Hopefully, the Mets find out what they need to know about this Cabrera and Reyes. Hopefully, they take full advantage of the development time, and they show they are ready to be the big pieces for the Mets over the next decade.

3. Collins Use of the Bullpen

One of the biggest issues during Terry Collins‘ tenure has been his use of the bullpen. That has gone double this year. This year, he has managed like he gets paid by the pitching change with bonuses for pitching a reliever more than one inning and double switches. Yesterday should have been a breaking point, but we know there is no way the team will get rid of him with so few games left on the schedule.

Knowing Seth Lugo was only able to throw 75 pitches in the second game of the double header, Collins used six relievers in the first game to protect a 5-0 lead. What was all the more aggravating is he ripped through his three relievers capable of pitching more than one inning. Rafael Montero, Josh Smoker, and Hansel Robles combined to pitch one inning and throw 35 pitches. Ironically, the Mets would blow that lead causing Collins to have to use AJ Ramos for two innings.

Sure, Collins was handicapped by Tommy Milone only going 4.1 innings, but he showed a lack of judgment, and he was not judicious with his bullpen. Sure enough, after Lugo only lasted 3.2 innings, the first two pitchers Collins chose to pitch out of the pen were Smoker and Robles. He did this despite Chasen Bradford, Kevin McGowan, Jeurys Familia, and Erik Goeddel not pitching in the first half of the doubleheader.

The end result was Robles walking three straight batters to blow the lead, and the Mets losing the game 5-3. Sadly, this is a tale all too familiar this season and with Collins’ tenure.