Merry Christmas Eve and Happy Hanukkah Mets fans! There is much to celebrate at the end of December and before you know it, baseball will be among the things to celebrate as we are now 48 days away from New York Mets pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training.

Latest Mets News

Danny Abriano of SNY predicted what the Mets’ 26-man roster will look like in 2020.

Stony Brook Athletics wrote a story on alumnus LHP Daniel Zamora who will be heading to spring training with the Mets after playing winter ball for the Toros del Este in the Dominican Republic.

Former Mets minor league INF/DH Matt Oberste retired per MMO‘s Michael Mayer. Oberste was drafted by the Mets in the seventh round of the 2013 MLB Draft and most recently played for the Rockland Boulders of the Can-Am League in 2019.

Latest MLB News

Free agent LHP Rich Hill was arrested along with his wife Caitlin Hill outside of Gillette Stadium on Sunday as reported by John R. Ellement of the Boston Globe. Caitlin Hill was arrested after repeatedly trying to enter the game between the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills with an oversized bag and refusing to leave the grounds after ordered to do so by police. Rich Hill was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest after trying to stop police from transporting his wife to a police station to book her for disorderly conduct and trespassing charges.

Bradford Doolittle of ESPN ranked all 30 MLB teams’ starting rotations.

The Cleveland Indians and 2B Cesar Hernandez agreed to a one-year, $6.25 million contract according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.

The San Diego Padres signed RHP Pierce Johnson to a two-year, $5 million contract, with a club option for 2022. Johnson spent the 2019 season with the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball.

The New York Yankees traded RHP Chance Adams to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for minor league SS/3B Cristian Perez.

Latest NL East News

The Miami Marlins and C Francisco Cervelli agreed to a one-year, $2 million contract according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

Matthew Cerrone wrote about where all five teams in the National League East stand right now.

Latest on MMO/MMN

Mathew Brownstein interviewed former Mets RHP Carlos Torres.

Matt Musico analyzed a trend that helped spur OF/3B J.D. Davis‘ second-half tear in 2019.

Brian Devine wrote about what OF Jake Marisnick‘s role may look like in 2020.

Michael Mayer took inventory of the remaining relief pitching market.

Mayer also wrote an “MLB Rumor Roundup.”

This Day in Mets History

Birthdays: RHP Matt Ginter turns 42 and SS Frank Taveras turns 70.

The post Morning Briefing: Rich Hill and Wife Arrested Outside Gillette Stadium appeared first on Metsmerized.

The life of a Major League Baseball player has many impressive benefits, with the big two being wealth and fame. Living out a dream that for many of these men started on local fields, backyards, or watching their favorite players on television is the ultimate testament to hard work and dedication to one’s craft.

A major part of a professional baseball player’s career is constant travel, be it from the road games during a Major League season, promotions/demotions to the minor leagues, or relocating via trades and signings.

For journeyman relief pitcher Carlos Torres, being on the move is something he’s well accustomed to.

Torres, 37, moved a lot as a kid, as his father Jose searched for work to support his five children in California. He later attended four different colleges before getting drafted in the 15th-round by the Chicago White Sox in the 2004 MLB June Amateur Draft.

After spending several seasons in the minors for the White Sox and pitching in 13 games with the big club between 2009 and 2010, Torres was on the move yet again. This time, Torres would be playing professional baseball outside of the United States, pitching in Japan for the Yomiuri Giants in 2011.

The right-hander came back to the States for the 2012 season, signing with the Colorado Rockies in December 2011. He appeared in 31 games for the Rockies (a then career high) and recorded more than 3 outs in more than half of his appearances (18).

His tenure with the Rockies lasted just that one season in ’12, as he inked a minor league deal with the New York Mets for the 2013 season. It was with the Mets that Torres would finally find some consistency, appearing in 165 games over three seasons (2013-15), posting a 3.59 ERA with 8.2 strikeouts-per-nine. His best season with the Mets came in 2014, when the then 31-year-old appeared in a career-best 73 games, posting a 3.06 ERA, 11.9 SwStr% and a 46.8 ground ball rate.

Following the Mets’ five-game loss to the Kansas City Royals in the 2015 World Series, Torres was designated for assignment by the club in January. He inked a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves but opted out right before the start of the 2016 regular season due to a clause he had in his contract that allowed him to leave if he would not make the opening day roster.

It wouldn’t take long for Torres to find work, as the Milwaukee Brewers signed the righty to a one-year, major league deal in early April. After posting a 4.68 ERA in 2015 with the Mets, Torres nearly cut that down by two runs in ’16 with the Brewers, posting a career-best 2.73 ERA. Torres also saw his K% increase over three percent from the following season (19.8 to 23.0 percent) and led all Milwaukee pitchers in appearances (72).

With the Brewers in ’16, Torres increased his four-seam fastball usage by nearly 14.0 percent from 2015 (39.4 to 53.2 percent) and saw improvements in his wOBA (.365 to .268), average exit velocity (88.2 to 85.9 m.p.h.), average spin rate (2240 to 2330 rpm) and whiff rate (18.2 to 23.2 percent). Torres saw marked differences in his four-seam fastball against left-handed hitters that year, as he saw his wOBA drop by more than 250 points from ’15 (.531 to .279), hard-hit percentage drop more than 13 percent (40.0 to 26.9) and his whiff rate increase by more than eight percent (13.7 to 21.8).

Comparing pitch location between seasons, Torres certainly pitched more low and inside to lefty hitters in 2016 (left image) than in 2015 (right).

Baseball Savant

Baseball Savant

After pitching another season with Milwaukee in 2017, Torres has since bounced around between six different organizations, appearing in 14 major league games between 2018-19. When asked whether he’s still looking to extend his career, Torres offered an emphatic “of course,” as he wants to pitch in three different decades and feels like he can be an asset for a team since he doesn’t have any pronounced splits.

While working out and gearing up for what Torres hopes would be his 11th year in the majors in 2020, he embarked on a physical test of endurance and stamina, all for a great cause this offseason. In honor of his brother, who joined the Marines when Carlos was in high school, Torres expressed his support for his brother and all the brave men and women in uniform by running for 24-hours straight in an effort to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project, a charity and veterans service organization that offers a variety of programs, services and events for wounded veterans of the military actions following September 11, 2001.

With a goal of raising $100 per mile he ran, Torres exceeded that total by raising $2,500 for his 24-hour run. For someone who has constantly been on the move for his entire life, it’s fitting that Torres would raise attention and money for a great cause in something he’s all too familiar with: being on the move.

I had the chance to correspond with Torres via email, where he discussed playing in Japan, life as a reliever and his time in New York with the Mets.

MMO: Who were some of your favorite players growing up?

Torres: To be honest, I didn’t watch much baseball as a child. The Braves were one of the few teams that were televised nationally, so I was able to watch a few of their games, but I was usually playing outside or working.

MMO: At what age did you start primarily pitching?

Torres: I was closing games and DH-ing in college, but I grew up in a different era. I played four sports in high school, so specializing in only one thing wasn’t something I was forced to do until my junior year in college. I remember one guy in my high school who wanted to focus on only pitching and nothing else. We viewed him as an odd duck, and I never remember him going anywhere with it.

Specializing at an early age isn’t practical. Playing different sports and learning different positions helps encourage different aspects of athleticism that would not be learned otherwise, let alone strength and development.

MMO: You attended and pitched for several different colleges before being drafted in the 15th round of the 2004 MLB Draft. Was it difficult being on the move and switching colleges?

Torres: No, I moved a lot as a kid, and I knew that I was going to use baseball as a way to get a college degree. I realized the price for that was moving, and I was more than willing to pay it. Little did I know that playing baseball and being on the move was something I would be doing for most of my adult life.

MMO: You spent a season playing in Japan for Yomiuri (2011). What’s the baseball culture like in Japan? Were there any major differences in terms of preparation, training and style of play from Japan to the U.S.?

Torres: The easiest way to describe it is that in Japan, they view baseball as work, not as a sport to hone your craft. It is actually very much like Mr. Baseball, which is an oddly accurate movie.

One thing I have to mention is that the culture, in general, is different. I was there during the earthquake, tsunami, volcano eruption, and nuclear reactor meltdown and during those devastating tragedies, I never once heard about looting or people taking advantage of the circumstances. It was the exact opposite, and it was amazing to witness all the phenomenal qualities that made up what I saw in Japanese culture.

In terms of baseball, things in Tokyo were drastically different. One of my Japanese teammates threw 235 pitches in his first bullpen of the spring! And that was just in a bullpen session, mind you. The weightlifting program was not very comprehensive, and accommodations on the road were non-existent. Keep in mind this was one team eight years ago, so things could have changed.

The difference in baseball isn’t the work ethic; it was where they applied that standard. It was very common to see people in the batting cages for hours—not like taking their turn, but one individual hitting off the tees for the entirety of the game. Whatever they were told to do, they would do to excess. Overtraining was a very real thing, but that’s how hard they wanted to work at their craft. It was impressive to some degree.

MMO: Throughout your early minor league career, the White Sox utilized you as both a starter and reliever. Did you prefer a role? And at what point in your career were you told that you’d be generally used out of the pen?

Torres: It’s funny because when I started throwing solely out of the bullpen, it was after my first year with the Mets. When I came up with the White Sox, I went from spot starting to just starting because there were not five healthy starters on the 40-man roster and they needed me to start for the rest of the year. The following year, health was not an issue, so I went back into the bullpen.

I’m indifferent to starting or relieving, but it always appears that teams prefer my ability to throw every day versus once every five days. In Colorado, the Rockies used the piggyback system. The piggyback guys were Adam Ottavino, Josh Roenicke and myself. That was in 2012, and we were criticized for it.

It is interesting because now teams are praised for not spending the revenue share money by purchasing a fifth starter and instead of throwing their entire bullpen, yet at that time it was extremely taboo.

MMO: You signed a minor league deal with the Mets in the winter of 2012. In 2013, you saw your walks-per-nine drop from the prior season (4.4 to 1.8) and your ERA drop nearly two full runs (5.26 to 3.44). Were there any mechanical adjustments you made from 2012 to ’13? And what made the Mets an appealing team to sign with?

Torres: Funny, but I played the previous season in Colorado. I was a young pitcher who was still learning to adjust his stuff to the altitude, and a lot of times it was a better option to make sure the curveball stayed down than to just toss one higher and watch it hit the cars in the players’ lot.

The difference was Colorado vs. anywhere else. That was also before they used the current baseball, where now any park is a home run park. I was also with New York when they moved the fences in because there were very few home runs being hit.

The thing that made the Mets the team I signed with appealing was simply that Bobby Parnell and a few other players I had previously played with were on the team, and I looked forward to playing with them again. When you spend almost eight months with someone, it is a perk if you already know them and what they are about.

To this day, I tell people that I don’t leave my daughter for eight months out of the year to come out, collect a paycheck and get my butt whooped. I leave her to win! Knowing Bobby’s dedication to his craft and desire to win assured me I wouldn’t be leaving my daughter to lose. If I had to play a game and my life was on the line, Parnell would be on that team.

Our coaching staff with Ricky Bones and Dan Warthen also worked tirelessly to help me, and I’m very thankful for their instruction, as I’m sure all the players that pitched under them were thankful for their help. That list is long.

MMO: Your 2014 season was one of the best in your career. You were second on the Mets in appearances (73), tossed a career-high in innings (97.0) and were called upon for multiple innings out of the pen. Can you talk a little about your ’14 season and what seemed to really click for you?

Torres: In reality, a lot of factors go into a player’s ERA that doesn’t always have to do with their “stuff.” In this case, it was more of applying the instruction that I’d received over the years. I had coaches that worked endlessly and helped by teaching me to be more professional; I had teammates that played hard and made plays when I needed them, and I was also given more innings and was allowed to pitch more.

In the first two weeks of a season, relievers either have a 0.00 ERA or a 9.00, depending on how many innings they have. If you give them enough work, they will settle where they should be and they can learn how adjustments play moving forward; 97 innings is a good amount of work to counter big innings that relievers sometimes give up.

Sometimes doing things for the team bites you in the butt in terms of numbers. An example is being asked to intentionally walk people on numerous occasions, then being pulled out of the game for the next reliever. Take the current minor league extra-inning rules into account; as of now, the man that is just put on second base is not an earned run. Now if the team happens to successfully bunt the man to third, the home team manager might opt to load the bases. Not many people pay attention to the fact that the two intentional walks are now earned runs for the pitcher of record, not because of anything else but a decision that was made in the best interest of the team.

MMO: You got to witness some of the club’s young, premier pitching talent in Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard. Can you talk a little about getting to watch them early in their careers and what you saw from each?

Torres: It’s one of the things I enjoy most about playing baseball. I played with Zack Wheeler in the minor leagues when he was just a thrower with “stuff,” but lacked the consistency needed to be dominant, and he’s now transformed into a pitcher who has signed a $100+ million deal and is going to make a team much better with him on the staff.

Watching deGrom win two Cy Young Awards and seeing the development in Syndergaard and Steven Matz is also something to applaud. That is also a testament to each player’s desire to get better, learn and hone their craft. Sometimes it is learning a new pitch, and sometimes it is mechanical, but that’s what makes it such a pleasure to watch.

One thing you also need to learn to do in sports is separate the player from the man. To watch teammates grow as men is also something I’ve enjoyed over the last 15 years in professional baseball.

MMO: One of your most memorable plays with the Mets was the come-backer off the bat of Jeff Francoeur in the 10th against Philadelphia in 2015. The ball ricocheted off your foot, and to Daniel Murphy at first. You raced to cover first and beat Francoeur. What was going on in your mind at the time of the play? And, not only did you make that play, but you also hit a leadoff single in the 13th and came around to score the go-ahead run!

Torres: I was thinking “GET THE OUT,” just like I always am. I recall another random play when a line drive was hit directly off of my foot. When it popped into the air, I lunged forward, grabbed it out of midair and threw it to first to double the runner off. Since the ball never hit the ground, the runner didn’t have time to tag up.

A lot of time, the instant plays you make come from reflex, not reaction. We do the tedious fielding drills that bore pitchers to death, but when you see the ball fly to the right side, you have programmed the body to cover first so you can react faster than someone who has to think about it. When I realized I had successfully kicked the ball and it was heading to the right side of the field, I simply ran to cover first just like I have been programmed to do.

Very funny side note: If you ever watch that play, Daniel Murphy never looks at first base. He had no clue if I was there or not. He just did what good defenders do, and that was giving you a chance to make a play. Thanks to that reaction, we made that play because if he had looked to find me or see if I was running, Francoeur would have been safe.

Another random side note was that after I got that hit and was subsequently moved to second, there was a chance to advance to third on a ball hit to Francoeur. I remember as I was tagging up and getting ready to run, I stopped a few strides from second because I remembered it was Francoeur and realized I would be thrown out by no less than 30 feet. I was not wrong, and I was immediately thankful for thinking before I cost the team a chance to win.

MMO: I read that you were considered one of the fastest players on the Mets. How much did you incorporate running and or speed workouts into your regimen?

Torres: I’ve always been able to run. And yes, I am fast, but my endurance and ability to change direction is a much greater asset. My ability to plant my foot, change direction and accelerate is more of what people are talking about. Pitchers have many more skills and abilities than they are given credit for—not all pitchers, of course, but most.

MMO: What did you like most about playing in New York?

Torres: In terms of the city itself, I enjoyed the convenience of everything. One of my favorite restaurants is there called Gyu-Kaku. I rode the train every day to and from the field and if you wanted or needed anything, it was only a couple of blocks away.

MMO: Can you talk a little about the work you would put in both on and off the field in order to be ready to make an appearance on any given night?

Torres: About eight years ago, a friend outside of baseball asked me what time I head to the field. He suggested 5:30 or 6 pm for a 7 pm game. I just had to laugh. People don’t realize that we actually play every day. We play so many games in a row that we essentially “practice” before we play the games. We have to throw, work on pitches or mechanics, take batting practice, condition, and, from time to time, work on fielding before the game. And that’s just on field. Before all of that, we have to activate [essentially warm up], get treatment, watch film, have our pitchers’ meeting and get ready for the game.

During the game, you should always look at information you need to see or like to see. For example, if you have a sinker, you might ask for a chart that shows a heat map of how often they hit sinkers with movement similar to yours in the ground. Then you will review those charts on the guys playing that day and in spots you see yourself coming in.

When your role gets close, you will need to activate, loosen up, warm up and then wait for the call to see if you are going in.

MMO: After a down year in 2015, you bounced back with career bests in ERA (2.73), ERA+ (156), H/9 (7.1) & bWAR (2.2) in 2016 with the Milwaukee Brewers. Were there any reasons you could think back on for your big turnaround in ’16?

Torres: There are always things that happen during a season that people either forget or that people don’t know, so just remember that not everything is black and white when it comes to evaluation. There are always things that can be said about a year that are positive or negative and things that make complete sense when you hear it. But sometimes people just don’t care.

So, I’ll throw this out there: In 2015, we went to the World Series. I would take a “down year” every year if it means we go to the World Series every year.

With that being said, I did enjoy throwing to Martin Maldonado, and my teammates did help me out a lot in the success of 2016. The only negative is where we finished in the standings.

MMO: Are you planning on pitching in 2020?

Torres: Of course. I want to pitch in three different decades, and more importantly, my limited use in the last two years has extended the life of my arm. Everyone has always been baffled when they learn my age and associate it with the man they see in front of them. My health, shape and durability speak for themselves, but I’m still looking to win a World Series.

I’m hoping more teams want to win in the future and look to me to help them. Especially with the new rules changes and my ability to get lefties out, I feel like I have a lot to offer.

Follow Carlos Torres on Twitter and Instagram: @CarlosOGTorres

The post MMO Exclusive: Former Reliever, Carlos Torres appeared first on Metsmerized.

Reliever Carlos Torres has cleared waivers and has elected free agency rather than accepting an assignment to Triple-A Las Vegas.

The Mets tried and failed to trade Torres before being placed on waivers Friday. He was due to earn $1.05 million in 2016.

And so ends the Mets journey of Carlos Torres…  <sniff, sniff> Fare thee well….

January 28

Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish reports that the Mets are in trade talks with multiple clubs about dealing right-hander Carlos Torres.

Torres was designated for assignment after the Mets acquired Antonio Bastardo. In three seasons with the Mets, he has posted a 3.59 ERA over 165 appearances.

January 22

The Antonio Bastardo deal became official today, which meant someone on the 40-man roster had to go. As a result, Carlos Torres has been designated for assignment, reports ESPN’s Adam Rubin.

Torres, 33, has spent three seasons in a Mets uniform, posting a 3.59 ERA over 165 appearances, including ten starts. He had solid seasons in both 2013 and 2014, but saw his ERA balloon to 4.68 this past season and eventually fell out of regular use. He settled before arbitration recently for $1.05 million. If the Mets are unable to trade him within a week, Torres will be placed on waivers.

Rubin also reports that infielder Danny Muno has been invited to big league camp next month. Muno is a second baseman, shortstop, and third baseman who played 17 games with the Mets this season, hitting three singles and a double in 27 at-bats while walking four times.

Muno was drafted by the Mets in the eighth round in 2011 but has been suspended for PED usage, severely hurting his status as a prospect. He does, however, have pretty solid overall numbers. In 200 career games with Las Vegas, Muno has hit .267/.368/.397 with 17 home runs, 27 doubles, two triples, and 15 stolen bases.

The post Carlos Torres Clears Waivers, Elects Free Agency appeared first on Metsmerized.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports that the Mets have agreed to contracts with relievers Addison Reed for $5.3 million, Carlos Torres for $1.05 million, and Josh Edgin for $625,000, thus avoiding arbitration.

Matt Ehalt of the Bergen Record adds hat the Mets have also settled with Matt Harvey for $4.325 million and Ruben Tejada for an even $3 million.

That leaves Lucas Duda, Jeurys Familia, Neil Walker, and Jenrry Mejia – who all exchange salary arbitration figures.

Familia, who tied the franchise record with 43 saves last season, requested a raise from $524,000 to $4.8 million while the Mets submitted an offer of $3.3 million.

Second baseman Neil Walker made $8 million with the Pirates last season and is requesting $11.8 million, with the Mets countering at $9.4 million.

First baseman Lucas Duda is asking for $7.4 million, with the Mets submitting a $5.9 million offer.

Reliever Jenrry Mejia submitted a $2.595 million offer while the Mets countered with $2.345 million). Surprising that they couldn’t agree.

January 12

As expected, Lucas Duda, Jeurys Familia, Josh Edgin, Matt Harvey, Jenrry Mejia, Addison Reed, Ruben Tejada,Carlos Torres, and Neil Walker all filed for salary arbitration on Tuesday, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.

The Mets have a long history of settling with their players and avoiding facing off against them in front of an arbitrator.

Look for both sides to exchange figures and meet in the middle beginning as soon as this week. Here are the latest projections:

Arbitration Projections ($38.0 Million)

Neil Walker – $10.8 Million

Lucas Duda – $6.8 Million

Addison Reed – $5.7 Million

Matt Harvey – $4.7 Million

Jeurys Familia – $3.5 Million

Jenrry Mejia – $2.6 Million

Ruben Tejada – $2.5 Million

Carlos Torres – $800 K

Josh Edgin – $600 K

The post Mets Avoid Arbitration With Harvey, Tejada, Reed, Torres, Edgin appeared first on Metsmerized.

Mets LHP Steven Matz tossed a five-inning simulated game this morning at the Mets Complex in Port St. Lucie.

The rookie southpaw threw 80 pitches and according to Treasure Coast reporter Jon Santucci who was on hand, Matz was consistently hitting 93-94 MPH with his fastball. Definitely a great sign.

Matz told a group of reporters after the outing that his back felt fine and that the team will make a determination on whether he will be added to the team’s NLDS roster after waiting to see how his back responds on Friday.

“I felt really good,” Matz said, according to the Daily News. “I took two weeks off, so I was a little rusty the first couple innings, but I feel really good, really strong. My arm feels great, back feels great. I’m ready to go.”

The Mets have until 1:00 PM on Friday to finalize their NLDS roster. 

If Matz makes the cut, he is expected to start Game 4. If not, then LHP Sean Gilmartin will be added to the roster in place of Matz, according to ,Mets GM Sandy Alderson.

October 7

Sandy Alderson told reporters at Citi Field that LHP Sean Gilmartin will be boarding the flight with the team this afternoon as a fallback option in the event that LHP Steven Matz is unable to make the NLDS roster.

Essentially, this means that the Mets bullpen is pretty much set and will include Jeurys Familia, Tyler Clippard, Addison Reed, Hansel Robles, Erik Goeddel, Jon Niese and Bartolo Colon.

Additionally, Carlos Torres will travel to Florida to join the taxi squad of players who will continue to train and stay in shape in case they are needed.

Steven Matz, as I’m certain you already know, successfully threw a side session and a bullpen this week. However what is most paramount is whether he can throw at least 90 pitches in an Instructional League start tomorrow in Port St. Lucie.

Hopefully that goes well and if it does, expect Matz to be the starter in Game 4 of the NLDS at Citi Field. If not, the Mets may just go with Jacob deGrom on short rest or perhaps Bartolo Colon reenters the picture.

I feel confident that no matter how this plays out the Mets are in a good position for that all-important fourth game. The Mets understand that if they are down 2-1 entering that game, how truly critical that start will be. And they seem to be pulling all the stops to make sure Matz has every chance to pitch in that all-important game. There’s a lot riding on that left-handed arm of young Steven Matz.

The post Matz Sharp, Hits 93-94 MPH In Simulated Game, Says Back Is Fine, appeared first on Metsmerized.

The New York Mets (76-61) defeated the Washington Nationals (71-66) by a score of 8-5 on Monday afternoon in DC, extending their first place  lead in the NL East to 5 games.

Pitching:

In the biggest start of his career, Jon Niese was unable to pitch out of the 4th inning. After tossing 3 scoreless innings, he fell victim to Mets-killer Wilson Ramos, who crushed a curveball to left field for a grand slam. For the 3rd straight start, Niese allowed a 5-run inning. He pitched a total of 3.1 innings, allowing 5 earned runs on 7 hits and 3 walks, while striking out 1.

Carlos Torres relieved the struggling Niese, and pitched well for 1.1 innings allowing 2 hits and a walk while striking out 1. However, with two outs in the 5th, Torres was removed from the game due to a strained left calf. He fielded a soft ground ball between the mound and first place and after he made a nice glove flip to first for the out, he started limping and walked off the field under his own power, albeit limping heavily.

Erik Goeddel came in and induced a groundout to end the 5th. He was removed from the game with 2 outs in the 6th so lefty Dario Alvarez could face Bryce Harper with the game still tied 5-5 at that point. In his first appearance in 2015, after falling behind 3-0 against the possible MVP, Alvarez struck Harper out with a 3-2 slider to end the inning. He earned the win for the afternoon.

Hansel Robles pitched a perfect 7th inning and struck out two. One of those strikeouts was against Ryan Zimmerman, who was caught looking at a 97mph fastball. Robles quick pitched Zimmerman who was in the box (and looking up) but Robles got it in there before Zimmerman was really ready. It was executed perfectly and it got an “I’ll remember that” stare from the veteran Zimmerman.

He stayed in to pitch the 8th and pitched another perfect inning, striking out two more. He quick pitched Michael Taylor which earned him another stare, but another strikeout. Robles was magnificent today, hitting 99 mph a few times with his running fastball.

Jeurys Familia came in for the save with the Mets leading 8-5. He allowed a base hit to Werth to start the inning, but that just made him angry. He struck out Anthony Rendon looking with an 89 mph slider, struck out Bryce Harper with a 96 mph splitter, and then struck out Ryan Zimmerman with a 95 mph splitter. Yes, those splitters were really thrown that hard. This was his 37th save of the year.

Offense:

The Mets jumped to an early lead against Max Scherzer, with solo home runs by Michael Conforto and Kelly Johnson in the 2nd inning. Yoenis Cespedes then added another home run (surprise, surprise) in the 4th to give the Mets a 3-0 lead.

After the Nationals scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 4th inning on Ramos’ grand slam and a Werth double, the Mets fought back a little bit when Curtis Granderson lined a double down the right field line to score Ruben Tejada and trim the lead to 5-4 in favor of Washington.

The 6th inning featured a sac-fly from the hot-hitting Travis d’Arnaud, driving in Yoenis Cespedes who had reached base via a double. The game was then tied 5-5.

The 7th inning was too much fun. Wilmer Flores led off the inning with a base hit. Ruben Tejada then got a bunt down, however pitcher Blake Treinen threw a bullet to second base to get Flores by a hair, leaving a runner on first with one out. A pitching change brought in a lefty to face Granderson, who had a great at bat and earned a full-count walk. The Nats brought in righty Casey Janssen to face David Wright, who lined a base hit to center field, scoring Tejada and giving the Mets a 6-5 lead.

Lefty Matt Thornton was then brought in, and soon after allowed a sac-fly to Daniel Murphy to give the Mets a 7-5 lead. Then Yoenis Cespedes unsurprisingly doubled to right field and scored David Wright from first, who got in right before the tag at home and celebrated with an enormous fist pump, as did I. Mets lead 8-5!

Notes:

The bullpen retired 12 straight batters before Jayson Werth led off the 9th inning with a base hit against Familia. The bullpen has been an area of concern recently, but in a big game they really stepped up and delivered.

I have never seen anyone with a repertoire as virtually unhittable as Jeurys Familia; Not even close. He threw the probable MVP a 96 mph splitter, which he flailed at and missed by about 3 feet. Bryce Harper is now 0-6 in his career against Familia.

Yoenis Cespedes is amazing. After going 3-5 with a home run, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored, he has now hit 11 home runs in 17 games, and has a .674 slugging percentage since joining the Mets.

On Deck:

The Mets will send Matt Harvey (12-7, 2.60 ERA) to face the Nationals and Jordan Zimmermann (12-8, 3.38 ERA) at Nationals Park Tuesday at 7:05pm.

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The New York Mets and Colorado Rockies will play their second game of this four-game series tonight at Citi Field.

Matt Harvey (10-7, 2.76) will be on the mound for the Mets and will be opposed by lefty Chris Rusin (3-4, 4.66) for the Rockies, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:10 PM.

Matt Harvey is 6-2 with a 2.74 ERA in 11 home starts this season. He is 3-0 with a 1.30 ERA in his last five home starts dating to June 16 and the Mets are 5-0 in those games.

New York did not issue a walk last night and it was the second straight game and the 19th time this year the Mets staff did not issue a walk, setting the single-season franchise record. The Mets have not issued a walk in their last 20.0 innings.

Daniel Murphy has three hits in his last five at-bats with two outs and RISP. Over the past six seasons (2009-2014), Murphy hit .339 with two out and men in scoring position, the second-highest mark in the major leagues behind Miguel Cabrera (.352).

Mets Starting Lineup

1. Juan Lagares                   CF
2. Daniel Murphy                  1B
3. Yoenis Cespedes              LF
4. Juan Uribe                         3B
5. Michael Cuddyer              RF
6. Wilmer Flores                    2B
7. Travis d’Arnaud                 C
8. Ruben Tejada                    SS
9. Matt Harvey                       P

The Mets and Nationals both won last night, so everything stayed the same with the Amazins clinging to a 1.5 game lead. The Mets were leading early 1-0 before the Rockies took a 2-1 lead. Luckily through some clutch hitting from Murphy and power from d’Arnaud, the Mets were able to pull ahead 4-2 and shut the door. Tonight Matt Harvey looks to get it done against Chris Rusin.

Matt Harvey is 10-7 over 21 starts and 140.0 innings with a 2.76 ERA. Since June 16th, Harvey has made 9 starts with a 4-3 record and 60.1 innings with a 1.64 ERA while striking out 49. On a smaller scale, in his last two starts he has allowed one run over 14.2 innings with 15 K’s. One of his best starts in 2013 was against the Rockies where tossed a complete game shut out. The Rockies have the following numbers against Harvey:

• Blackmon 1-7
• Descalso 1-4
• LeMahieu 0-5
• Hundley 2-4
• Stubbs 0-3
• Arenado 1-3
• Gonzalez 0-3
• Reyes 0-3

Chris Rusin is 3-4 over 14 games, 12 starts this year and 75.1 innings with a 4.66 ERA in his first season with the Rockies. In his last three starts he is 0-1 over 15.0 innings allowing 13 earned runs (7.80 ERA). He has never faced the Mets during his time with the Cubs and obviously this year with the Rockies, but has limited exposure to a few Mets:

• Uribe 1-4
• Cespedes 1-2
• K Johnson 0-1
• Carlos Torres 0-1 (Seriously)

Lets’s Go Mets!

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With Jenry Mejia suspended and Jeurys Familia moved from setup man to the closer’s role, Carlos Torres has taken over as the Mets primary setup man.

Torres for the most part, has been reliable despite being used heavily. Tuesday was an exception.

Torres came in the bottom of the 8th inning with the score tied at 3 and immediately put himself in trouble by walking two of the first three hitters he faced. That proved costly when Michael Morse laced the go-ahead RBI single that won it for the Marlins 4-3.

Torres admitted that the two walks were critical. “Those first two walks cost us big,” said Torres. (Adam Rubin, ESPN)

Torres has now appeared in 11 of the 21 games. He said he was aiming the ball.

“It’s the difference between throwing and trying to ‘feel’, said Torres. “I was just trying to stick the ball in the zone and make sure to throw strikes instead of just throwing it and it would be a strike.”

“When you try to ‘feel,’ that’s what happens. The ball gets sprayed a little bit, which really sucks, because once I got my rhythm… I was pounding the zone. But that’s the name of the game. That’s what cost you right there — the two walks.”

On Morse’s go ahead single, which was a sinker, Carlos added: “I didn’t look on film, but I don’t throw too many two-seam fastballs.. I thought I was down. I thought it was good.  But he’s a professional too, and a good hitter.”

Until Parnell and Black come back, Carlos will still likely be used in late game situations most of the time. The Mets hope he will bounce back in his next appearance.

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3 Up

A Different Core Four

Earlier this spring, Matt Harvey referred to a unit within the team known as the “core four” and in it the team’s most valuable players.  It included himself and David Wright, Curtis Granderson and newly acquired outfielder Michael Cuddyer.  Harvey may have been on to something with the title, but he should have bet strictly on homegrown talent like himself.  David Wright remains a core piece and has rebounded from 2014 to the tune of a .320 batting average in 6 games, with a home run, 2 RBI’s and a run scored.  Instead of the veteran corner outfielders though, Lucas Duda and Travis d’Arnaud are actually the two hottest hitters on the team right now.  Duda (.863 OPS) went 3-5 during Sunday’s series finale, with all three hits coming against LHP.  D’Arnaud (.813 OPS) went 3-7 in the series with an RBI and it was tough to see the Mets take their hottest hitter out of the lineup, but the team still managed to come up with the win.

Bullpen Takes Identity

Jeurys Familia may not have envisioned his opportunity to close coming about in the way it did this week, but with the suspension of Jenrry Mejia, he earned his first save in Sunday’s finale.  Jerry Blevins and Carlos Torres were credited with their second holds on the year, with Blevins proving to be a legitimate bullpen threat against left handed pitching.  Depending on the returns of Vic Black and Bobby Parnell, this team could end up feeling no impact from the loss of Mejia.

Hard Nosed Veteran Move

Michael Cuddyer still has work to do at the plate, but his slide on Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons should go a long way in earning the respect of his teammates and a lot of fans.  The Mets are all too often the nice guys, Cuddyer went in, cleats up, way off the baseline and aiming right up at Simmons, who earlier dropped a hard forearm in the face mask of Mets catcher Travis d’Arnaud on a collision at home plate.  To some, both plays seem unrelated, but anyone who was watching intently could see there was a different vibe from these Mets.

3 Down

Middle Infield Defense

This was discussed in the last 3 & 3, except against the Nationals, the consequences were minimal.  In Atlanta, the mistakes were costly, although the causes ranged from tough luck to poor mechanics and fundamentals.  Jon Niese didn’t have his best stuff on Friday night’s series opener, but he gritted his way through a decent performance and only gave up one earned run through five innings before being pulled.  Wilmer Flores had multiple poor throws and continued to look uncomfortable at shortstop and at the plate to start the season.  Daniel Murphy was inconsistent as usual and David Wright missed a tag on Jace Peterson that ultimately proved to be the difference in Niese’s outing.

Montero’s Pitch Selection

Part of what made Rafael Montero so appealing during spring training was that he used all of his pitches, including a deadly change up.  He still has a lot of potential, particularly after seeing him get up to 95 mph regularly on the gun, but his pitch selection was mostly fastballs during Saturday’s 5-3 loss.  It’s questionable whether communication between him and catcher Travis d’Arnaud was an issue, normally the catcher would be expected to mix up the calls or visit the mound with any issues that needed further discussion.  The idea that both of them were on the same page through that outing seems far fetched given the choice in pitches.

Corner Outfield Vets Slow To Start

Curtis Granderson has managed to compile a .348 on base percentage so far this season, but only one hit in six games played (.063 average).  Michael Cuddyer hit his first home run as a Met during the Braves series, but is also sluggish out of the gate with a .208 average and only 3 RBI’s, despite serving as the cleanup man.

Onto the Phillies at home tomorrow, Lets! Go! Mets!

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The Mets opened their season with a win on Monday afternoon, beating Washington 3-1 at Nationals Park.

Bartolo Colon earned got the start for the Mets and pitched very well. The big righty struck out eight in six innings of one-run ball, allowing just three hits and walking one en route to the 205th win of his career.

Curtis Granderson began the game by coaxing an eight-pitch walk from prized Nationals acquisition Max Scherzer, but the Mets’ offense would go into hibernation after that, as Scherzer set down the next 17 New York hitters.

Colon got into trouble right away, allowing a leadoff single to Michael Taylor and a second baserunner when Daniel Murphy botched an easy throw to first base. But the crafty veteran bounced back to strike out Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman before Murphy redeemed himself by making the routine play on a grounder from Wilson Ramos to end the inning.

Bartolo retired the next nine batters he faced, and actually made decent contact in his first turn at the plate, but faltered in the bottom of the fourth. Bryce Harper took advantage of a misplaced fastball and sent it over the wall in right-center for a solo shot that put the Nats up 1-0.

In the top of the sixth, Granderson drew a 2-out walk against Scherzer, giving the visitors their first baserunner since… Granderson’s walk to open the game. David Wright popped one up just past the infield that caused mayhem for the Nationals when Daniel Uggla got confused in the field (naturally) and was called off at the last second by Ian Desmond, who failed to make the play as the ball fell to the grass. The official scorer deemed the mishap an error on Desmond (it was never going to be a hit with Scherzer pitching a no-hitter) and Granderson advanced to third base while the Captain pulled in at second. On a 1-2 count, Lucas Duda ripped a 98 mile-per-hour fastball into right field to give the Mets their first hit, first two runs, and first lead of the season.

Colon retired eight straight hitters after Harper’s blast, but got into trouble with two outs in the home half of the sixth. Harper laced one up the middle for his second hit of the day and Zimmerman got aboard with Washington’s first free pass of the day, bringing up Ramos with two out and two on for the second time in the game. Once again, Colon won the battle, putting a 3-2 fastball past the Washington catcher and into the mitt of Mets catcher Travis d’Arnaud to escape the jam and finish off his excellent outing.

The Mets added a bit of insurance in the top of the seventh. After Daniel Murphy flew out to left, Juan Lagares reached first when Desmond was unable to make the throw to first after reeling in a hard-hit ball. Once again, the Mets made Scherzer pay for Desmond’s mistake. d’Arnaud hit one off the wall in center field and ended up on third with a triple as Juan scored to put New York up 3-1. Although New York could not capitalize further— as Wilmer Flores popped out in foul ground and pinch-hitter Kirk Nieuwenhuis struck out—  the three unearned runs would prove to be all the Mets would need in this game.

After Carlos Torres got three quick groundouts in his first of 162 appearances, the Mets got a pair of two-out singles in the top of the eighth to chase Scherzer. They would make nothing of it, however, as Xavier Cedeno came in to retire Daniel Murphy and end the threat.

Jeurys Familia came in for the bottom of the eighth and was overpowering, striking out a pair of Nationals (including former Met Matt den Dekker) en route to a perfect frame.

Aaron Barrett got into hot water when Travis d’Arnaud singled for his second hit of the game and John Mayberry drew a pinch-hit walk, but Matt Thornton came in was able to bail Barrett out when Granderson’s sharp grounder sizzled straight at (and shockingly into) the glove of Uggla.

Jenrry Mejia was pulled just before the bottom of the ninth could get underway with what was later revealed to be elbow soreness, so Terry Collins had to improvise to wrap up the win. Jerry Blevins came in to face the lefty Harper, who hit a liner that was brought in by Granderson for the first out. Collins then turned to Buddy Carlyle, who got both Zimmerman and Ramos to ground out to Flores to earn his first career save and give the Mets an Opening Day win.

Is there anything better than starting the season off with a win? Against the heavy favorites in your division? Against whom you have struggled mightily in the past? On the road? With your best pitchers still waiting in the wings? No. No, there is not.

Colon really stepped up. There had been so much talk about his Opening Day start, but you can’t complain when the guy you pick (a former Cy Young Award winner, mind you) puts up six innings and really only makes one (mostly harmless) mistake. Also, 8 strikeouts? THAT’S power pitching. Max, Stephen, and Gio… take notes.

It was Colon’s first opening day start since 2006, when he was coming off of the aforementioned Cy Young honor. I was hoping to be able to put that in perspective by giving another Mets-related example of things that haven’t happened since 2006 but are totally happening in 2015, but my mind drew a blank. Any help?

Granderson didn’t get a hit, but he worked two walks (one of which was huge, albeit an easy four-pitch affair) and made solid contact on the grounder to Uggla. Not a bad first game after his torrid spring. Speaking of Uggla, oh my god. The man is a human error, and just as it did before his crucial (and similar) mistake in Spring Training, my face lit up with glee when Gary Cohen announced that Uggla was trying to deal with a high pop-up. Needless to say, he did not disappoint. Not Mets fans, anyway. The play could have easily been ruled a hit, and despite the circumstances, it actually might have been had Desmond not saved Uggla (and Scherzer) by stepping in as a last-second scapegoat.

Travis d’Arnaud had two hits, one of which was a hard-hit ball through the hole and the other of which was a deep drive that nearly cleared the wall in center. He was one of the guys who I was concerned about in Spring Training, so was nice to see him get a couple hits on Opening Day.

Another guy I was worried about? Jeurys Familia. But I’m not anymore. After looking nothing like the 2014 Familia in March, Jeurys looked every bit like his dominant self today, and if the Mets stop trying to tinker with his style (and thankfully, it looks like they have), he should be a dominant power arm at the back of our bullpen.

But the third guy I was most concerned about was Jenrry Mejia, and those concerns grew when he was pulled before throwing a pitch and was sent to the locker room with “elbow soreness.” Seriously, considering the state of pitching in the MLB, without knowing anything, we have to assume that the odds of Tommy John coming into play at some point are, like, 25%, no? And Mejia has had his share of injury problems in the past. On the bright side, if this is something that can be fixed (hopefully without Jenrry having to miss much time), it might explain why Mejia was so unimpressive during the preseason. I won’t hold my breath (and I might not need to, if Familia can transition to the closer’s role), but hopefully Mejia is back on the field and back in form rather quickly.

That was some big-time hitting from Lucas Duda with two outs and two strikes against an elite pitcher with a no-hitter in his sights. The Mets were very good with their backs against the wall in both games and individual innings this Spring, and it was nice to see them get a huge two-out hit in the first real ballgame of the year.

Like I said, there’s nothing better to fuel the optimism of a new season than a win on Opening Day. And with the best Opening Day record in the MLB, the Mets have proven to be pretty good at providing their fans with that little bit of joy. Now let’s see if they can carry it over into game 2 and beyond. You’re up, Jake.

Up Next: The Mets will have the cruel, traditional post-Opener off-day on Tuesday before facing the Nationals at 7:05 PM on Wednesday. Jacob deGrom will go up against Jordan Zimmermann at Nationals Park.

Photo Credit: Evan Vucci, AP

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