The Washington Nationals and Milwaukee Brewers will battle for the National League Wild Card Tuesday night. The winning team will advance for a chance to take the NLDS crown.

Rays Lineup

1. Yandy Diaz  1B
2. Tommy Pham  DH
3. Austin Meadows  LF
4. Travis d’Arnaud  C
5. Matt Duffy  3B
6. Avisail Garcia  RF
7. Willy Adames  SS
8. Kevin Kiermaier  CF
9. Mike Brosseau  2B

Athletics Lineup

1. Marcus Semien  SS
2. Ramon Laureano  RF
3. Matt Chapman  3B
4. Matt Olson  1B
5. Mark Canha  CF
6. Jurickson Profar  2B
7. Khris Davis  DH
8. Robbie Grossman  LF
9. Sean Murphy  C

Game Notes

The Oakland Athletics were 52-29 at home this season while the Tampa Bay Rays were 48-33 on the road.

In their season series, the A’s held the upper hand as they went 4-3 against the Rays.

Tonight’s game will air on ESPN.

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Corey Oswalt/Photo by Ed Delany

Las Vegas 51s vs El Paso Chihuahuas, 10:05 p.m. ET

51s Lineup 

1. Matt den Dekker, CF
2. Gavin Cecchini, 2B
3. Dominic Smith, 1B
4. Bryce Brentz, RF
5. Zach Borenstein, LF
6. David Thompson, 3B
7. Luis Guillorme, SS
8. Jose Lobaton, C
9. Corey Oswalt, RHP

Starting Pitcher – Corey Oswalt, RHP

Game Notes 

Oswalt, Mets 2017 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, gets the Opening Day starter with Zack Wheeler going the second game for the 51s. Dominic Smith is expected to play about five innings in his first action since the game one of the Grapefruit League schedule.

Binghamton Rumble Ponies vs Portland Sea Dogs, 6:35 p.m. ET

Rumble Ponies Lineup 

1. Andrew Ely, SS
2. Peter Alonso, 1B
3. Patrick Mazeika, DH
4. Tomas Nido, C
5. Kevin Taylor, RF
6. John Mora, CF
7. Tim Tebow, LF
8. Levi Michael, 2B
9. Jeff McNeil, 3B

Starting Pitcher – Drew Gagnon, RHP

Game Notes

Gagnon, 27, get the Opening Day nod after pitching to a 6.25 ERA in the Angels organization at the Triple-A level last season. Over the course of 26 seasons, 728 different players have worn a Binghamton Mets or Rumble Ponies jersey. Of those players, 312 also played in the Major Leagues.

St. Lucie Mets vs Bradenton Marauders 6:30 p.m. ET

Mets Lineup

1. Jacob Zanon, LF
2. Andres Gimenez, SS
3. Desmond Lindsay, CF
4. Brandon Brosher, DH
5. Luis Carpio, 2B
6. Dash Winningham, 1B
7. Michael Paez, 3B
8. Gene Cone, RF
9. Jose Garcia, C

Starting Pitcher – Justin Dunn, RHP

Game Notes

Dunn is repeating with St. Lucie after a rough first full season in the minors last year. The 2016 first round pick had a 5.00 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in 95.1 innings in 2017 for St. Lucie.

Columbia Fireflies vs Augusta GreenJackets 7:05 p.m. ET

Fireflies Lineup

1. Edgardo Fermin, SS
2. Blake Tiberi, 2B
3. Matt Winaker, LF
4. Jeremy Vasquez, 1B
5. Quinn Brodey, CF
6. Rigoberto Terrazas, 3B
7. Raphael Gladu, RF
8. Scott Manea, C
9. Walter Rasquin, DH

Starting Pitcher – Tony Dibrell, RHP

Game Notes

Dibrell will be making his first pro start after 12 relief appearances for the Brooklyn Cyclones in 2017. He was the Mets fourth round pick last year and 28 strikeouts in 19.2 innings though he also posted a 5.03 ERA in that span.

Programming Notes

Las Vegas, Binghamton and Columbia can all be seen on MiLB.tv and you can listen to the St. Lucie Mets on the TuneIn app. 

Injury Notes

Mets 2017 first round pick David Peterson will start the season in Extended Spring Training because of a minor arm injury. Mike Puma of the New York Post reports that he’s expected to join the Columbia Fireflies in the next 10 days.

Right-handed pitcher Bryce Hutchinson will miss the entire 2018 season after having arm surgery last month, the exact details aren’t known.

Colby Woodmansee had surgery on a hip impingement and will miss the 2018 season.

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Even though his efforts were denied the win, Jacob deGrom was outstanding again in yesterday’s start against the Phillies. Degrom struck out nine while allowing only two runs in 7.1 innings.

He left the game with two men on and the Mets up 3-0, but the bullpen failed to hold the lead and deGrom came away with a no-decision.

DeGrom appears determined to prove that his incredible 2014 season wasn’t a fluke as he been amazing during his past few starts.

He has struck out a total of 20 batters in his last two outings, and he’s pitched 25.2 innings without giving up an extra base hit.

His ERA is now lowered  to 2.71 and his WHIP is down to 1.08. He’s also fanned a total of 63 batters while only walking 13 during 63 innings pitched.

“Good game for us to hang in there and come back and win,” Manager Terry Collins said. “Because Jake was outstanding.” (Zach Schonbrun, NY Times)

DeGrom says that he’s been able to turn his season around after a slow start due to an mechanical adjustment.

“I’m able to get the ball down in the zone where I want it, versus when I was struggling with my mechanics I was struggling to get the ball down,” deGrom said.

Thoughts:

After receiving terrible news about David Wright and getting swept by the Pirates, it was easy to get discouraged about the team. However, as long as the Mets have Matt Harvey and deGrom anchoring the rotation, it’s going to be difficult to ever count this team out of contention.

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The Mets continued their West Coast swing and opened a three game series against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field. It was their first visit to Seattle since 2005 when they were swept by the Mariners 3-0. The Mets last played the Mariners in 2008 and lost two of three at Shea Stadium.

Jon Niese came into the game looking for his sixth win on the season, and faced off against Mariners south paw Roenis Elias.

But neither the Mets nor Niese would earn a victory on Monday as the Mariners continued their dominance winning the opener 5-2 and improving their record against the Mets to 8-2.

After a leadoff line drive single to left by Willie Bloomquist, Niese struck out two batters including Robinson Cano. Bloomquist stole second on the strike out and Kyle Seager singled to center field scoring Bloomquist with the Mariners’ first run.  After the first inning, the Mets trailed 1-0.

Niese settled down to retire the Mariners in order in the second inning.

A lead off homer by Mike Zunico in the third put the Mariners up 2-1. Bloomquist and James Jones both singled, and after a Cano ground-out moved both runners to second and third, Seager hit his second single of the game scoring Bloomquist from third to add to the Mariners lead at 3-1. Niese was able to induce an inning ending double play to end the threat.

In the fourth inning, Corey Hart walked, then moved to second base on a Dustin Ackley single to center field. After Niese struck out Zunico for the second out, Bloomquist hit a ground-rule double over Juan Lagares‘ head to score Hart and add to the Mariners lead at 4-1.  Niese was able to retire Jones on an inning ending ground-out.

A leaping snag by Ruben Tejada saved a run in the fifth with runners on first and third to end the inning and keep the score at 4-1.

Niese, who came off the disabled list after spending 16 days on the shelf nursing an inflammation of the A/C joint of his left shoulder, tossed six innings, allowing 11 hits, four earned runs, two walks and struck out six.

Josh Edgin started the seventh inning and after recording an out, he gave up a double to Cano. Daisuke Matsuzaka then replaced Edgin with two outs and quickly induced a pop out to end the inning.

Dice-K could not keep the Mariners off the board for too long as he gave up back to back doubles in the eighth inning extending their lead to 5-1.

Offensively, Tejada led off the third with a walk, then moved to second on a wild pitch by Elias. Curtis Granderson then followed with a long drive to the right field wall, just missing a two run home run for the out which moved Tejada to third. Daniel Murphy then struck out and David Wright, who struck out in his first at bat, blooped a single to right field, scoring Tejada from third to tie the game at 1-1. Elias balked, moving Wright to second, but Eric Campbell popped out to end the inning.

The Mets stranded two more in the fourth inning after Travis d’Arnaud‘s one out single and Chris Young‘s walk. Juan Lagares then struck out, and Tejada popped out to end the threat.

In the sixth inning d’Arnaud drove a ball to left field that looked to be out, if not for Ackley’s tremendous leaping catch, robbing d’Arnaud of a sure home run.

The Mets rallied in the ninth, scoring a their second run of the game on an error by Cano. But any threat the Mets may have had was quickly defused as the Mariners shut the door on the Mets en route to a 5-2 victory.

Game Notes:

The last time that Jon Niese allowed more than three runs in a game, was September 7, 2013 against the Cleveland Indians, spanning 21 straight games.

On David Wright‘s 10th Year Anniversary, he finished the game 2 for 4, RBI (50).

What’s Next:

The Mets (46-53) will play game two of their three game series against the Mariners (53-46) at Safeco Field on Tuesday. Jacob deGrom (3-5, 3.18) will face Mariners starter Erasmo Ramirez (1-4, 4.58) with the first pitch scheduled for 10:10 PM.

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The Mets, winners of six of their last ten games, opened a two game series at Citi Field against the first place Oakland A’s, who have also won seven of their last ten games and owned the best record in baseball coming into Thursday’s game.

Bartolo Colon went up against his old teammates and Scott Kazmir faced off against the Mets for the first time since September 6, 2013 at Progressive Field, when he earned the victory with a 12 strikeout, six inning performance with the Cleveland Indians.

On a cool night at the stadium, the Mets offense, which has been struggling for most of the season, went to work on the organizations once highly touted top pitching prospect, and knocked him out of the game after only three innings. The Mets launched three home runs, drove in 10 runs on 12 hits and came away with a 10-1 victory. Kazmir tossed three innings, allowed seven earned runs on eight hits, walked one and struck out four, and took the loss to drop his record to 9-3.

Colon on the other hand, threw an excellent game, tossing eight innings, allowing one earned run on four hits and struck out eight batters to earn his eighth win of the season. The lone run came in the first inning after he retired the first two hitters. Oakland’s Brandon Moss singled and then scored on an RBI double by Yoenis Cespedes to center field which flew over the head of Chris Young, and quickly the A’s were up 1-0. But Colon settled down from there and didn’t allow an extra base hit the rest of the game. Colon also went 1 for 2 at the plate, with a sacrifice bunt.

Offensively, the Mets were running on all cylinders and never looked back after scoring three runs in the second inning.

Eric Campbell started it off hitting a double to right field then would score when Curtis Granderson launched his 10th home run on the season over the right field fence to put the Mets on top 2-1. Chris Young, who came into the game fighting to save his job, followed with a blast of his own over the left field fence, making it back-to-back shots. 

In the third inning, Daniel Murphy singled up the middle, and David Wright, who came into the game with a seven game hit streak and also had driven in at least one RBI in six consecutive games, doubled into the right field corner. Grandy then hit an RBI ground out to first base to score Murphy and put the Mets up 4-1.

After a Chris Young walk, Travis d’Arnaud launched a towering shot over the left field wall for a three run home run, boosting his confidence in his first game back since being recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Chris Young hit his second home run on the night, which was also his 12th career multi-home run game, putting the Mets up 8-1.

In the sixth inning, Ruben Tejada was hit by a pitch and moved over to second base after Colon grounded out. After moving to third on a single by Eric Young Jr, Murphy hit an RBI single to left center field scoring Tejada, then moving to second base on the throw. Wright then grounded out scoring EY Jr from third to add the final run of the game.

Game Notes:

The last time the Mets hit four home runs in a game was May 12th against the Yankees.

Wright extended his hitting streak to eight straight games and drove in his seventh run in seven straight games.

The Mets improved to 36-41 and are only five games out of first place and have a three game winning streak.

Curtis Granderson reached base safely and continued his career-high streak which is now at 32 games.

What’s Next:

The Mets close out their two game series with the A’s on Wednesday at Citi Field, with Zack Wheeler (3-7, 3.93) taking the mound against Oakland starter Brad Mills (0-0, 4.50).

(Photo Credit: Kathy Willens/AP and Mike Stobe/GETTY)

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The New York Mets were defeated 6-4 by the San Francisco Giants on Sunday who completed the three game sweep of the Amazins at AT&T Park.

Zack Wheeler started the game for the Mets and looked nothing like the pitcher we’ve seen in his last three solid starts. The young righty suffered with command issues and lasted just 3.2 innings, needing Josh Edgin to come in and get the last out of the fourth. It was the shortest outing of his career. Wheeler allowed four earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out six in an 86 pitch effort.

Dana Eveland pitched two scoreless innings out of the pen, but the frequently used tandem of Carlos Torres and Scott Rice would allow another run each to cross the plate. Torres and Rice rank second and third in the NL in appearances.

The Mets took an early 2-0 lead when Daniel Murphy singled and Curtis Granderson launched the first of two home runs in the first. Grandy would belt a solo shot in the sixth to pull the Mets closer, the eight of the season for the $60 million dollar man.

The Mets final run came in the eighth inning when Murphy who had singled and moved to third on a Granderson double, scored when Giants pitcher Jean Machi uncorked a wild pitch.

Big day at the plate for Murphy and Granderson who had three hits apiece, but another dismal effort overall for the offense who struck out 11 times and went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

By the way, David Wright who was supposed to get the day off, pinch hit in the seventh with a man on and struck out to end the inning.

The Mets are now seven games below .500, the lowest point for them this season, and head back to New York losers of six straight games and back-to-back sweeps.

And here come the NL Central leading Milwaukee Brewers for a three game series beginning Tuesday at 7:10 PM. Daisuke Matsuzaka (2-1, 3.21) will oppose Marco Estrada (5-2, 4.19) in the series opener.

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The Mets were back home at Tradition Field after coming from behind to win their first game of the Grapefruit League season on Monday, 6-2 over the Atlanta Braves.

Today they faced the Houston Astros with Zack Wheeler opposing lefty Rudy Owens. The Mets started out fast in today’s game with three quick runs in the 1st inning and knocked Owens out from the game. They finished by beating the Astros 6-2 and improving their Spring record to 2-3. Finally the bats have woken up!

Game Highlights:

• Zack Wheeler pitched a 1-2-3 first. It wasn’t as electrifying as Noah Syndergaard‘s debut on Monday, but he got the job done. His final line was 3 IP, 2 H and 3 K’s. Very good start for Wheeler.
• Vic Black, (1 IP, 3 BB, 1 K), Black walked the bases loaded and Jeff Walters, (1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R) came in with the bases loaded in the 7th and got out of the jam.
• Scott Rice pitched a 1-2-3 ninth. 1 IP, 1 hit, 2 strike outs.
• Eric Young Jr. (0 for 2, BB, R) walked in the first and scored on a Chris Young (1 for 3, R, RBI) double. CY also gunned down Cesar Izturis trying to stretch a single into a double.
• Curtis Granderson (2 for 2, 2 HR’s, 3 RBI) gave the Mets exactly what they needed as he hit his first HR of the spring, a two run shot to right field scoring Chris Young, He then crushed a second blast to right field for his two-homer day. Very excited about what he will do for the Mets in 2014. Great pick up.
• Travis d’Arnaud (2 for 3, 2 singles)
• Daniel Muno, walked and stole second base in the 6th inning and Brandon Nimmo wasted no time by slashing a line drive to right field, scoring Muno to extend the lead to 5-2.
• In the bottom of the 8th inning, Brandon Allen (1 for 5) singled and scored Cesar Puello (1 for 2) who doubled earlier in the inning and put the Mets up 6-2.

Coming up: The have two games scheduled for Wednesday, with a split squad traveling to Space Coast Stadium to face the Washington Nationals for a 1:05 PM start and the other half of the Mets remain at Tradition Field to face the Miami Marlins for a 1:10 PM start.

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(Photo Credit: Jeff Roberson/AP)

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Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets

Citi Field • 7:10 PM

Cliff Lee (10-6, 3.16) vs Zack Wheeler (6-2, 3.49)

I’m so devastated in a baseball sense by today’s news on Matt Harvey… He was supposed to be the poster boy for the new Mets renaissance… Now I don’t know what to think or how to feel…. That said, there is a game today…

@MattHarvey33 Thanks for all the hope & optimism you've given Mets fans. Thanks for all the thrills too. Get well, get back, and God Bless.

— Metsmerized – Joe D (@MetsmerizedJoeD) August 26, 2013

Starting Lineup

1. Juan Lagares, cf
2. Daniel Murphy, 2b
3. Josh Satin, 1b
4. Marlon Byrd, rf
5. Andrew Brown, lf
6. Wilmer Flores, 3b
7. Travis d’Arnaud, c
8. Justin Turner, ss
9. Zack Wheeler, rhp

Game Notes

• Mets right-hander Matt Harvey learned Monday that he has a partially torn UCL in his right elbow. He is expected to be placed on the disabled list and will likely miss the remainder of the season. Harvey will not undergo Tommy John reconstructive surgery at this time, but it has not been ruled out. Harvey, who had been experiencing forearm tenderness, underwent an MRI at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York on Monday morning. “This was a surprise to all of us, especially Matt himself,” Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said at a news conference at Citi Field. “He has not had any elbow pain. Forearm pain can foretell problems with the elbow, but in this particular circumstance there had been no indications of that. Alderson said that there was inflammation in Harvey’s forearm, and possibly in the elbow as well. He said more might be able to be determined once the inflammation subsides. Both Harvey and Alderson said there was no timetable to make a decision regarding surgery.
• Travis d’Arnaud hit his first major league home run—and collected his first two RBIs—when he hit a two-run shot to left-center field in the fourth inning of the Mets’ 11-3 loss on Sunday afternoon. d’Arnaud was 1-for-16 prior to the homer, which just cleared the fence and gave the Mets a 3-2 lead. The Citi Field crowd of 32,084 roared until d’Arnaud stepped out of the dugout and doffed his cap. d’Arnaud finished 1-for-3 in the game.
• Zack Wheeler will look to continue his recent run of strong pitching when he takes the mound for the Mets on Monday night in the opener of a four-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field. In his most recent start last Tuesday, Wheeler earned the win by allowing three runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five over 6 2/3 innings in the Mets’ 5-3 victory over the Braves. Wheeler was one out away from throwing seven scoreless innings and all three runs scored after he left the game. Wheeler is 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA in his last three starts, a stretch in which he’s struck out 21 and walked just four in 19 innings. In his first nine starts as a big leaguer, Wheeler was 4-2 with a 3.91 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 41/28 in 50 2/3 innings. Wheeler will be making his second career start against the Phillies. He didn’t factor into the decision on July 20, when he allowed two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five over 4 2/3 innings in the Mets’ 5-4 win.
• Wilmer Flores (sprained right ankle) got the day off Sunday. Flores was injured Aug. 12 and missed three of the Mets’ next four games but had played in seven straight games prior to Sunday. Justin Turner started in his place Sunday. Flores, who was recalled by the Mets on Aug. 6 and is starting at third base with David Wright on the disabled list, is hitting .283 with one homer and 11 RBI in his first 15 major league games. Meanwhile, Wright will travel to Port St. Lucie on Thursday to continue his rehabilitation from his hamstring strain.
• Dillon Gee labored Sunday, when he took the loss after allowing four runs on 10 hits and two walks while striking out two over six innings in the Mets’ 11-3 loss to the Tigers. While Gee allowed all four runs and seven hits in a pair of innings—the Tigers scored two runs on two hits in the first inning and two runs on five hits in the sixth inning—he didn’t have a single 1-2-3 inning. The 10 hits tied a season high for Gee, who also surrendered 10 hits over three innings against the Phillies on April 9. He allowed at least four runs for just the third time in his last 16 starts.
• LaTroy Hawkins endured his worst outing of the season Sunday, when he allowed five runs on four hits and one walk in just one-third of an inning in the Mets’ 11-3 loss to the Tigers. Hawkins came on to pitch the ninth with the Mets down 4-3 but allowed four straight singles and a walk after retiring leadoff batter Austin Jackson. Hawkins’ ERA rose from 2.88 to 3.65, the highest it has been since June 18. The five runs allowed were the most surrendered by Hawkins since Aug. 8, 2012, when he gave up five runs in two-thirds of an inning for the Angels. Hawkins became the Mets’ closer when Bobby Parnell went on the disabled list Aug. 6 and had recorded five saves in six chances while compiling a 1.86 ERA over his first 9 2/3 innings of the month.
• Mike Baxter was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday. He was batting .208 with four RBIs in 101 at-bats for the Mets.
• Lucas Duda was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday. Duda hit .235 with 11 home runs, 23 RBIs and a .353 on-base percentage for the Mets earlier this year. He was batting .306 with no homers and eight RBIs in 18 games at Las Vegas.

Game Preview

The battle for third place is on! Before the weekend the Mets were in the driver seat for third place but the Tigers did what the Tigers do. Yesterday the Tigers jumped out to an early lead against the Mets but the Mets came back to take the lead 3-2. The Tigers then nudged forward making it 4-3 and the score stayed like that for a while until the top of the ninth where the game ballooned into a 11-3 score. Tonight Zack Wheeler gets the nod as he goes up against Cliff Lee.

Zack Wheeler is 6-2 over 12 starts with a 3.49 ERA over 69.2 innings with 62 strikeouts. He’s 2-0 over his last three starts pitching 19.0 innings with a 2.37 ERA, 4 BB and 21 strikeouts. In his one start against the Phillies this year he allowed 2 ER over 4.2 innings. The Phillies have the following numbers against Wheeler:

Brown 0-3
Rollins 2-3, HR
Ruf 0-2
Utley 1-2
Young 0-1
Bernadina 0-2
Mayberry 1-2

Cliff Lee is 10-6 over 24 starts this season pitching 170.2 innings with a 3.16 ERA. He has made 4 starts in the month of August going 0-2 and 26.0 innings with a 3.81 ERA and 26 strikeouts. Lee has had two very different starts against the Mets this season. Back in April he allowed only 2 ER over 8.2 innings of work. In July, he allowed 5 ER over 6.0 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against Lee:

Buck 16-55, 3 2B, 4 HR
Byrd 10-28, 3 2B, HR
Murphy 8-26, 4 2B
Duda 6-18, 2B, HR
Lagares 2-3, HR

Lets Go Mets!

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Detroit Tigers at New York Mets

Citi Field • 7:10 PM

Doug Fister (10-6, 3.63) vs Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-0, 0.00)

Starting Lineup

1. Eric Young, Jr. – LF
2. Daniel Murphy – 2B
3. Marlon Byrd – RF
4. Ike Davis – 1B
5. Wilmer Flores – 3B
6. Juan Lagares – CF
7. Travis d’Arnaud – C
8. Omar Quintanilla – SS
9. Daisuke Matsuzaka – RHP

Game Notes

• Greg Burke was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas so the Mets could clear a roster spot for RHP Daisuke Matsuzka, who is due to start Friday. Burke, 30, is 0-2 with a 4.91 ERA in 29 relief appearances for New York this year.
• Jeremy Hefner is seeking a second opinion, but said he’ll probably need season-ending Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow. Hefner, who has a partial tear of his MCL and bone spurs in his right elbow, will meet with Dr. James Andrews next Monday. “I think I wasn’t leading on as much as I was because I wanted to pitch, I wanted to play. I was doing well,” Hefner said. “Back when I was doing well, I was hurting then, too. When I started to struggle I was hurting the team so that was the decision to eventually say something.”
• Daisuke Matsuzaka was signed to a contract on Thursday. Matsuzaka was released by the Cleveland Indians earlier this week after going 5-8 with a 3.92 ERA. Reports indicated that he could start for the Mets as early as Friday, piggybacking with regularly-scheduled starter Carlos Torres.
• Carlos Torres will start the opener of a three-game set against the Detroit Tigers on Friday night. He’s 2-2 with a 3.00 ERA and 1-1 in three starts with a 6.43 ERA. His last start was in a 14-1 loss against the Nationals on July 28. “Hopefully he gets back to where he was when he first got here with his delivery and command of his stuff down in the zone,” Collins said. “The last couple of games he’s been hurt by getting balls up.
• Josh Satin extended his streak of reaching base safely to 29 games with a first-inning single, tying a franchise record with Steve Henderson (1977), according to Elias Sports Bureau. It is the fourth-longest streak in the NL this season.
• Juan Lagares collected his 11th outfield assist of the season in the fourth inning. It is the most by a rookie center fielder since Rocco Baldelli had 15 for Tampa Bay in 2003. Lagares began the day one behind the major league lead for all outfielders and is the leader for center fielders.
• Jonathon Niese matched his season high by striking out nine for the second consecutive start. He also had nine strikeouts at San Diego on Aug. 16. Since returning from the 15-Day disabled list Aug. 11, Niese has struck out 23 and walked five in three starts and has a 2.70 ERA over the stretch.
• Frank Francisco started a new rehab assignment in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League on Wednesday, and he allowed a solo homer in his only inning. He struck out two. Francisco has been out all season due to a right elbow injury, and his rehab has hit several setbacks.

Game Preview

The Tigers come to town tonight and start a weekend series with the Mets. The Mets actually had a day off yesterday, crazy I know, after splitting a two game series with he Braves. The real story for the Mets tonight is their starting pitcher, Daisuke Matsuzaka. As I tweeted yesterday, half-a decade ago, I’d be very excited about this signing. I do like this signing for this point of the season if Daisuke can soak up some innings from our young guns. Recently he hasn’t been successful in the majors. Last year he was 1-7 over 11 games with a 8.28 ERA. The year before he was 3-3 with a 5.30 ERA over 7 games. He’s been alright in the Indians minor league system this year posting a 5-8 record and a 3.92 ERA over AAA. The Tigers have the following numbers against Matsuzaka:

Hunter 5-18, HR
Cabrera 4-9, HR
Martinez 1-6
Santiago 2-4, 2B
Jackson 1-4, 2B

Doug Fister gets the nod for the Tigers tonight. Fister is 10-6 with 3.63 ERA over 25 starts this season. He’s o-1 in his last three starts over 18.1 innings where he has posted a 4.42 ERA. He has never faced the Mets in his career but a few Mets have faced him on other teams:

Buck 1-2
Byrd 0-3
Omar 0-2

Lets Go Mets!

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Mets at Dodgers • 10:10 PM • Dodger Stadium

Matt Harvey (9-3, 2.09) vs Hyun-Jin Ryu (11-3, 2.99)

Starting Lineup

1. Eric Young Jr.,LF
2. Juan Lagares, CF
3. Daniel Murphy, 2b
4. Marlon Byrd, RF
5. Josh Satin, 1B
6. Justin Turner, 3B
7. John Buck, C
8. Omar Quintanilla, SS
9. Matt Harvey, RHP

As I speculated this morning, Wilmer Flores will get to rest his sore ankle and get the night off…

Game Notes

Jeremy Hefner, optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday, had his sore right elbow examined Monday and is reportedly scheduled to be re-examined Wednesday by team doctors. There is a chance he could wind up on the disabled list. Hefner struggled this year in 24 games (23 starts), going 4-8 with a 4.34 ERA. He was particularly bad since the All-Star break, 0-2 with a 9.13 ERA in five starts.

Matt Harvey is off to the best second-half start among all major league starting pitchers, but he faces the hottest team in the game Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium. Coming off a shutout against the Rockies in which he allowed just five hits, Harvey will face the Dodgers for just the second time. He wound up with a no-decision in a 7-3 Mets win in April 2012.

Jenrry Mejia was dealing for five innings before stumbling against the Dodgers in a 4-2 loss Monday night. Mejia allowed just three hits through five scoreless innings before Los Angeles got to him in the sixth inning for three hits and three runs (two earned). Mejia, though, has yet to give up more than three runs in a game this year.

Travis d’Arnaud is expected to fill in for John Buck when Buck misses time for paternity leave. D’Arnaud continues to tune up in Triple-A Las Vegas. He was sidelined much of the year with a fracture in his left foot before returning to minor league action in late July. After going 3-for-5 with a homer Monday, d’Arnaud if batting .327 with two homers and 11 RBIs in 16 games for Las Vegas.

Omar Quintanilla had a rare big day at the plate for the Mets on Monday night against the Dodgers. Quintanilla, batting just .231 on the year, was one of four Mets with two hits. His run-scoring single in the second inning gave him 17 RBIs for the year, a career high.

Game Preview

Happy Harvey Day!

The Mets try to make up for last night’s game as they play the second game in the set tonight. Last night, the Mets dropped the game by a score of 4-2. They had strong pitching from Mejia but couldn’t get runs across the board. In a critical seventh inning, writers have been talking about two major blown calls that would have heavily assisted the Mets. I didn’t stay up to see the game, so I can’t really comment on that, the Mets did however leave 20 men on base. Harvey will square off today against Hyun-jin Ryu.

Matt Harvey is leading the league in ERA since the All-Star Break with a 0.91. Overall on the season he is 9-3 with a 2.09 ERA pitching 159.2 innings with 178 K’s. He is coming off of his first complete game shutout where he dominated the Rockies keeping his pitch count incredibly low. He faced the Dodgers earlier this season where he was more human and allowed 3 ER over 6 innings. The Dodgers have the following numbers against Matt:

Schumaker 1-6
M Ellis 1-3
Ethier 1-3
Gonzalez 1-2
AJ Ellis 0-2
Hairston 0-2

The Mets bats draw Hyun-jin Ryu who is 11-3 over 22 starts with a 2.99 ERA while pitching 141.1 innings with 118 strikeouts. In his last three starts he has allowed 3 ER over 19.1 innings. Earlier this season he faced the Mets for 7.0 innings and allowed only 1 ER. The Mets have the following numbers against Ryu:

Byrd 1-3, 2B
Davis 0-3
Murphy 1-3
Recker 0-3

Lets Go Mets!

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