Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Cano Trade Kicks Off The Lid Of The Coffin
By Greg Jones

Nothing evokes a third rail response in the Mets blogosphere more than a comment that perhaps the Cano trade is aging better than its initial reviews as the worst trade in Mets history, apologies to Jim Fregosi. But, lets review the nuts and bolts of this mega-deal.

Mets-Mariners Trade, December 3, 2018

New York Mets get:

Robinson Cano: A 36-year-old second baseman with Hall of Fame career numbers, but coming off a half season suspension for a diuretic often used to mask performance-enhancing drugs such as steroids. Cano protested mightily, saying it was prescribed by his doctor and – whatever, overtaken by subsequent events. Big liar.

Edwin Diaz: A 24-year-old closer with three years of control left, coming off an All Star season in which he led the league in saves.

Seattle Mariners get:

Jay Bruce: A 31-year-old corner OF with good thump, coming off the worst season of his career of his career in 2018 (-0.9 bWAR).

Anthony Swarzak: A 32-year-old middle reliever coming off the worst season of his career (6.15 ERA, -0.4 bWAR)

Gerson Bautista: Number 15 ranked prospect on the Mets, 22-year-old fireballer reliever out of the DR who split time between low A and high A in 2017, pitching to a 4.21 ERA.

Justin Dunn: Number 5 ranked prospect on the Mets, a 22-year-old former first round pick coming off a disappointing 2017 in High A, pitching to a 5.00 ERA.

Jarred Kelenic: The number one Mets prospect, and number one in some national lists, an 18-year-old, five tool center fielder. The future so bright, he had to wear shades.

This deal was under the Wilpons, so, naturally, follow the money.

Payroll-wise, Diaz, Bautista, Dunn and Kelenic were small potatoes with free agency far in the future. So set them aside.
The headline here, of course, was Robinson Cano’s contract, stretching out 5 more years at $24 million per, $120 million through his Age 40. Yikes. This was offset somewhat by $20 million in cash he carried back with him courtesy of the Mariners. But Mets were on the hook for $100 million.

Anthony Swarzak was owed $8.5 million in 2019Jay Bruce was owed $14 million in 2019 and $14 million in 2020.

So unloading those two, and calculating Cano and the cash, was another $36.5 million to the Mets in total commitments. However, it was actually a savings for their 2019 payroll, $3.5 million less (the Cano money was skewed frontload to $5 million in 2019). In 2020, the second year of Bruce’s contract and the first year of Cano’s at $20.25 mil meant an added hit to 2020 of only $6.25 mil. After that, of course, the hit was Cano’s full contract, $20.25 mil per year through 2021-2023.

So, basically, the money was much closer in the long run than the headline of the deal to the average fan “Mets Take On Aging Cano’s $120 Million Contract!”

Now, one year in, end of 2019. This is where the deal really cemented itself with fans as an epic Mets disaster.

Cano, who still looked pretty lively in the second half of 2018 with the Mariners with a .303/.374/.471/.845 slash after his first half suspension, looked his age in 2019 with the Mets, struggling through injuries to slash .256/.307/.428/.736 in 107 games.

Edwin Diaz struggled as well, with seven losses and seven blown saves pitching to a wincey 5.59 ERA with 26 saves.

Meanwhile in Seattle, Swarzak and Bruce had been traded off, Kelenic was going through the minors like Sherman through Georgia, and Dunn had a solid year in the minors and looked good in a cup of coffee with the big club in September.

The Cano trade’s tragic epitaph was chiseled into its gravestone at the close of 2019, no more discussions, please.

Photo by Abbie Parr, USA TODAY Sports

A Look Today

But, what the heck, let’s look at how events have continued to the winter of 2022.

Robinson Cano had a renaissance in 2020, once play got under way in July. He slashed .316/.352/.544/.896 in 49 games, and was even lurking in the scrum for the batting title into September. After the season there was a piece of good…..well, there was an event, as a second PED test failure led to Cano’s suspension for all of 2021 (Mets + $20.25 million). So, to date with the Mets, in a season-like sample of 156 games, Cano has slashed .275/.321/.463/.784 with 23 home runs, totalling a 1.7 WAR.

The other piece of the deal, Edwin Diaz, had a bounce back year in 2020 with a 1.75 ERA in 26 games. In 2021, he notched 32 saves, and in his Mets career so far he is +2.0 WAR. While there is nothing in baseball harder than a closer recovering his reputation, the reality is that Diaz has rounded into a better than average closer. Since 2019 he is 4th in saves in the NL, and in the last two years he has more strikeouts than any NL closer.

Since coming into the majors in 2016, Diaz’s 173 saves trail only Kenley Jansen, and Diaz is five years younger than anyone else in the top five. He is not Mariano, but he is better than most team’s closers, and in a role dominated by veterans, Diaz is only 27.

Let’s look at the “winner” of that deal, Seattle.

Swarzak and Bruce and their $36.5 million were traded off as salary dumps. Both are out of baseball.

Gerson Bautista, after surrendering 11 runs in 9 innings with the Mariners in 2019, was let go, and is currently in the wind.

Justin Dunn, after looking like a pretty solid 4-5 candidate in 2020 with a 4.34 ERA in 10 starts, dropped to a 1-3 record in 2021 before going down in June with shoulder inflammation. Two comebacks were aborted with the same pain. Rehabbing this winter, Dunn will compete for the number 5/swingman spot in the spring.

Now the moneyshot of the deal, as it was the day it was announced, and this deserves a deep drill. Jarred Kelenic’s darkest angels could not have conjured up a worse start in Seattle. Offered a long term multi-million dollar extension in 2019, Kelenic turned it down. When he stayed down in the minors in 2020, and the Seattle president blurted out that he wouldn’t be starting in Seattle to begin 2021, Kelenic exploded, accusing the Seattle brass of extorting his service time to force him to sign a deal.

After a national media kerfluffle, the Seattle CEO Kevin Mather resigned, despite heatedly denying there was any quid pro quo. Well regarded Seattle GM Jerry DiPoto also agreed, saying they believed Kelenic needed more development time.

Kelenic, eyeing the 2020 team, had his own comments:

“…..here you have a team that is one game out of the playoffs going into the last weeks of the season. I know for a fact I could have helped that team out…..(they should) have the best guys on the field, especially when you talk about a team that hasn’t gone to the playoffs in 20 years, and your best prospects are just sitting there watching.’’

DiPoto addressed the team after Mather’s resignation in the first spring training workout, making soothing sounds and attempting to put the issue aside as the team headed into what they expected to be a 2021 season as a contender.

The Mariners were alarmed that Kelenic showed up clocking in 30 lbs. heavier, and looking maybe not so much like a speedy centerfielder anymore. After a knee injury in spring training, possibly totally unrelated to carrying around 30 lbs more, but also possibly related, Kelenic did not make the Opening Day roster. This created another national media explosion of service time manipulation accusations, although cooler heads pointed out that the 21-year-old Kelenic had only played 21 games above Class A ball and had barely 800 professional at-bats.

Finally, FINALLY, called up in May, Kelenic started every game for three weeks. He tallied 8 hits in 92 plate appearances for a .096 batting average, striking out 26 times and looking utterly overmatched by major league breaking stuff. His service time complaints jumping back down his throat, he was sent down to AAA, where he again pounded on all that non-filthy breaking stuff. Brought back in July, he showed some flashes of power, and had a good September (perhaps against AAA callups?) Anyway, he still wound up his debut season with a batting average of .181.

To put that in perspective, that is the lowest batting average for an AL rookie with at least 375 plate appearances since….ever. Records go back to 1871. Second on the list is John Gochnaur, who batted .185 in 1902, and backed that up with a .185 in 1903, then disappeared into the mist of history.

While Kelenic’s -1.8 WAR had similar historic aspects, it was dominated by his defensive mark of – 1.6 dWAR. Perhaps because of the knee injury or the weight, Kelenic did not acquit himself well in center field. In fact, Kelenic may have a very difficult time winning a starting job this spring.

Center fielder Julio Rodriquez, the number one prospect in baseball, may be ready to take center for the next decade or so. At the corners, you have veteran Mitch Haniger, coming off a 39 HR, 100 RBI season in 2021. And in the other corner you have 2020 Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis, back after missing most of 2021 with a knee injury.

It may well be that, rather than having Kelenic in a fourth outfielder bench role, he could be back in AAA for some or all of 2022.

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Back To The Trade

The metrics here are so small as to approach rounding errors, but the total bWAR for the players run to +3.7 for the Mets, -0.1 for the Mariners. In terms of the 2022 season, the 4th after the trade, Swarzak and Bautista are free agents/out of baseball, as are the three players acquired when the Mariners dumped off Swarzak and Bruce.

Bruce, after 10 games in April ’21 with the Yankees, voluntarily retired and is out of baseball.

So for the Mariners, the on field residuals of the trade are Dunn and Kelenic. Cano and Diaz remain with the Mets, penciled in for major roles as DH and closer.

(One quick takeaway about valuing prospects. Being the 15th or 20th ranked prospect on the 29th ranked farm system isn’t as shiny as you might think.)

Now, in assessing the “what-ifs” of this trade, there is another factor. The Mets were all in for 2019, and in December 2018, they needed a closer. AL saves leader Diaz was being dangled to the league, and the Mets knew he had suitors in the NL East. Unless they acquired him it was quite possible they would be facing Diaz throughout 2019.

In the free agent market, there was only one top closer available in December 2018 – Craig Kimbrel, and the speculation was rampant about the Mets inking the veteran closer. Kimbrel eventually signed a 3/$43 mil with the Cubs, about $30 million more than the comparable payroll would have been for Edwin Diaz. And Kimbrel was lousy/horrible with the Cubs, going 0-5 with 15 saves, a 6.00 ERA, and a -0.6 WAR in 2019 and 2020. Yes, for 2019 and 2020, Kimbrel was even worse than Edwin, who was 4-8 with 32 saves, a 4.41 ERA and a 1.0 WAR over those two years and for about $20 million less.

So if the trade never happened, and they went for Kimbrel, the Mets would have had Swarzak, Bruce and Kimbrel on the payroll for 2019….about +$35.5 million versus the -$3.5 million after the deal.

So, given all that….well, the next few years of Cano and the career of Edwin Diaz are a factor. But no matter what, this trade will wind up being measured by the career of Jarred Kelenic.

The financial drivers on the Mets side have disappeared as completely as one could imagine with the magical appearance of Steve Cohen and his billions. If Kelenic does turn it around and lives up to his Mickey Mantle comparisons, it was the worst trade ever. But if he winds up a run-of-the-mill Jay Brucey power bat in a corner OF position…maybe not so bad a deal. Not so bad at all…

* * * * * * * *

This Fan Shot was contributed by MMO community member Greg Jones. Have something you want to say? Share your opinions with the best and most diverse Mets community on the web! Send your Fan Shot to getmetsmerized@aol.com.

The post Fan Shot: Updated Look At Mets Trading Kelenic appeared first on Metsmerized.

Good Morning, Mets fans!

On Saturday, MLB continued its quest in hopefully hosting a 2020 season.

Latest Mets News

Despite the uncertainty about his future with the Mets, General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen will not feel cheated during his tenure, writes Ken Davidoff of the New York Post.

Sal Manzo live Tweeted game six of the 1986 World Series from the Metsmerized Twitter account.

Noah Syndergaard publicly shared his grievances over his rent situation on Twitter.

Mets radio commentator Howie Rose was not pleased after Mets legend Keith Hernandez was left off the Cardinals’ Hall of Fame ballot.

Latest MLB News

Despite both the MLB and MLBPA still not seeing eye-to-eye on contract negotiations, the belief is there eventually will be a compromise both will agree with in regards to the potential 2020 season.

Jeff Passan of ESPN gives his answers to 20 commonly asked questions on the possibility of a 2020 MLB season.

Latest NL East News

The Phillies have kept their spring training facility closed in Florida, with the idea of holding a second spring training in Philadelphia instead.

Despite previously having plans to receive their World Series rings virtually, the Nationals opted to delay their ring ceremony until they can reunite in person.

Latest on MMO

Wondering who the MMO writers and editors would choose for the Last Dance, Mets edition? Michelle Ioannou has you covered.

Tim Ryder continues to relive the 2000 Mets season.

On This Day in Mets History

Birthdays: Jerry Dipoto (52), Justin Hampson (40)

Stay safe, and Let’s Go Mets!

The post Morning Briefing: Van Wagenen’s Mentality Not Wavering appeared first on Metsmerized.

Original Post

Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports that 17 Mets minor leaguers are now free agents and can sign with any other organization. They are as follows:

Triple-A (11 Free Agents)

RHP Carlos Alvarado

RHP Greg Burke

RHP Matt Fox

RHP D.J. Mitchell

RHP Daryl Thompson

RHP Cory Wade

LHP Justin Hampson

C Francisco Pena

SS Brian Bixler

SS Brandon Hicks

OF Jamie Hoffmann.

Double-A (6 Free Agents)

RHP Dylan Owen

RHP Armando Rodriguez

C Jeyckol De Leon

SS Josh Rodriguez

1B Rhyne Hughes

3B Richard Lucas.

Almost all of these players were brought in from other organizations in the last two seasons when Sandy Alderson went on a minor league free agent spree to add some depth to the system.

The only players here that I could see coming back are 33-year old Justin Hampson, who has developed a good relationship with the team and is well liked. Hampson has been here twice before and was re-signed by the Mets both times.

It was already reported that the Mets may have some interest in bringing back reliever Greg Burke, but he has drawn interest from at least two other teams who may entice him with a major league deal rather than a minor league deal from the Mets.

Francisco Pena, who just turned 24 last month, could re-sign and return to the Mets. Given the scarcity of catching at the higher levels, the defensive-minded backstop is a good guy to have around as many of the Mets top pitching prospects make their way to Triple-A next season.

(Photo credit: Gordon Donovan)

The post Rockies Sign Reliever Greg Burke To Minor League Deal appeared first on Metsmerized.

Las Vegas 4, Albuquerque 3

Last night I was at Cashman Field to witness the ace of the Las Vegas 51s and prized prospect Zack Wheeler on the mound. In many ways Wheeler lived up to the hype and pitched as expected. However, what I did NOT expect was the competitive spirit he displayed. His poise is more expected of a crafty veteran than a kid three weeks shy of turning 23.

Wheeler pitched well, keeping Albuquerque batters on their toes all evening. He tossed 7 1/3 innings, the longest of any 51s pitcher this season, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits. He fanned 7 while walking just 1. 61 of his 99 pitches went for strikes.

Albuquerque scored in the first. With Elian Herrera on 2nd and two outs Rusty Ryal singled hard to right. Eric Campbell fired a rocket to the plate. Herrera was out by ten feet. However, he avoided the swipe tag by Las Vegas catcher Juan Centeno. Ryal took second on the throw home. Wheeler, however, was unfazed. He turned it up a notch and fanned the next batter. No opposing batter reached second base again until the seventh inning.

In the seventh, with Wheeler and the 51s leading 2-1, he delivered a first pitch fastball that Matt Angle promptly sent high into the Vegas night. Wally Backman showed faith in Wheeler. He didn’t come out to settle him down. He didn’t wave to the bullpen. He gave Wheeler a chance to show what he’s made of and the young pitcher answered the call by striking out the next batter on a knee-buckling curveball.

Eric Campbell’s home run to lead off the home seventh put Vegas back on top, 3-2. Wheeler gave way to Justin Hampson in the eighth after allowing his one and only walk of the night. In the ninth, Hampson squandered the lead and Albuquerque tied the game at 3-3, therefore giving Wheeler a N/D.

The 51s won the game in the bottom of the ninth on a lead-off single by third baseman Zach Lutz followed by a walk to Eric Campbell. A fielder’s choice moved the runners to 2^nd and 3^rd. Omar Quintanilla was intentionally walked to load the bases. Backman had Reese Havens pinch hit. He fell behind quickly in the count, 1-2, but managed to work out a walk. A walk-off walk.

After watching him tonight, it’s clear—as we’ve all been reading and hearing—that Wheeler has “the stuff.” What I learned, however, is that he also has the make-up. He did not get rattled. He did not get flustered. When he had to reach back for something extra, he succeeded.

Another interesting observation about Zack Wheeler is the efficiency he pitches with. He keeps the game moving at a quick clip. He doesn’t take a lot of time between pitches. This obviously keeps the fielder’s sharp. Steve Trachsel he’s not.

2bman Wilmer Flores hit his 3^rd HR of the season in the 4^th and almost hit another in the 6^th, sending the OF to the wall. He also flashed some leather, making a nice diving catch in the hole in the 7th.

It seems like every few years we Mets fans hear about ‘the next’ Tom Seaver or Jerry Koosman. We hear it so much we become numb. Am I saying Zack Wheeler will be the next Koosman to Matt Harvey’s Seaver? No.

However, after seeing Harvey pitch over the last month and personally witnessing Zack Wheeler last night, maybe, just maybe, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Key Stats

Wilmer Flores: 1-for-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB

Eric Campbell: 1-for-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB

Zach Lutz: 1-for-4, 1 R

Zack Wheeler: 7.1 IP, 6 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 ER, 7 K

Justin Hampson: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 K

The post Zack Wheeler Displays The Heart Of A Veteran In 4-3 Win appeared first on Metsmerized.

Round Rock 12, Las Vegas 6

The Las Vegas 51s surrendered 20 hits Friday in a 12-6 loss to visiting Round Rock at Cashman Field in the final game of a four-game Pacific Coast League series.D.J. Mitchell struggled in this one, allowing six earned runs over just 4.1 innings pitched.

Eric Campbell went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs for Las Vegas, which also received two hits from Zach Lutz and Kirk Nieuwenhuis.

Las Vegas scored four runs in the third inning to take a 4-1 advantage, but Round Rock scored six runs over the next three innings to take the lead for good. Round Rock put the game away in the ninth inning with four runs — all scoring before Las Vegas recorded an out.

Lutz had a run-scoring double and Campbell plated a pair of runs with a single in the 51s’ four-run third inning.

Las Vegas and Round Rock split the series, winning two games each. Saturday, the 51s open a series against the Albuquerque Isotopes, the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Top-prospect Zack Wheeler is scheduled to start Saturday for the 51s, looking to build on a pair of solid starts last week. He went 2-0 at Reno and Sacramento, combing to pitch 12 and 2/3 innings with 12 strikeouts and a 0.69 earned run average.

Key Stats

Kirk Nieuwenhuis: 3-for-5, 1 R, 1 SB

Zach Lutz: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R

Eric Campbell: 3-for-4. 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R

D.J. Mitchell: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 1 HR, 4 BB, 6 ER, 1 K

Greg Peavey: 1.0 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 ER, 1 K

Justin Hampson: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 K

(Team Report)

The post DJ Mitchell Struggles, 51s Give Up 20 Hits In 12-6 Loss appeared first on Metsmerized.

Las Vegas 3, Round Rock 2

Collin McHugh took the mound tonight and pitched a heck of a game. He continued his tremendous start to the season tossing seven scoreless innings. The righty threw 90 pitches (59 strikes), allowed just five hits, struck out five, and left the game with a 1-0 lead. McHugh came into the game leading the 51s with a 3.57 ERA, but after tonight’s masterful performance, he lowered his ERA to 2.98.

McHugh was in line for the win when he left the game heading into the eighth inning, but the combination of Gonzalez Germen and Justin Hampson squandered the lead allowing the tying run to score. Greg Burke took the ball in the top of the ninth up 2-1, but was unable to nail down the save. He allowed a double followed by an RBI single, and saw his ERA balloon to 5.19.

The Vegas offense was held to just three hits on the night, but was highlighted by Josh Satin hitting his fifth home run of the season, and an RBI single by Juan Centeno. Eric Campbell had a very patient night at the plate, accumulating three walks, and scored the go ahead run in the bottom of the eighth inning to give Vegas a 2-1 lead.

In the bottom of the ninth, Reese Havens singled to lead off the inning, and was moved to second on a ground out by Satin, before being pinch ran for by Brian Bixler. The next batter Zach Lutz struck out swinging, but the ball hit the dirt and had to be blocked by the catcher. Bixler plated the winning run on an errant throw by the catcher attempting to throw out Lutz at first base.

Key Stats

• Wilmer Flores: 0-for-2, BB
• Josh Satin: 1-for-3, HR, R, RBI, BB
• Juan Centeno: 1-for-3, RBI
• Reese Havens: 1-for-4
• Eric Campbell: 0-for-1, RBI, 3 BB
• Collin McHugh: 7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, ND

The post Collin McHugh Dominates, Josh Satin Homers In Vegas WalkOff Win appeared first on Metsmerized.

Las Vegas 6, Sacramento 2

Zack Wheeler took the hill yesterday afternoon against the River Cats and was firing on all cylinders as he made quick work of Sacramento, cruising to his second victory on the season.

Wheeler took the mound looking to build off of his solid outing against the Reno Aces in which he struck out eight over 6 2/3 innings back on April 30th. This time, the Mets top prospect went six shutout frames allowing just three hits and a walk while punching out four. Each of the baserunners allowed were scattered through different innings as the River Cats failed to get a runner to second base with Wheeler on the mound. After struggling mightily to start the season, Wheeler has now put together back-to-back solid efforts in the infamously hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

On the offensive side of things for the Vegas 51s, everyone in the lineup had themselves a base hit with the exception of Juan Centeno and Josh Satin. Las Vegas put up a two-spot in the second on the strength of a double off the bat of Omar Quintanilla to score Wilmer Flores and Jamie Hoffmann, his fifth on the year. They would be held off the board until the top of the sixth when the recently demoted Collin Cowgill (more from him later) scored on a Zack Lutz fly ball to center. The following inning however, is where the game was broken open. With Quintanilla on second and Centeno at first, Cowgill, in just his second game since joining the 51s, clubbed a three-run bomb to left field to make it a 6-0 ballgame. Vegas batters only struck out three times in this game and tallied ten hits and a pair of walks against Sacramento pitching.

Justin Hampson came on in relief of Wheeler and had himself a difficult outing. After plunking Scott Moore, Josh Horton took Hampson deep to make it a 6-2 game. Hampson would eventually retire the side. Greg Peavey and Gonzalez Germen came in and pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth respectively as the 51s would go onto win by a final score of 6-2.

Key Stats

Collin Cowgill: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

Zach Lutz: 1-for-3, 1 RBI

Eric Campbell: 2-for-4

Omar Quintanilla: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 R

Zack Wheeler: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 4 K

Justin Hampson: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 HR, 2 ER, 1 K

Greg Peavey: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 ER

Gonzalez Germen: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K

The post Wheeler Getting Into Midseason Form As Las Vegas 51s Edge River Cats 6-2 appeared first on Metsmerized.

Sacramento 3, Las Vegas 0

Sometimes…you just have those games where nothing goes right for you on offense – even in the PCL. This was one of those games for Las Vegas, who mustered only three hits as a team, and they were all singles. Jamie Hoffmann, Juan Centeno, and Zach Lutz were the men who provided the singles, yet Sacramento induced double plays after two of those singles to erase most of the 51s’ chances. Las Vegas had only one at-bat with a runner in scoring position all night.

In terms of pitching, somebody give a gold star to Juan Centeno, who somehow pulled a decent start out of Chris Schwinden. Schwinden has been in the middle of a really tough year in AAA, giving a handful of runs in almost all of his starts, but he went the first five innings today and allowed just two earned runs. He was lifted in the sixth after giving up a solo home run to Michael Choice and a single right after. Justin Hampson handled the next four outs with ease, but Sacramento would tack on another run at the expense of Gonzalez Germen. Germen allowed three hits, and was removed with two runners on base in favor of Sean Henn, who allowed one to cross the plate.

Although I sing the praises of Juan Centeno’s defense a lot, he did get saddled with his first error of the year last night – along with his second passed ball. On the other side of the spectrum, Captain Kirk made a ridiculous catch that I will try to get up in the MiLB report as a video.

Key Stats

Jamie Hoffmann: 1-for-3

Zach Lutz: 1-for-3

Juan Centeno: 1-for-3

Chris Schwinden: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 ER, 5 K

Justin Hampson: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 BB

Gonzalez Germen: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER

Sean Henn: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1-for-1 inherited runners scored

The post Vegas Gets Blanked, Musters Only Three Hits In 3-0 Loss appeared first on Metsmerized.

Las Vegas 9, Reno 5 

D.J. Mitchell‘s last start was marred by bouts of wildness, but tonight’s outing was much better, as he did not allow a run over the first five innings. He dodged in, and out of trouble a few times, including a bases loaded no out jam in the second inning. After two singles and a walk, Mitchell buckled down and got a pop out, strikeout, and a ground out to end the inning. He ran into trouble again in the sixth inning, and was eventually lifted in favor of Sean Henn.

The bullpen struggled once again, and Greg Peavey was the main culprit tonight. Peavey, allowed three runs to score in the seventh, and what was a 9-0 lead heading into the sixth, quickly became 9-5 through eight. Justin Hampson came in and pitched a spotless ninth to shut the door.

On offense, Andrew Brown and Wilmer Flores once again led the way. Brown tallied two more RBI, added a double and a triple, and leads the 51s with 21 RBI and a .360 batting average. Flores also had two hits, including a double, and drove in two. Kirk Nieuwenhuis had just one hit in five trips, but it was a triple, and he also produced an RBI ground out. Travis d’Arnaud‘s replacement Landon Powell had two hits himself, as he doubled and scored a run.

Key Stats

• Wilmer Flores: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2B
• Andrew Brown: 2-for-5, 2 RBI, 2B, 3B, 2 R
• Josh Satin: 0-for-3, 2 BB
• Brian Bixler: 1-for-5, R, 2 RBI, BB
• Zach Lutz: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, BB
• Landon Powell: 2-for-4, R, 2B
• Kirk Nieuwenhuis: 1-for-5, R, RBI, 3B, BB
• D.J. Mitchell: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 3 K

The post Wilmer Flores and Andrew Brown Lead Las Vegas Over Reno appeared first on Metsmerized.

Colorado Springs 11, Las Vegas 6

In a game where the two teams combined for thirty hits, the Las Vegas 51s dropped this one to the Colorado Springs Sky Sox 11-6.

It was trouble out of the gate for Vegas in this one, as designated starter Darin Gorski was only able to last two innings in this late-night affair. Gorski struggled from the start, and faced all nine hitters in the Colorado Springs lineup in the first inning, where he allowed three runs. He allowed back-to-back RBI doubles in the second inning, and although he got out of the jam, he was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the bottom half of the inning. Gonzalez German was brought on, and he pitched the next three frames while allowing two runs in the top of the fourth.

Robert Carson allowed an inherited runner from Dylan Owen to score in the seventh on a wild pitch, but had an overall line of an inning and two-thirds pitched without allowing a hit and striking out three. Justin Hampson struggled in his inning, allowing five hits and three earned runs in the eighth, but he managed to strike out two batters. Jeurys Familia rounded out the pitching for the 51s, and pitched a hitless ninth while setting two down on strikes.

It looked like this could possibly have been a higher scoring affair, but Las Vegas was only able to score in bunches – three in the third and three in the fifth. After an RBI ground-out by Travis D’Arnaud in the third inning, Andrew Brown drove home Wilmer Flores on an RBI double, and was promptly sent home on a Josh Satin RBI single. Satin was not finished, however, as he drilled his fourth home run of the campaign in the sixth – a two-run shot that scored D’Arnaud, who had reached base after ripping an RBI double.

Vegas had the bases loaded in the seventh inning with none out, but failed to score any runs as Zach Lutz and Jamie Hoffman flew out and Reese Havens followed that with a strikeout.

Key Stats

Wilmer Flores: 2-for-5, 2 2B, 2 R

Travis D’Arnaud: 2-for-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 1 R

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

Darin Gorski: 2.0 IP, 6 H, 4 BB, 5 ER, 0 K

The post Gorski Gets Rocked, Satin Stays Hot In 11-6 Vegas Loss appeared first on Metsmerized.