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.

The post Wild Card Game Thread: Rays vs. Athletics, 8:09 PM- ESPN appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Los Angeles Dodgers (3-2) at Milwaukee Brewers (2-3)
Friday, October 17, 2018 • 8:39 p.m. ET • Miller Park • Milwaukee, Wisc
LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (0-0, 4.15) vs. LHP Wade Miley (0-0, 0.00)
NLCS Game 6 • TV: FS1 • Listen: AM 570 LA Sports, ESPN Radio, WTMJ 620

The Dodgers look to close out the series to meet the Boston Red Sox in the 2018 World Series. Dodgers are coming off a 5-2 on Wednesday behind seven superb innings from Clayton Kershaw.

Dodgers Lineup

1. David Freese – 1B
2. Max Muncy – 2B
3. Justin Turner – 3B
4. Manny Machado – SS
5. Cody Bellinger – CF
6. Chris Taylor – LF
7. Yasiel Puig – RF
8. Austin Barnes – C
9. Hyun-Jin Ryu – LHP

Brewers Lineup

1. Lorenzo Cain – CF
2. Christian Yelich – RF
3. Ryan Braun – LF
4. Travis Shaw – 2B
5. Jesus Aguilar – 1B
6. Mike Moustakas – 3B
7. Erik Kratz– C
8. Orlando Arcia -SS
9. Wade Miley – LHP

The post NL Championship Series Thread: Dodgers Have Clinching On Mind appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

As I watched our New York Mets lose their second straight game to the lowly Milwaukee Brewers, who looked toothless without injured All-Star Ryan Braun, I wallowed for a bit in some self pity. How could this be happening to my team – a team I predicted would win the NL East with 95 or more wins? Even with our best hitter Yoenis Cespedes still ailing on the sidelines, how could we let a pitcher like Zach Davies off the hook time and time again?

It was kind of a depressing watching Robert Gsellman struggle as he did with his command and diminished velocity because I had such high expectations for the young right-hander. He now looks like a wounded animal that needs to be put out of his misery. It’s time to either send him down to Triple-A Las Vegas or perhaps shift him to the bullpen and see if he can be effective in some non critical relief role.

It’s sad really, to see Gsellman and Matt Harvey listed among the worst qualified starting pitchers in the National League. I didn’t see it coming. Even though I didn’t expect smooth sailing for Harvey, I never expected he would be the worst starting pitcher in the major leagues. You could pick one of 70-something MLB starters and any of them would be an upgrade over the former Dark Knight.

Here we are halfway through the month of May and our pitching ranks 30th in MLB with a 4.89 ERA. Our .269 Batting Average Against ranks 29th behind the Brewers (.271 BAA).  Opposing offenses have a .340 on-base percentage against the Mets – also last. I never saw this coming. The worst? Really?

Offensively, it’s not as bleak as our OPS ranks 15th and we’re scoring runs and hitting with runners in scoring position again. The team has no speed to speak of and we’ve stolen only 10 bases all year, one swipe more than the Colorado Rockies who rank 30th with nine stolen bases.

At this point I don’t know what to make of the situation. It’s far too early to think about making a trade for an established arm for the rotation or even our bullpen. And I’m already hearing the cries that the team should be sellers at the deadline and just try to load up on top prospects by dangling Jay Bruce, Neil Walker and Addison Reed.

The alternative would be trading our own top prospects to make a last ditch stand that may ultimately prove to be a futile endeavor.

The calls for Amed Rosario and Dominic Smith are getting louder and louder, and you can add me to that growing chorus. Honestly, my favorite part of this season so far has been watching Michael Conforto and T.J. Rivera play their hearts out.

Adding Rosario and Smith to that mix could give the Mets an exciting core-four on offense that would serve a few purposes. For one, the two of them could ignite the team and spark an exciting postseason run. It certainly would get more fans to the ballpark – fans who have been thirsting for their arrival for weeks now.

But maybe the best part would be getting all four of them acclimated in playing together and at this level, while readying themselves for a huge Mets season in 2018 with a healthier and hopefully better starting rotation led by Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom.

There will be time at the end of the season to take a good hard look at whether it was a wise decision by Sandy Alderson to bring back essentially the same exact team that struggled there way to a wild card spot in 2016 with virtually no changes. Many were critical of that strategy heading into the new season.

But right now there is still a lot of season left to play and the Mets may have to decide within the next 3-4 weeks whether they are buyers or sellers or if they just sit on their hands in a holding pattern. It’s not an easy decision because no team ever wants to toss in the towel – especially in this town. The New York Mets truly find themselves between a rock and hard place. I’m kind of glad that it’s not my decision to make and that I can just chill out and watch how this ultimately unfolds.

The post Morning Grind: Mets Between A Rock and A Hard Place appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The New York Mets (25-18) defeated the Milwaukee Brewers (18-26) by a score of 3-1 at Citi Field Sunday afternoon. The Mets swept the Brewers and will look to keep things rolling as they head into another series with the division leading Nationals.

Pitching:

Noah Syndergaard was incredible today.  There isn’t much left to say about this man as he has clearly emerged as one of the most dominant forces in the game.  Syndergaard went seven innings, allowing one run (unearned), walked none, and struck out eleven.  At one point, Syndergaard struck out 7 of 8 batters.

Noah did get into a little bit of trouble in the first inning.  After a Jonathan Villar ground out, Scooter Gennett reached base on a David Wright error.  Ryan Braun followed with a ground out that pushed Gennett into scoring position.  With two out and a runner on second, Jonathan Lucroy would single up the middle on a line drive to bring in the Brewers only run of the day.

Jim Henderson came on in the eighth and pitched a scoreless inning.  How good has this bullpen been?  The Mets bullpen leads all of baseball in ERA, FIP, and WAR.

Jeurys Familia shut the door in the ninth with his 15^th save in 15 opportunities.

Offense: 

Michael Conforto got things started for the Mets in the first inning with his eighth home run of the season.

In the bottom of the fourth inning in a 1-1 tie game, Conforto lead off with a walk.  Yoenis Cespedes followed with a double that was misjudged by Ryan Braun putting runners on second and third with nobody out.  After a Neil Walker strikeout, Cabrera finally cashed in with a clutch single to right field to bring in both runners giving the Mets a 3-1 lead.

The Mets offense only recorded six hits on the day but it was more than enough.

Notes:

Lucas Duda remains out with a back issue.  Duda was expected to receive results from an MRI late this afternoon.

Hansel Robles and Addison Reed were unavailable today due to an extended work load over the last few days.

Noah Syndergaard becomes the first pitcher in franchise history with double-digit strikeouts and zero walks in consecutive games. He now has four career starts with at least 10 strikeouts and zero walks in first 33 games, tying Matt Harvey for the modern MLB record.

On Deck: 

The Mets will open up their first game of a three game series with the Washington Nationals tomorrow night at Nationals Park.  The game has a start time of 7:05 PM.  Bartolo Colon (3-3, 3.75 ERA) will look to keep the Mets winning streak going against Gio Gonzalez (3-1 1.86 ERA).  Colon is also looking to rebound from an uncharacteristic start in which he walked five batters and was knocked out in the fifth inning.

The post MMO Game Recap: Syndergaard Electric As Mets Sweep Brewers 3-1 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Regardless of whether or not you think Sandy Alderson and the Mets need to make a big splash deal before this season’s trade deadline, here is some sobering information about the perception around the league regarding the financial state of the team.

In his latest piece for ESPN Insider, Buster Olney says that there is no indication that Mets ownership is going to provide the funds needed for the front office to make any needed upgrade to the roster.

“The Mets need to make it clear to other teams that they have the financial flexibility to make a deal, because the current perception of them in the market is that they will not be taking on salary during the summer.”

“This makes no sense, given the incredible opportunity they have right now and the shockingly subpar performance of the Washington Nationals.”

This is exactly what I’ve been trying to convey since the offseason and why I felt the need to call out a couple of Mets beat writers and Mets bloggers last week who write ridiculous articles saying: “Sandy Alderson needs to do something!” or “Do something, Mets!”

I love how some of these so-called insiders keep saying they talk to their baseball people and cite their sources about going after Ben Zobrist, Aramis Ramirez and even Ryan Braun, and yet never mention Mets ownership and their inability to increase payroll much beyond the current $100 million level.

They push out these half-cocked, half-assed conjectures with nary a mention of the team’s financial state.

Now I’m not saying that the Mets need to make a big splash move, I’m only saying that it’s ridiculous to suggest such a move while ignoring the current financial climate. It’s ignorant to consider one without mentioning the other.

While I am perfectly happy with seeing how the team does with Dilson Herrera and Travis d’Arnaud back in the lineup and Daniel Murphy less than a week away, the point here is this…

What if the team is racked with another devastating long-term injury or two, let’s say Lucas Duda and d’Arnaud again? It’s a crying shame that a big market team like the Mets would most likely be unable to do anything about it.

And that’s the sad part in all of this – not that the team needs to do something now – but that even if they needed to they probably couldn’t. And that’s the true reality of the situation.

The post It Always Comes Back To Mets’ Financial State appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets (21-16) defeated the Milwaukee Brewers (13-24) by a score of 14-1 Saturday night. Jacob deGrom had perhaps his best stuff all season tonight while Matt Garza had quite the opposite. The reigning NL Rookie of The Year pitched six innings while giving up one run, striking out six and walking one. He is now 4-4 on the year.

DeGrom helped his own cause in the 2nd. After a double by Eric Campbell and a walk drawn by Kevin Plawecki, deGrom slapped a base-hit up the middle and took advantage of the Brewers’ infield playing in. The hit drove in Campbell who was the only runner to score that inning after a 5-4-3 double-play off the bat of Wilmer Flores.

The Mets struck again two innings later. With runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out, Kevin Plawecki grounded  the ball to SS Luis Sardinas who fired home attempting to nab Michael Cuddyer trying to score. However, the throw was a bit wide of home plate and he was safe. DeGrom followed with his second base-hit of the game to load the bases for Wilmer Flores who promptly hit a grand-slam over the 370 sign in left-center field. That was his team-leading sixth home run of the year.

The Metropolitans didn’t stop there. Singles from Curtis Granderson and Juan Lagares followed by a walk drawn by Lucas Duda set the stage for Cuddyer who ripped a two-run double down the left-field line. This was the last straw for Craig Counsell and he pulled Garza at this point. His successor didn’t fair better against Daniel Murphy, who laced a two-run double into right-center field. This was his 200th career double. He scored in the next at bat when Campbell lined a base-hit into right field. This inning ended only after scoring ten runs.

DeGrom gave up one earned run in the 6th on a sac-fly off the bat of Ryan Braun that scored Luis Sardinas.

The Brewers manager pulled a NBA-like move in the bottom of the 6th by pulling most of his starters including Carlos Gomez, Ryan Braun, Adam Lind and Aramis Ramirez.

Erik Goeddell pitched two scoreless innings in relief for the Mets. He is definitely one of the more underrated call-ups of the year thus far.

The only Mets starter without a hit got on the board in a big way in the bottom of the seventh. Kevin Plawecki hit his second home run of the year into the left field stands, a no-doubter. AND THAT WASN’T ALL! Curtis Granderson hit a two-run home run later in the inning, his 4th of the year.

Jack Leathersich finished things off for the Mets in the 9th.

TL/DR: The Mets torched Matt Garza.

The Mets will play the rubber game of this series tomorrow at 1:10 p.m. as Noah Syndergaard (0-1) makes his Citi Field debut against Wily Peralta (1-4).

The post MMO Game Recap: Mets 14, Brewers 1 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

(Photo Credit: Noah K. Murray, USA TODAY Sports)

Major League Baseball and the players association announced changes today to their Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment program, lengthening suspensions for players caught across the board, likely in response to the PR nightmare the league experienced last summer.

Some of the notable changes are as follows:

• First time offenders will now be suspended for 80 games as opposed to 50.
• Second time offenders will now sit out an entire 162 games, and will not be paid at all for an entire 183 day league year. This is up from 100 games.
• Players caught even just once will be subjected to extra testing for the rest of their careers.
• Players testing positive will no longer be allowed to play in the postseason in that season.
• Players will now have access to particular supplements that will not cause positive tests. These supplements will be supplied by teams.

Third time offenders will still be permanently banned from baseball.

All of this comes after a disastrous round of suspensions last season, which included Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, and Jhonny Peralta. Peralta’s situation was especially controversial as he was, after he served his suspension, allowed to return to his team for postseason play. Under the new rules, this type of situation can’t happen again.

League drug policies have come under intense scrutiny over the past year, with many critics saying the punishments aren’t harsh enough. Before today, the league and union hadn’t updated their drug policies since 2006, and players like Ryan Braun (and presumably others) have evaded the system. This still may not be enough to stop drug use completely (only a lifetime ban for first time use can do that), but it may deter drug use at least a little bit more, and every little bit helps.

The post MLB, MLBPA Announce Changes to Joint Drug Agreement appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Alex Rodriguez Plans To Appeal Arbitrator’s Decision

A-Rod, I have a little bit of unsolicited advice.

Just say, “My bad.”

You see, the American public is very forgiving. Fess up, take your medicine, and we’ll eventually come back around. Those that do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it – so what have we learned from history?

Jason Giambi said “My bad.” He took his boos and eventually, we stopped caring he was tied up in the BALCO scandal and he was even being considered for the Rockies manager position last year before he decided to keep on playing.

Barry Bonds did not say “My bad.” Look at him.

Andy Pettitte said, “My bad.” He was given a hero’s welcome.

Roger Clemens did not say “My bad.” He’s getting the Bonds treatment.

Mark McGwire did not say “My bad,” at first. He didn’t want to talk about the past. Then he fessed up, said “My bad,” and now he’s been welcomed back into baseball and is coaching in a Major League dugout. He won’t get into the Hall of Fame, but he’s not being run up a flagpole, either.

Rafael Palmeiro wagged his finger in front of Congress, then he got caught. He never said, “My bad.” We still don’t like him.

Ryan Braun stood at a podium, said he didn’t do it, threw a poor guy under a bus, stomped on him a little bit and smiled for the cameras. Then he got caught again, said “My bad,” a bunch of times and he’ll get booed for a while, but eventually even what he did will all be water under the bridge for him, too.

You see, Alex – we’re not naive. We know that players are taking banned substances. Players have been cheating in some way, shape, or form since the game was first played. We know there are guys on all of our favorite teams that are taking stuff that haven’t been caught yet. Heck, two Mets were caught in the same scandal you were. We just signed another one this offseason. Bartolo Colon said “My bad,” and he got a two year contract. Jhonny Peralta said “My bad” and he got $53 million this offseason.

We know guys are cheating. That doesn’t make it right. It still makes it wrong. I don’t like that it’s in the game, but if you’re going to get caught, just fess up to it, take your punishment, and move on with life.

What we really, really, really don’t like is being lied to and treated like we’re stupid. That’s what we don’t like about Barry. That’s what we don’t like about Roger. That’s what we don’t like about Rafael. That’s what we don’t like about you.

So do yourself a favor. Stop acting indignant and making a federal case out of it. Just take your lumps, take your suspension, collect the millions more you’re still going to make, and stop paying the lawyers. Take out a full page ad in the Daily News with your picture that just says, “My bad.”

The post A Little Advice for A-Rod appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz  has decided to reduce Alex Rodriguez‘s suspension to 162 regular season games as well as the entire postseason, costing the disgraced Yankees star the majority of his $25 million salary for the 2014 season.

Horowitz’s decision to not uphold the full 211-game ban that came down in August was expected, however the ruling to ban Rodriguez for the entirety of next season remains as the largest performance enhancing drugs-related suspension in baseball history.

In a lengthy statement, Rodriguez stated that he intends to continue to fight the ban by seeking an injunction from a federal court.

“The number of games sadly comes as no surprise, as the deck has been stacked against me from day one. This is one man’s decision, that was not put before a fair and impartial jury, does not involve me having failed a single drug test, is at odds with the facts and is inconsistent with the terms of the Joint Drug Agreement and the Basic Agreement, and relies on testimony and documents that would never have been allowed in any court in the United States because they are false and wholly unreliable.”

“This injustice is MLB’s first step toward abolishing guaranteed contracts in the 2016 bargaining round, instituting lifetime bans for single violations of drug policy, and further insulating its corrupt investigative program from any variety defense by accused players, or any variety of objective review.”

“I have been clear that I did not use performance enhancing substances as alleged in the notice of discipline, or violate the Basic Agreement or the Joint Drug Agreement in any manner, and in order to prove it I will take this fight to federal court,” he said. “I am confident that when a Federal Judge reviews the entirety of the record, the hearsay testimony of a criminal whose own records demonstrate that he dealt drugs to minors, and the lack of credible evidence put forth by MLB, that the judge will find that the panel blatantly disregarded the law and facts, and will overturn the suspension.”

“No player should have to go through what I have been dealing with, and I am exhausting all options to ensure not only that I get justice, but that players’ contracts and rights are protected through the next round of bargaining, and that the MLB investigation and arbitration process cannot be used against others in the future the way it is currently being used to unjustly punish me.”

“I will continue to work hard to get back on the field and help the Yankees achieve the ultimate goal of winning another championship. I want to sincerely thank my family, all of my friends, and of course the fans and many of my fellow MLB players for the incredible support I received throughout this entire ordeal.”

The MLB Players’ Association released a statement saying they disagree with the decision but respect the process.

“The MLBPA strongly disagrees with the award issued today in the grievance of Alex Rodriguez, even despite the Arbitration Panel’s decision to reduce the duration of Mr. Rodriguez’s unprecedented 211-game suspension. We recognize that a final and binding decision has been reached, however, and we respect the collectively-bargained arbitration process which led to the decision. In accordance with the confidentiality provisions of the JDA, the Association will make no further comment regarding the decision.”

Fifteen players in all were suspended for connections to the Biogenesis scandal including Rodriguez. Twelve received 50-game bans, one received 100-games and Ryan Braun was slapped with a 65-game suspension. Rodriguez was the only player to appeal.

ESPN’s Wallace Matthews reports that even though Rodriguez is not allowed to play in 2014, he still plans to attend Spring Training and believes the Yankees can’t stop him from doing so.

The post A-Rod Suspended For 2014 Season, Plans To Appeal appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

I just finished reading the full transcript of what Ryan Braun said in his press conference with reporters this morning. A media session that lasted 30 minutes and yielded anything of substance. You can read the full Q&A here, but don’t expect much in the way of answers to the questions that were posed to him.

Why did you lie?

“Obviously I’ve been through a lot and as I expressed in my statement that I felt was pretty lengthy and specific, I got into a lot of details at that point. I’m not really going to go into any further details. I’m deeply remorseful about what happened. I wish I had the ability to go back and change things and do things a lot differently, but unfortunately I can’t do that. All I can do is move on and try to do everything in my power to earn back peoples’ trust and respect and support. I don’t anticipate being able to earn back everybody’s support, but I certainly intend to do everything in my power to do that and I won’t stop trying.”

What was worse in your opinion, using PEDs or lying about it after the fact?

“As I’ve stated, the goal for me is just being able to move forward. I’m not going to get into too many specifics about what happened other than saying I’m extremely remorseful. I wish that I could go back and change things but I don’t have that opportunity to do that, so I’m just going to do everything in my power to move forward.”

Have you apologized to Dino Laurenzi, Jr., or made any payments to him?

“I have not made any payments to him. I’ve had some really productive and positive conversations with him. The Laurenzi family was actually gracious and kind enough to have my fiancée Larisa and I over to their house for dinner last night, and we had some really good conversation. We’ve made amends and I think we’re both excited to be able to move forward and put this behind us.”

Knowing you got away with a positive test, why did you have that news conference in Maryvale where you lied and essentially threw Laurenzi under the bus?

“I’m not really, again, going to get into too many specifics. I wish that I hadn’t done the press conference. It was a big mistake. I deeply regret having done it, and a lot of the things that I said that day. But again, all I can do is move forward, and in an effort to do that I’m not going to get into too many specifics. I really don’t think that it does anything too positive or productive for me, the team, the game of baseball or anybody else. And in an effort to move forward, I’m not going to discuss that subject.”

Why have you waited so long to come forward and talk?

“I’ve actually been in town a few times. I don’t do the Twitter or Facebook or any of that stuff to alert anybody that I’m here. I think today was just kind of an opportunity that we understood there would be some media here, so I wanted the opportunity to speak to you guys. It wasn’t about waiting or anything like that. Like I said, I’ve been here a few times. I think this is the first time that everybody’s been aware that I’m here.”

That’s understood. But when suspensions were handed out, other players spoke and had news conferences. You didn’t. Why did it take you this long to come forward?

“I think because it was an ongoing investigation I wasn’t allowed to say very much at that time. Basically based on what I had learned from both Major League Baseball and the Players Association it wasn’t in anybody’s best interest for me to make any statements at that time.”

What was the injury that you referred to in the statement?
“Again, I’m not going to get into the specifics and continue to go backward. I’m moving forward and I’m not going to get into too many specifics on that.”

Don’t you think you owe everybody to talk about the specifics?

“Yeah, I completely understand where you guys are coming from and a part of your job is to ask those questions, but I hope that you guys can understand and respect that in an effort to move forward that I’m just not going to continue to discuss that stuff.”

What about the 2011 NL MVP award? Does this revelation invalidate that award?

“Like I said, I’m continuing to move forward. I think that’s all I can do. I’m not going to go back and discuss the things that have happened in the past. In an effort to do that, I’m not going to discuss that.”

The Brewers gave you that huge contract extension in 2011. Will you now take a pay cut?

“The Brewers have been incredibly supportive, the entire organization. My teammates, everyone has been incredibly supportive. I can’t thank Mark Attanasio enough for his support. I fully intend to do everything in my power to be the best player and person that I can be moving forward.”

Two years ago you said you thought the drug testing policy was fatally flawed. Do you still feel that way now?

“Like I said, I greatly regret having done that press conference at all. My opinion on a lot of those things has definitely changed.”

What would you say to Robin Yount?

“Robin and I have had a great relationship. I enjoy my conversations with him and I don’t think that our relationship would change much.”

Did you apologize to him?

“I look forward to seeing him. I think I’ll definitely see him in spring training, I think he’s out in Arizona quite often. I look forward to having some conversations with him.”

… Thank goodness those Braun to the Mets trade rumors were BS…. Don’t think I could handle another drama queen in Queens… Especially a liar and a cheat…

Read all of it here.

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