The Mets beat the Cubs today at Citi Field 3-1.
Why the Mets won:
Dillon Gee was dominant. He tossed eight innings and allowed just one run on seven hits. He also didn’t walk a single batter.
Why the Cubs lost:
The Cubs aren’t dangerous offensively, as they showed today.. That’s why they are a last place team.
Discussion Points:
- Ike Davis hit another home run today. Is he developing into a true slugger or what?
- Jordany Valdespin hit a home run for the second consecutive day in the second inning. Valdespin has shown some pop since coming to queens, hitting four homers in less than 75 at-bats.
- Bobby Parnell threw a scoreless ninth inning to record his second save of the season. Although it was a pretty close call, he came through, thanks to that sensational catch by Ruben Tejada. What a great catch.
12 comments
srt
7/7/2012-6:58pm at 6:58 pm (UTC -4)
Great outing by Gee. Gotta love the nerves of Dillon.
Love the fact that we’re now scoring some runs via the long ball, as opposed to earlier this season where it more or less was mostly small ball. If Ike can get a little more consistent with the power, it’ll go a long way. Just need Duda to to catch up now.
Spin trying to make it hard to send him down.
Parnell is almost a completely different pitcher than last year.
Ruben is making me miss Jose less and less.
We won’t be swept. Now let’s take the series tomorrow.
Stick
7/7/2012-7:09pm at 7:09 pm (UTC -4)
agreed about needing to crush the cubs tomorrow to cruise into the break 8 over.
And hey, Duda hit his longball last night.
as to spin, I may have been a trifle hasty to write him off. But it will be hard to justify sending him down and keeping Omar, the mystery man, on the roster.
Ruben has been a revelation. Very “professional” player, and to use a cliche, plays much older than his age. and no, not missing jose that much, but it would be interesting to see Ruben at 2nd with Jose at SS. Still, hard to say that making the switch has cost them any wins this year.
Parnell does look like a whole different guy. I really don’t have a problem with him as the closer, and never bought into the whole “he had a couple changes and blew saves so he is too mentally weak to ever be a closer” BS.
srt
7/7/2012-7:20pm at 7:20 pm (UTC -4)
Yup on Duda. Just like to see a little more consistency. Although unlike Ike, if Duda doesn’t get a pitch to hit, he’ll take the walk. He’s got to be leading the Mets in walks at this point.
Agree. Cannot see sending Spin down for the sake of Q. I know Q is depth at SS and there’s a chance we loose him to waivers. He’s not really playing up here right now though so sitting on the bench isn’t doing the team any good.
Stick
7/7/2012-7:40pm at 7:40 pm (UTC -4)
Cedeno is the primary back up. and in a pinch turner and spin can play there.
and if they need someone more permanent, that rodriquez guy at AAA is having a fine season.
and hell, you can always find a decent glove, not much hit SS on the scrap heap to fill in. After all, where do you think they found Q?
and besides, not that sure he would be claimed at this point.
Hazmet
7/7/2012-8:29pm at 8:29 pm (UTC -4)
Both Ike & Duda have been hitting .217 since June 1st heading into the Cubs series. At least Ike provides some glove. Maybe it’s time to start talking about sending Duda down instead. Given so many were anxious to bail on Ike and he and dude have essentially equivalent numbers over the past 5 weeks why not raise the same discussion? What’s fair is fair. Spin in Left and Hairston in RF. And forget Q, where does dude fit when Baxter and Bay come back. Dude best get moving. The lone home run every few weeks ain’t gonna cut it.
Pot stirred.
Stick
7/7/2012-8:33pm at 8:33 pm (UTC -4)
Q has no purpose at all. He has to be the odd man out. Bay coming back will be the tipping point.
and not taking that other bait!
Hazmet
7/7/2012-10:36pm at 10:36 pm (UTC -4)
Well played. The notion that either should be sent down was and is ludicrous. Especially in a year that as well as we’ve done is about finding out what these young pieces are. Just thought I’d draw the comparison since so many have barked about Ike going down and discounting the presence of his glove. Well we’ve seen what Turner’s done at first and it ain’t pretty. He almost got Johan killed with the poor lead throw to first yesterday. Dude’s flown under the radar and his offense has been pretty much the same as Ike and Ike’s been atrocious so far this year. So for those who’ve wanted Ike sent down then the same assessment in RF should be in play. Reality for me is they’re both player’s in the early stages of their career and have nothing left to prove in MILB so they need to work out whatever issues they have in the bigs. Only difference at the position is there are soon to be outfield options and none really at first. I don’t want to see Duda in a platoon situation but he’s playing himself into one.
Mr North Jersey
7/7/2012-7:56pm at 7:56 pm (UTC -4)
Solid pitching effort from Gee. He did exactly what he should against a struggling offense like the Cubs. It makes you shake your head to think how these Cubs lit up Santana yesterday.
Spin making a case to keep him on the team and Nieuwenhuis better be careful cause when it comes to options he may find himself back in AAA if he doesn’t.
Look at Spin & Kirk’s last 46 and 45 at bats respectively including today’s game.
Valdespin last 46 at bats
6/3/2012 thru 7/7/2012
19/G, 8/GS, 46/AB, 15/H, 13/R, 5/2B, 1/3B, 3/HR, 11/RBI, 1/BB, 8/SO, .326/BA
Nieuwenhuis last 45 at bats
6/16/2012 thru 7/7/2012
15/G, 11/GS, 45/AB, 6/H, 1/R, 1/2B, 0/3B, 1/HR, 1/RBI, 3/BB, 23/SO, .133/BA
What can be said that hasn’t been said about Mr. Tejada? Great catch in the 9th and another 2 hit game.
Ike with another HR as well. Good signs as the Mets head into the 2nd half.
Now with Niese on the hill 2morrow with reports that Dickey is available out of the pen as the Mets try to go to the break 8 games above .500.
LGM!
Stick
7/7/2012-8:32pm at 8:32 pm (UTC -4)
neither one of those guys knows what a walk is, do they?
Stick
7/8/2012-12:23am at 12:23 am (UTC -4)
I know it makes me a “bad” fan, since it is worse really for the mets right now, but I take a huge amount of satisfaction out of seeing the Phils lose, even though it means the Braves are staying closer.
Miami losing to a central team goes without saying as a wonderful thing too. And they are really going to miss Stanton.
It really is amazing that a team that won 102 games last year is now in last, 14 GB, and a full 5 out of 4th place in the division. Wonderful of course, but still a shocker.
and for all the talk of needing their big stars back, they are now 1-9 (or 1-10) since Utley came back, and 0-2 with Howard!
gategem
7/8/2012-2:50am at 2:50 am (UTC -4)
Actually your obsession with the Phillies does make you a bad Mets fan. It seems that its more important that the Phillies lose than the Mets win a WC position. While I dislike the Yankees I rooted for them to beat the other NL teams they played other than the Mets. And right now with Washington having a six game advantage in the all important loss column my thoughts are on the Mets making the WC. Thus they are now competing against all the teams in the NL that have a chance to make the WC. It could come down to the Phillies beating another team for the Mets to make the WC. If that were to happen would you root for the Phillies to lose and the Mets to miss a WC spot?
Stick
7/8/2012-8:51am at 8:51 am (UTC -4)
of course not. But right now, every team is in it. And I would not count the Phils out until they are mathematically eliminated. This early, they probably still were as much of a threat as the braves. And very scary if they finally got on a little role, and their heads out of their arses.
The Braves IMO are as good as they are going to get, and won’t last as a threat. So take this as an opportunity to cross 1 team off the list of viable contenders. And that is a good thing.
and if this weekend had been the phils playing a team ahead of the Mets (meaning only the Nats) then yes, I would have been rooting for philly (well, not technically, but preferring that the Nats lose really ugly games).