Continue reading »]]> Last time I did this I said Ike Davis & Lucas Duda were going in opposite directions due to Ike getting off to a nice start in May hitting .300/BA over the 1st 7 days of the month. I guess Ike must of decided to keep Duda company cause over the last 7 games he is now hitting (and I use the term loosely) .038/BA.

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Continue reading »]]> Each of the Mets Milb affiliates starting pitching reached at least 200/IP on the season last night thanks to Jenrry Mejia and Matt Fox. Among the 4 affiliates Savannah starters have posted the best ERA (2.96), BB/9 (1.5), and SO/BB (5.32). Las Vegas starters not to much surprise have the highest H/9 (10.7).

Starters this season like, Rainy Lara, Steven Matz, Noah Syndergaard, Matthew Bowman, Rafael Montero, Cory Mazzoni and Zack Wheeler to name a few have gotten off to good starts. Lets hope they continue to perform well the rest of the season.

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Continue reading »]]> No quick quips, here was last night on the farm:

Las Vegas 7, Omaha 3

Matt Fox got a win in his Mets debut, going 5 innings, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits with no walks and 6 strikeouts.  Armando Rodriguez threw 2 scoreless innings to bring his ERA down to 3.79.  Gonzalez Germen and Josh Edgin each threw a scoreless innings; Edgin walked 1 and struck out 3.  Josh Satin, Andrew Brown, and Wilmer Flores had 2 hits each.  Satin, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, and Landon Powell all homered.  Brown and Jamie Hoffman doubled.

Binghamton 6, Portland 3

Erik Goeddel gave up 3 runs in 6 innings of work, with 1 walk and 6 strikeouts.  John Church threw 2 shutout innings and got the win, and Jeff Walters struck out the side to earn his 11^th save of the year.  Cesar Puello, Allan Dykstra, and Alonzo Harris had 2 hits each.  Puello doubled and drove in 2.  Puello, Dykstra, Danny Muno and Cory Vaughn all doubled.

Bradenton 5, St. Lucie 4

Jenrry Mejia made his return to the mound, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits over 3 innings, with 3 walks and 6 strikeouts.  Jim Fuller gave up 1 run in 3 innings and Chasen Bradford gave up 1 run in 2 innings of work.  Dustin Lawley and Aderlin Rodriguez each homered.  Lawley and T.J. Rivera had 2 hits each.

Augusta 11 Savannah 0

This game was as ugly as it gets, as the Gnats had just 1 hit and committed 3 errors.  Robert Gsellman gave up 7 runs (2 earned) in 4.2 inings.  Julian Hilario gave up 3 runs in 2 innings of work.  Yucary De La Cruz had the lone Savannah hit, which led off the game.  Other than 3 walks, that was the only offense for Savannah.

Continue reading »]]> Last night on the farm, runs were hard to come by down in A-ball with some dominating pitching outings by Mets starters; meanwhile, Vegas kicked off an east coast road trip in Omaha (east cost by PCL standards anyway).  Let’s get to it:

Omaha 5, Las Vegas 4

D.J. Mitchell took the loss after giving up 4 runs on 10 hits in 5 innings.  Gonzalez Germen threw 2 scoreless and hitless innings, striking out 2, and Josh Edgin gave up a run in his 1 inning of work, which ended up being the difference in the game.  Kirk Nieuwenhuis returned to the lineup, going 1 for 6 with 2 strikeouts.  Josh Satin, Andrew Brown, and Zach Lutz all had 2 hits each.  Eric Campbell was 3 for 3 with 2 RBI’s.  Wilmer Flores was 1 for 5 with 2 RBI’s.

Brevard County 3, St. Lucie 2

Noah Syndergaard was on top of his game, giving up 2 runs on 7 hits over 6.2 innings, doing so with no walks and 10 strikeouts.  Unfortunately, the bullpen let the game get away in the bottom of the 9^th.  Rylan Sandoval had 2 hits, including a double and 2 RBI’s.  T.J. Rivera and Gilbert Gomez each doubled.

Savannah 6, Augusta 0 (11 innings)

This game was scoreless until the Gnats put up a 6-spot in the top of the 11^th to break a 4 game skid and pull within a half game of first place in the SAL Southern Division.  Rainy Lara threw 8 scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits and 1 walk while striking out 9.  In his last 4 starts, Lara has gone 7 innings or longer and given up a total of 3 runs (1 earned). WOW!  Also, 32 strikeouts and 2 walks over those 4 games. WOW AGAIN!  Bret Mitchell struck out 3 in 2 scoreless innings to get the win and Beck Wheeler threw a scoreless frame in the 11^th in a non-save situation.  Jayce Boyd was 2 for 4 with a walk.  Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 3 wit 2 walks.  Eudy Pina tripled for the only extra-base hit of the game.  Maikis De La Cruz had a pinch-hit single, driving in 2 runs.  Of the 6 runs scored, only 2 were earned.

Continue reading »]]> Last night on the farm, a grand slam carried one team to victory while the other two continued to slump:

Binghamton 9, Akron 4

Jacob deGrom picked up his first AA win, pitching 7 innings, and allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 8 hits with 1 walk and 8 strikeouts.  Adam Kolarek and John Church each threw a scoreless inning of relief.  Defensively, the B-Mets committed 4 errors.  Offensively, Cory Vaughn hit a grand slam as part of a 6-run 5^th inning.  It was the 5^th homer of the year for Vaughn, who was the DH, as he’s still coming back from an arm injury.  Cesar Puello was 3 for 5 with a double and 3 RBI’s.  Allan Dykstra and Alonzo Harris each doubled; Harris has been moved out of the leadoff spot and down to 8^th in the order, as his line is down to .230/.283/.349.  Josh Rodriguez and Wilfredo Tovar had 2 hits each.

Brevard County 4, St. Lucie 3

Alex Panteliodis took the loss after allowing 4 runs (2 earned) in 6 innings, with no walks and 6 strikeouts.  Aderlin Rodriguez was 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI.  Cam Maron also had a double and an RBI.

Charleston 6, Savannah 3

Steven Matz had his first rough outing of the season, allowing 5 runs (4 earned) on 7 hits and 3 walks with 5 strikeouts in 4.1 innings.  Matz also committed a throwing error and picked a runner off 1^st.  The bullpen did well, but the Gnats bats couldn’t get back in the game.  Jayce Boyd was 2 for 4 with 2 doubles.  Greg Pron also had 2 hits, including a double.  Eudy Pina doubled and drove in 2 runs.  Kevin Plawecki was 1 for 4.

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Dillon Gee has changed his arm angle this season

It’s no secret that Dillon Gee has struggled so far this season, but it appears even Gee can’t figure out why. I was really hoping Ron Darling would be calling last nights game as I thought he brought up a great point during his last start. He showed a still image of Gee’s release point last year compared to this year and he has clearly dropped his arm angle down this year compared to last.

Although Gee has never been one to throw right over the top, a slight chance in any pitchers release point can cause problems. I first noticed in a spring training start that he appeared to be throwing from a lower angle but didn’t give it all that much thought. The more starts he threw the more apparent this became to me that this may be a part of Gee’s struggles. When you drop your arm angle down in such a way you will begin to gain different movement than he once had. Gee’s pitches have always had a dip allowing him to get a lot of ground ball outs. But this year his ball doesn’t seem to have that same drop and tends to have more of a lateral movement which could be caused by his new release point.

Gee has also been struggling with his fastball as he barely touches 90 mph throughout the course of a game now. Despite his decrease in velocity, he has not taken much off of his change-up to compensate. Without a significant speed difference on the two pitches hitters will continue to square up on the ball. Between his lose in velocity and the change in his arm angle I hope this is simply a mechanics issue and not any arm issues hindering that sometimes cause pitchers to make these changes. That is not to say Gee is hurt, just a thought that comes to my mind when I notice this in pitchers.

I don’t consider myself to be an expert on pitching mechanics, but I do believe that Ron Darling is. When this is something that Darling points out during a broadcast and even I notice at home watching the game, why can’t Dan Warthen and Dillon Gee?  Now, I don’t think this would solve all of his problems, but I do believe this would be a start in the right direction.

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Terry Collins didn't do himself any favors by calling out the fans

Terry Collins is not helping his cause by calling out the fans. The Mets are off to an awful start and Collins is sitting in a lame duck coaching position. I don’t want to put the entire blame on the shoulders of Collins because frankly, this just isn’t a good team and wasn’t expected to be one.

More and more I feel that Terry has reached his boiling point as it has to be frustrating realizing that he simply cannot win with this team. The Mets keep finding ways to lose and the players are not even playing up to the little expectations they had. It is a pretty safe assumption to make that Collins will be the fall guy, right or wrong, at year’s end.

He has never had a chance to coach a competitive team with the Mets but he has also been unable to get the most out of what he has had to work with. I think overall the fan base has been kind to Collins, hoping he is given a chance to continue to coach this team as they rebuild. But his recent remarks have surely lost him supporters now. This is what he said after being asked once again about the situation involving Jordanny Valdespin and his support, or lack of, by Collins and his teammates:

“I don’t answer to fans,” said Collins, “They don’t play this game. They have no idea what goes on. They have no idea what goes on in there. They have absolutely no idea what it means to be a professional teammate at this level.”

You have to realize how angry and disappointed Mets fans have been for the last several years now. The last thing we need to be hearing is that our own manager is calling us out now. As if we weren’t dealing with enough having to watch this pathetic early season performance, now we have to the managers telling us we don’t understand the game.

Personally, I don’t take his remarks to heart. I realize he was probably caught up in the moment and his frustration got the best of him, but it is never okay to question the intelligence of your fan base. When the team is playing as poorly as they are you have to realize these type of stories simply don’t go away. Even if this wasn’t what he truly meant by his comments, it won’t matter, the damage is done already and many won’t buy into any apology Collins and the Mets come up with.

A crucial part to being a manager in New York is the ability to handle the media. I would say Collins has fared well in this department, never really making headlines for the wrong reasons. We have all heard of Collins history with Houston and Anaheim, where he was known to lose his cool from time to time. For the most part he seems to have put that behind him and has controlled himself with the Mets, but these latest comments sound like something from his past.

He will not be brought back next season because of the results on the field, that’s for sure, and without any real support from the fan base to go with it, it could very well just be Terry’s time to go.

Continue reading »]]> Last night on the farm there were some real good pitching performances, including a 1-hitter.  Let’s take a look:

Albuquerque 8, Las Vegas 5

Chris Schwinden took the loss, giving up 5 runs in 5 innings.  Greg Peavey gave up 2 more runs in 2 innings.  Armando Rodriguez threw a scoreless inning; he has the lowest ERA on the team outside Zack Wheeler and Collin McHugh at 4.24, just in case the Mets need a reliever.  Zach Lutz was 3 for 4 with an RBI.  Eric Campbell had 2 hits.  Reese Havens started at second base and went 0 for 3 before Wilmer Flores pinch hit for him and went 1 for 2 with a double and an RBI.  Kirk Niuewenhuis did not play after leaving the previous game after getting hit on the knee.

Binghamton 7, Akron 3

The B-Mets scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 8^th to break a 3-3 tie and get the win.  Logan Verrett got the no decision after giving up 3 runs on 5 hits in 7 innings, walking 3 and striking out 5.  Jack Leathersich got the win after pitching 2 shutout innings, giving up 1 hit and no walks while striking out 4.  Danny Muno doubled and drove in 2 runs.  Cory Vaughn was 2 for 4 with an RBI and 2 runs scored.  Wilfredo Tovar also had 2 hits and an RBI.  Blake Forsythe doubled.

St. Lucie 4, Brevard County 0

Matthew Bowman was impressive, to say the least, giving up 1 hit and 1 walk over 7 shutout innings, while striking out 9.  T.J. Chism struck out 3 in 2 hitless innings, as he and Bowman combined for the 1-hitter.  T.J. River and Brandon Hicks had 2 hits each.  Hicks, Matt Reynolds, and Dustin Lawley each doubled.

Charleston 3, Savannah 2

Beck Wheeler gave up a sac fly in the bottom of the 9^th, as Charleston won in walk-off fashion.  Gabriel Ynoa started and let up 2 runs on 6 hits over 6.1 innings, with 1 walk and 6 strikeouts.  Maikis De La Cruz was 2 for 5 and is hitting .391 after replacing Brandon Nimmo on the roster.  Cole Frenzel had 2 hits and 2 RBI’s.  Jeff Reynolds had 2 hits, including a double.  Kevin Plawecki, as the designated hitter, was 1 for 4 with a triple, a walk, and a strikeout.  Jayce Boyd had the day off.

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God, I have a question and I would like to know if you could give me answer.  Believe me, I’ll take any sign you give.

No, it’s not the meaning of life. Or if there is life after death.  Or who killed JFK.

God, what did I do to deserve this torture from the team I love so much?

Did I do something?  Did I  run over the Pope with a chariot or something? Or perhaps I said the Lords Name in vain several thousand times last season( or the season before that and the one before that and so on, and so on….) Because there has to be a reason why I’m being put through so much agony.  Perhaps years ago, (so many years ago) Fred Wilpon sold his soul to the Devil and since it was collected we are all doomed.

I think Bobby Valentine said it and I must quote or at least paraphrase him on this  “Your never as bad as you think during a losing streak.”  So you know as well as I do that sometime, somewhere, this is all going to end.  However, with Valentines statement being said…does that apply to winning too?

I have no solution.  But I do have this to offer and for those of you out there reading this….Maybe you can lend some insight.

Don’t fire anyone……at this point you really put the blame on a single person.  Don’t bring up Wheeler,( not that you could because at the moment this post is being written he is getting an MRI on some part of his arm).  Leave the team alone and let them work it out.

You know what, I know what the plan is…I just figured it out.  This is a test right?  Yea, one of  those things you do to test the loyalty of the fans.  You take a fan base and make them watch them begin their second worst start in franchise history and then you sit back and see who jumps ship.

Well, I’m not and I’m sure other fans aren’t either.

In my opinion, this was going to happen anyway…the “wheels falling off” so to speak. The problem, I think, is the painful realization that I(or maybe we) expected this type of play later on in the season rather than in May.

Hey God, on second thought, hold on to any answer.

There’s another game on tonight…..and like all Met fans, I’ll be tuning in.  So don’t bother giving me a sign, I’ll be rooting for my team again so I probably wouldn’t see it anyway.