We're In Third Place Applesauce: Mets Beat Braves and Leapfrog Marlins, More Reyes Love, Cyclones Release Roster

by Steve Schreiber on Jun 15, 2011 9:35 AM EDT

The Mets visited the Turner House of Horrors in Atlanta for game one against the Braves on Tuesday evening and they came away with a 4-3 victory. Jon Niese was great again and they got yet another multi-hit game from Jose Reyes, as the offense managed to knock around ERA leader Jair Jurrjens for four runs. Carlos Beltran had two hits, a stolen base and a beautiful leaping catch up against the RF wall to selfishly rob Chipper Jones of extra bases. With the victory, the Mets "improved" to a woeful 40-80 at the Ted.

Tim Byrdak will be away from the team on Wednesday, but the Mets' LOOGY got two huge strikeouts to get out of a 7th inning jam. Jason Bay was out of the lineup on Tuesday and had some notable quotables with regards to the decision.

After the game, Willie Harris shared his thoughts on Jose Reyes. Harris may not be very good at baseball, but at least he's kind of funny.

The Braves played a little bush league baseball, allegedly making the infield extra wet in order to slow down Mets' runners (mainly Jose Reyes). Jose slipped a couple of times early on and the umpires made the Braves grounds crew toss Quick Dry on the infield, much to the chagrin of manager Fredi Gonzalez.

Justin Turner sat with a nagging thumb injury and likely will miss Wednesday's game, too. #Turnerissoft?

Carlos Beltran selfishly told the Mets that they should re-sign Jose Reyes. How dare he.....oh wait.

The Brooklyn Cyclones held their Media Day and released their preliminary opening day roster. They open against the SI Yankees on Friday night at 7:00, then play at home on Saturday night against the Yanks at 6:30.

The Mets Low-A SAL affiliate Savannah Sand Gnats clinched their second consecutive first half Southern Division championship with a 2-1 victory over the Rome Braves.

Around the NL East

The Mets picked up ground on the Marlins, as the Phillies beat up on the Fish 9-1. With the Marlins' loss, the Mets have taken sole possession of third place in the division. In case you were wondering, the basement dwelling Nationals beat the Cardinals 8-6.

Things weren't all rosy for the Phillies, as Cole Hamels left the game after seven innings with tightness in the middle of his back.

Marlins ace Josh Johnson looks like he's going to miss more time with his injury, meaning that the long awaited Phallic Battle Rematch between Johnson and R.A. Dickey will have to wait a bit longer.

Adam LaRoche will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery. An unfortunate break for the Nats.

Around the Majors

It's June, which means that it's time for scapegoats around the baseball world to be axed. Firings in Oakland, Florida and Texas started the party last week and there were more in the last two days as Houston and Baltimore joined in (okay, that last one was a resignation).

Meanwhile in rumorland, Angels' fans are clamoring for hitting coach Mickey Hatcher to be dismissed, though the team's failures likely are the fault of upper management (we're looking at you, Tony Reagins). Speaking of upper management failures, embattled Cubs GM Jim Hendry is also on the hot seat, along with first year manager Mike Quade. Finally, inept Astros GM Ed Wade is calling out his team for a "lack of consistency". I could do the same to Mr. Wade and call out the lack of talented players he acquires, but I won't do that.

Derek Jeter hit the DL with a grade one calf strain. If you've been living under a rock and haven't heard, the Captain is six hits away from 3,000 and now has a shot at reaching that magic number at Citi Field when the Yankees and Mets square off July 1-3. Is that such an awful thing for Mets fans?

Finally, Justin Verlander is a monster. Plain and simple. The Tigers ace threw a two-hit shutout and no-hit the Indians through 7.1 innings, the second time this season he's had a no-hitter broken up after at least six innings. He also threw a no-no earlier this season, the second of his career. Just imagine if the Tigers had passed on him in the 2004 draft and the Mets had drafted him 3rd overall instead of Phil Humber. The Indians loss also knocked them out of first place. You know what they say about regression.

This FanPost was contributed by a member of the community and was not subject to any vetting or approval process. It does not necessarily reflect the opinions, reasoning skills, or attention to grammar and usage rules held by the editors of this site.

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Comments

fathers day I am taking me pops

to our first cyclones game (and my first minor league game…).

I am embarresed to admit I dont know any of the names listed in that article you link to… who should i be on the lookout for?

I think it was Bobby V who said: "You are never as good as you are when you are at your best, and you are not as bad as when you are at your worst."

by gbaked on Jun 15, 2011 9:11 AM EDT reply actions

The roster isn't exactly inspiring

Muno is definitely worth a look, though. Javier Rodriguez was up in Savannah, but was struggling and then got hurt. Outside of that, not a whole lot of interesting guys.

the artist formerly known as TeufelCat
@jeffpaternostro

by Jeffrey Paternostro on Jun 15, 2011 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions

What are the chances Nimmo or Fulmer play this season?

And would they start in Brooklyn or perhaps take things slow and play in Kingsport or the GCL?

by Evan_S on Jun 15, 2011 11:40 AM EDT up reply actions

I guess it depends when they sign.

Once they do, they’ll almost certainly go to the GCL. I think it was DePo who suggested that Nimmo could possibly start 2012 in Savannah if he signs quickly this year and looks good in the GCL.

Chamption of the R.A. Dickey Face contest and "Cromulent Photoshopper Extraordinaire" of Amazin' Avenue!
Follow me on Twitter: @_mistermet

by Steve Schreiber on Jun 15, 2011 11:46 AM EDT up reply actions

My question was implicitly asking

What are the chances they sign this season? I want top prospects now, not several months from now!

by Evan_S on Jun 15, 2011 12:06 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Everyone has to sign by August 15th

Overslot guys like Nimmo and Fulmer tend to go right to the deadline, mostly because Bud Selig is an ass..

the artist formerly known as TeufelCat
@jeffpaternostro

by Jeffrey Paternostro on Jun 15, 2011 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions

Oh yeah, I forgot they changed that rule

Guys who sign at the deadline usually don’t play right, since the season ends at the end of August.

by Evan_S on Jun 15, 2011 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Yep

That’s what happened to Matt Harvey last year.

the artist formerly known as TeufelCat
@jeffpaternostro

by Jeffrey Paternostro on Jun 15, 2011 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions

nice

sounds like an ideal way to spend a father’s day.

as far as names to watch, there are a few but like jeff said, this year’s club won’t come close to matching the 2010 version. on the pitching side, lhp orlando tovar is a big 23-yr old lefty who quietly had a nice 2010 for kingsport. rhp eduardo aldama will get the opening day start so you may get tovar. the 21-yr old aldama is a guy who i’ve always liked but has struggled with injuries the last couple seasons; he can really jump if he stays healthy this season.

of the position players, for my money the best hitter/prospect on this club is 3b brian harrison and it’s not close. he posted a .900 OPS with 7 hrs in his time with brooklyn last season and he’s one of my biggest sleepers coming into this season. the issue for him is staying healthy but if he can look for him to have a very nice season for the cyclones.

as jeff mentioned ss danny muno was the mets 8th round pick this year and will likely endear himself to clones fans as a smart, gritty player who should replace rylan sandoval well. again, jeff pointed out of javier rodriguez who was disappointing in his brief look with savannah this spring however, he never actually got hurt, he was sent out as a result of poor play and a crowded OF. may be a make or break campaign for the ‘08 2nd rounder. of chase greene may be the most athletic player in this system but has been underwhelming since being drafted in the 16th round in ’09 due to inconsistency and injuries. this year’s 18th round selection of travis taijeron was a DII national player of the year candidate and looks like he will at the very least hit for solid power.

by Rob Castellano on Jun 15, 2011 11:02 AM EDT up reply actions

nice

sad to hear they wont be as awesome as last year, but its minor league baseball… so its more for the fun of the day then for the actual game…

looking forward to it. thanks for the help! (you too jeff!)

I think it was Bobby V who said: "You are never as good as you are when you are at your best, and you are not as bad as when you are at your worst."

by gbaked on Jun 15, 2011 11:29 AM EDT up reply actions

Thole

hey I believe in small victories

he has been doing a lot better lately, more of what I expected after last season

in his last 15 games he is 14-48 with 3 doubles, 8 RBIs, 4 BB, only
2 K, .292/.346/.354/.700 and has raised his AVG +.032 and his OPS + .071

lets hope this is what we get more of instead of the beginning of the season

Any task BIG or small, Do it well or not at all

by Rickfansince76 on Jun 15, 2011 9:54 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

a

I’d rather the Marlins have freaking won a game. I can wait for the Mets to pass that mediocre team in the standings, but the more losses for the stupid Phillies the better.

Also, my preseason pick of Verlander for Cy Young and Reyes for MVP don’t look too bad.

-Ceetar, the Optimistic Mets Fan

by Ceetar on Jun 15, 2011 10:14 AM EDT reply actions

How many people gave you crap for those picks at the time?

__________________________________________________
"He who gets the best players usually wins" - Bobby Bowden

by Russ on Jun 15, 2011 10:46 AM EDT up reply actions

Reyes won't get it even if he deserves it

because MVPs need to have 30 HR and 100 RBI

Verlander certainly has a good shot, especially if the Tigers make the post-season. The fact that he has amazing stuff helps him out I’d say, and hype over a no-no and other near no-no’s increase his chances even more. On the sabery-side he is on pace for a 7-8 win year.

by Shevshevy on Jun 15, 2011 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions

a little

but not really. made it in a less..trolly..setting.

I also picked those two to meet in the WS, which obviously is something I get more crap for.

-Ceetar, the Optimistic Mets Fan

by Ceetar on Jun 15, 2011 12:09 PM EDT up reply actions

So Brave fans have their panties in bunches over Reyes complaining about the infield

I love it when Brave fans act like pussies!

Freedom is a road seldom traveled by the multitudes...

by Major on Jun 15, 2011 11:08 AM EDT reply actions

So, you love every waking hour of every day?

The 2011 New York Mets: Limit the Damage

by CTRefJay on Jun 15, 2011 11:28 AM EDT up reply actions

You speak the truth sir

Freedom is a road seldom traveled by the multitudes...

by Major on Jun 15, 2011 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Reyes'

fangraphs numbers are becoming surreal.

by Kepler on Jun 15, 2011 12:24 PM EDT reply actions

Meh

Bautista has a much higher WAR, Reyes isn’t gonna set any records this season (seriously, he won’t even get 37 triples, what a bum). He wants to be the NL MVP, he’s had everything wrong with him, he won’t get it.

by Evan_S on Jun 15, 2011 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions

Fred Libs really works for every situation, doesn't it?

by anonymous on Jun 15, 2011 12:32 PM EDT up reply actions

It's a good tool

not a great tool.

by Kepler on Jun 15, 2011 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

This is a nice comment, a very good comment,

Not a superstar comment. You’re 65-70% of what you were anonymous.

by Evan_S on Jun 15, 2011 12:36 PM EDT up reply actions

I think I'm going to get "Meet the Met" recs

I’m not going to get it.

by anonymous on Jun 15, 2011 1:14 PM EDT up reply actions 7 recs

Reyes is closing in on Bautista's fWAR

It’s now 4.0 to 4.8.

__________________________________________________
"He who gets the best players usually wins" - Bobby Bowden

by Russ on Jun 15, 2011 1:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Soon Hosay will rule the world!!!

Irrational Mets fan known for memorable ranting and raving, when things inevitably go wrong.

by TKFJ on Jun 15, 2011 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions

damn right

I relish the rapidly approaching time when everyone will have to make the switch from seeing him as just an annoyance they have to cope with, to acknowledging that he’s one of the era’s really awesome baseball players.

by SuperT on Jun 15, 2011 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions

Also his really awesome hair

by Evan_S on Jun 15, 2011 1:39 PM EDT up reply actions

This.

Save Jenrry Mejia!
Keep Reyes, Trade Wilpon.

by Ogre39666 on Jun 15, 2011 2:23 PM EDT up reply actions

I think it's moved beyond the point of being just "hair".

I think it is it’s own life-form at this point, with a backstory, a family, a full time career and super powers. That’s how awesome Jose’s hair is.

Chamption of the R.A. Dickey Face contest and "Cromulent Photoshopper Extraordinaire" of Amazin' Avenue!
Follow me on Twitter: @_mistermet

by Steve Schreiber on Jun 15, 2011 4:04 PM EDT up reply actions

Agreed

Now it needs a name

by Evan_S on Jun 15, 2011 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Predator Head?

but for certain Biblical precedents, I’d say he should hit the garden shears.

by tmu on Jun 15, 2011 4:27 PM EDT up reply actions

marley special?

I hate Philadelphia so much.

by the caveman on Jun 15, 2011 4:40 PM EDT up reply actions

They aren't dreads.

They’re braids.

Save Jenrry Mejia!
Keep Reyes, Trade Wilpon.

by Ogre39666 on Jun 15, 2011 4:48 PM EDT up reply actions

a 10?

I hate Philadelphia so much.

by the caveman on Jun 15, 2011 5:01 PM EDT up reply actions

I thought they were really tight dreads

Either way, me want

by Evan_S on Jun 15, 2011 9:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Possible.

Save Jenrry Mejia!
Keep Reyes, Trade Wilpon.

by Ogre39666 on Jun 15, 2011 10:55 PM EDT up reply actions

I was thinking along the lines of

Dr. Hairy VonDreadsington but I’m not really sure if Jose’s hair should be a doctor or something more awesome.

Chamption of the R.A. Dickey Face contest and "Cromulent Photoshopper Extraordinaire" of Amazin' Avenue!
Follow me on Twitter: @_mistermet

by Steve Schreiber on Jun 15, 2011 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions

I know

It’s pretty amazing how spectacular a season Reyes is having

by Evan_S on Jun 15, 2011 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions

True.

I have been a huge Jose fan since the beginning, and even I couldn’t have predicted such a freaking eye-popping year. Jo-say jo-say jo-say jo-say!!!!

by BurleighGrimes on Jun 15, 2011 1:54 PM EDT up reply actions

Ha!

I just love how cocky the fan bases of our rivals get when they say they’ll just slap us around.

Attention Braves fans: If we suck so badly why did you have to alter your field in order to help you win? What the matter dont have any faith in your supposed ace? Just remember his 2 of 3 losses are to the Mets!

The Fish: If we can hold third place for at least a month, it will certain shut them up for awhile. Has anyone noticed that since ESPN started to kiss their ass at the beginning of the season they were screaming WS and declaring themselves a relevant player in the NL East.

Insert witty signature here

by BlueChill on Jun 15, 2011 12:30 PM EDT reply actions

Murph can't hit the lefties.

I would have pinch-hit for Murph w/ 2 on and 2 out in the eighth(?). Murph can’t hit the lefties and Bay could have used the confidence from his skipper. Bring Harris in from left to play third and leave Duda (who is just itchin’ to hit one out) at first. Just sayin’…

by kjboppster on Jun 15, 2011 1:41 PM EDT reply actions

Murph can hit the lefties

.338 wOBA against lefties
.344 wOBA against righties
http://www.fangraphs.com/statsplits.aspx?playerid=4316&position=1B/OF&season=2011#advanced

__________________________________________________
"He who gets the best players usually wins" - Bobby Bowden

by Russ on Jun 15, 2011 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs

But but but

he’s only got 5 RBIZ vs lefties. Obviously he’s not CLUTCH vs lefties. TRAID HEM!!!

Chamption of the R.A. Dickey Face contest and "Cromulent Photoshopper Extraordinaire" of Amazin' Avenue!
Follow me on Twitter: @_mistermet

by Steve Schreiber on Jun 15, 2011 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions

.006 worse against lefties

QED

by tmu on Jun 15, 2011 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions

you can't just say stuff without actually finding out if what you're saying is true

That’s what the MSM does.

by Mike Clemente on Jun 15, 2011 2:12 PM EDT up reply actions

True statements are false hustle

Hey, wait! I'm having one of those things. You know? A headache with pictures?

by KeithsMoustache on Jun 15, 2011 4:00 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

people have been saying for years that MVPs are in Jose's near future

I think he’s finally realizing that potential. It’s actually really cool to see.

by Mike Clemente on Jun 15, 2011 2:11 PM EDT reply actions

I always thought it was unfair the way people criticized Jose for not living up to his potential

He was a 5 win player and 6 win player twice when he was healthy. I think he’s either having a career year (which is most likely) or has legitimately gotten a lot better over the past two injury plagued seasons. Perhaps the time off allowed him to learn more about how to stay consistent at the plate and not get homer happy like appeared to do from time to time or maybe he’s locked in right now coupled with a little help from the BABIP goddess. It’s extremely unfair to say he’s just realized potential now, because as we can see, he’s practically the best player in baseball on pace for like a 9 WAR season, and expecting that to be the level someone plays at for multiple seasons is unfair to anyone, even a player like Pujols. As much as I love Jose as a player, I just think it’s unreasonable to expect these kind of results from him from now on. If he settles back into the player he was in 06-08, be happy that we have one of the best players in baseball, just not the best player.

by Evan_S on Jun 15, 2011 3:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Yes I agree

Before the injuries and Jose was around a .280/.350/.450 5 win player I was more than happy with that kind of production from our SS. He got a lot of attention for his stolen bases and triples but even without those he was still a very productive hitter. Whether this is a career year for Jose and he settles back into being that .280/.350/.450 hitter or he has reached a new plateau in his game and continues to put up monster numbers like he has this season he is an extremely valuable player. I’d prefer the latter but wouldn’t be dissapointed at all with the former. I’m just happy because at times the media and some fans were unjustly hard on Jose. Despite some not feeling he was living up to his potential, he was still a damn good baseball player.

by MatthewM11 on Jun 15, 2011 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions

I think this season is part Jose coming into his prime

and part him maturing a bit. Really, it’s a perfect storm of good things…he’s 28, which is typically thought to be one of the best seasons of the average major leaguer’s career. So he’s still got his outstanding reflexes, which have seemingly improved some with the crazy rate at which he’s making contact and then add onto that the fact that he says he’s not pressing as much, he’s not chasing bad pitches and he’s hitting pitches near the zone hard. To me, that shows maturity in his approach and maturity in knowing what he’s supposed to do at the plate. We used to get the Jose who’d get into those pop up ruts every few weeks but that Jose hasn’t shown up. He seems as if he’s sacrificed home runs to consistently hit line drives and hard grounders all over the field and that’s an excellent development if true.

In the end, let’s just hope this Jose can stick around another 5ish years if when we re-sign him this offseason.

Chamption of the R.A. Dickey Face contest and "Cromulent Photoshopper Extraordinaire" of Amazin' Avenue!
Follow me on Twitter: @_mistermet

by Steve Schreiber on Jun 15, 2011 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions

was at last nights game.

Trons catch was so sweet, and right in front of me. Always good to see the metropolitans make the trip worth while

I hate Philadelphia so much.

by the caveman on Jun 15, 2011 2:36 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

In an effort to lose several hundred brain cells

I ventured over to AJC Braves blog to find the mind numbing sentiment of the blog being the idea that Reyes purposefully wears plastic cleats to INJURE himself on purpose!!!!!!!!

Here’s some quotes from Bravesgirl4life;

Reyes is a punk and wore those plastic cleats to give himself something to gripe about. I can’t stand him. He’s always wearing that smug look on his face that I hate.

Reyes wouldn’t have footing issues if he would wear normal metal spikes like 99.9% of all major league baseball players.

One sane Braves fan replied;

bravesgrl4life, so he purposely wanted to slip and put himself in danger of being hurt months before he is about to cash in on his free agency?

Bravesgirl returned with this beauty, sparking a Reyes did it on purpose debate;

Whether he was intentionally trying to get hurt or not, I don’t know. But lets face it, he was wearing inferior cleats and always finds something to complain about.

"bravesgirl4life"– Good observations about Reyes, and yes, he has an arrogance about him which, yes, is despicable (same for all arrogance). That type of thing isn’t uncommon in New York. Turner Field has a lot of obnoxiousness, though, which is just as bad.

John Rocker’s response to the NY crowd was nice.

They even compared our hero to LeBron James because Reyes apparently plays arrogant baseball;

For those of you that hate Reyes’ arrogance I would say that arrogance and conceit and irrational confidence are all components of what makes an athlete great. The odds are against you and the competition is stiff and it is easy to start doubting yourself, especially in a game where failure is so common.

I dont agree with all of it. Confidence yes. Self belief, high motication ,yes. Doesnt have to be irrational or arrogant. There have been plenty of sportstars who have achieved great things without rubbing other people’s nose into it. Please dont tell me that everyone has to be like Reyes or Lebron to achieve success.

And they wonder why some people think southerners are stupid hillbillies.

Freedom is a road seldom traveled by the multitudes...

by Major on Jun 15, 2011 4:28 PM EDT reply actions

I find it funny that the whole reason he wears plastic cleats is that he feels it lessens the chances of injury.

Save Jenrry Mejia!
Keep Reyes, Trade Wilpon.

by Ogre39666 on Jun 15, 2011 4:36 PM EDT up reply actions

Con't

and yet they think for some reason, that he wears them to get hurt.

Save Jenrry Mejia!
Keep Reyes, Trade Wilpon.

by Ogre39666 on Jun 15, 2011 4:37 PM EDT up reply actions

It’s the notion that the braves, who once made Turner Fields batters boxes smaller so hitters could be closer to the plate, are an angelic organization that can do no wrong so it must be that Reyes is an arrogant, complainer who is out to injure himself and blame the braves for it.

Freedom is a road seldom traveled by the multitudes...

by Major on Jun 15, 2011 4:49 PM EDT up reply actions