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Recap: Mets flail, Bruce wails

2013-05-21T03:15:05Z

Hush. If you are quiet enough, you can hear, even at this late hour, the gentle rush of a Mets batter striking out.

Shaun Marcum took the hill tonight for the Mets and started off swimmingly by walking Shin-Soo Choo. One out later, Joey Votto banged one right off of the first base bag. The ball ricocheted into right field and Marlon Byrd appeared to throw out Votto by a mile as he tried to stretch his hit into a double. However, Ike Davis was called for interference because he stood right in front of first base as Votto tried to round the bag.

This mental cramp set the stage for a Brandon Phillips bloop single into shallow right to score both runners, followed by a long double in the right-center gap by Jay Bruce to score Phillips. Marcum did seem to get a grip on things after his disastrous first, however, retiring the Reds in order in the second and third while tallying a few strikeouts, including an impressive K of Votto in the latter frame.

Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto made his first start in five weeks, and it looked every bit of that as he walked four batters in the first three innings. Per usual, it took a while for the Mets to take advantage of him, and the advantage take would be brief.

The Mets managed to load the bases in the bottom of the first against Kung Fu Cueto, thanks to a one-out walk by Rick Ankiel (yes, that Rick Ankiel), a single by Lucas Duda, and a two-out walk from Byrd. That brought Ike to the plate with a chance at redemption, but though he hit the ball hard up the middle, Phillips smothered it and got back on his feet in plenty of time to throw out the slow-footed runner. Horseshoes and hand grenades, as they say. In the second, John Buck worked a leadoff walk, but the next three batters could not move him off first.

The Mets finally made Cueto pay in the third. Ankiel got things started with a single, and Wright received a free pass, already Cueto's fourth of the night. One out later, Byrd turned on the first pitch he saw and deposited it in the left field seats for a three-run homer.

With things evened up, Marcum cruised in the fourth, notching two more Ks. But the fifth started poorly when Cueto batted for himself and reached Marcum for a single despite his rep as one of the worst hitting pitchers since the days of Al Leiter. Choo then hit ball in the hole between first and second, and Daniel Murphy attempted to get the force on the lead runner, to no avail. That put two on and no out for the heart of the Reds' order, but somehow Marcum got Cesar Izturis to pop out, Votto to ground out to first, and Phillips to fly to right to escape danger.

Marcum was not so fortunate in the sixth, as Bruce jumped on the first pitch of the inning and sent it into the Chase Utley Memorial Corner in right field, putting the Reds back on top. Cueto, meanwhile, pushed himself after Byrd's homer and barreled through the Mets' bats, setting them down in order in the fourth and fifth. Reliever Jay Ondrusek picked up where he left off by pitching a 1-2-3 sixth.

LaTroy Hawkins took Marcum's place in the seventh, and he Hawkinsed it up by loading the bases on a walk, an intentional walk of Votto, and hitting Phillips with a pitch. (The Mets argued with ball only hit the knob of Phillips' bat, but their protests fell on deaf ears.) That brought up Bruce with a chance to do some serious damage, but somehow Hawkins struck out Bruce on a slider in the dirt to end the threat. On his way off the mound, Hawkins barked at home plate umpire Tom Hallion for his erratic strike zone and was thrown out of the game. Terry Collins rushed to Hawkins' defense and also got the boot.

Brandon Lyon replaced the ejected Hawkins in the top of the eighth, and allowed a two-out single but nothing else. Greg Burke had the mound for the ninth, and he too negotiated around a two-out hit, thanks in large part to a fine play by Murphy on a ball up the middle.

However, these relief efforts were not equaled by the lineup. After Bruce's go-head dinger, J.J. Hoover took the hill in the bottom of the sixth and gave up a one-out single to pinch hitter Justin Turner. Lefty Sean Marshall came on to face Murphy, and Turner advanced to second when Marshall bounced a pitch in the dirt to put the tying run in scoring position. Murphy struck out, however, and Ankiel ground out to second, stranding Turner. Ankiel had been ahead in the count, but swung 3-0, because Ankiel gonna Ankiel.

Jonathan Broxton, looking in fine shape in the bottom of the eighth (block shape, per usual), permitted Duda to flare a one-out hit into shallow left, but retired the next two with no further trouble, including pinch hitter Jordany Valdespin,

Cincinnati's closer Aroldis Chapman was fresh off blowing his last two saves in crushing fashion. But Mets batters are good for what ails a pitcher, and Chapman blew everything past the hitters he faced in the ninth. His strikeout of Justin Turner to end the game was the 14th Mets K of the evening. They are probably still swinging and missing right now, in the clubhouse, in their kitchens, lying in bed. Forever there will be a Mets batter swinging, as eternal as tomorrow.

SB Nation Coverage

* Boxscore
* Amazin' Avenue Gamethread
* Reds Reporter Gamethread

Win Probability Added

(What's this?)

Big winners: Marlon Byrd, +18.8%, Justin Turner, +5.2%
Big losers: Shaun Marcum, -21.5%, Daniel Murphy, -13.5%
Teh aw3s0mest play: Marlon Byrd three-run homer, bottom fourth, +27.5%
Teh sux0rest play: Jay Bruce home run, top sixth, -17.7%
Total pitcher WPA: -9.1%
Total batter WPA: -40.9%
GWRBI!: Jay Bruce solo shot, top sixth

Reds 4, Mets 3: G'day, Bruce

2013-05-21T02:45:33Z

Shaun Marcum started things off with a bang, ceding three runs to the Reds in the top of the first, with some help from a weird interference call on Ike Davis. The Mets pulled even in the third on a three-run blast from Marlon Byrd, and the game remained tied until the top of the sixth, when Jay Bruce belted the first pitch he saw into the right field seats. After Byrd's homer, the Mets did virtually nothing against Cueto and those who succeeded him, looking particularly bad when facing Cincinnati's flamethrowing closer, Aroldis Chapman. The Reds prevailed 4-3 to take the series opener.

Full recap to come.

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by MetsFan4Decades; your effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

#	Commenter	# Comments
1	MetsFan4Decades	142
2	robotoverlord	84
3	omegasupreme44	64
4	Terry_is_God	61
5	TKFJ	49
6	JJJ	45
7	ScottfromPeekskill	44
8	Joveoak	42
9	TWilliAM	41
10	StorkFan	37

Mets sign David Aardsma to a minor league deal

2013-05-20T22:50:19Z

#Mets sign RHP David Aardsma to a minor league deal...He'll report to Las Vegas (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League.
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 20, 2013

The Mets announced today that they have agreed to a minor league contract with right-handed, 31-year-old pitcher David Aardsma. Most fans probably remember Aardsma as the effective Mariners reliever who recorded 69 saves between 2009 and 2010 before Tommy John surgery derailed his career.

Aardsma returned to the majors in 2012 with a one-inning cameo for the Yankees, and he was in spring training with them this March. The Yankees designated Aardsma for assignment before the start of the regular season, and he signed with Miami in mid-April.

Aardsma has 14 strikeouts, eight walks, and a 2.57 ERA in 14 innings with Triple-A New Orleans of the Pacific Coast league this season. He was released by the Marlins on Wednesday.

Before surgery, Aardsma had a fastball in the mid-nineties, though he seems to have lost a few ticks in that department. His most notable achievement may be credited less to his arm than his ancestry, as his name appears first alphabetically among all who have ever played in Major League Baseball.

2013 Mets Series Preview: Five questions about the Cincinnati Reds with Red Reporter

2013-05-20T19:00:08Z

The Mets head back to New York where they'll meet up with the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field for a three game set that begins this evening. Coming off of a division title in 2012, the Reds have a 26-18 record and they find themselves tied with the Pirates for the second best record in the NL Central, 2.5 games behind the Cardinals. Brandon Kraeling writes about the Reds for SB Nation's Red Reporter and he answered a few questions about the team to help us preview the series.

Amazin' Avenue: What were your expectations for the Reds coming into the season and how has the team done so far in meeting those expectations?

Red Reporter: I think on paper, the Reds were a division winner that had one glaring flaw in 2012 that they effectively addressed in the offseason (leadoff spot). That said, the Reds had a lot of luck with their injury record, so going into the year, we expected the improvement of the lineup and a little less generosity from the injury bug, so about the same.

So far, they're right where they need to be, in my opinion. They did upgrade the leadoff spot with Shin-Shoo Choo, who has been fantastic. The injury bug hasn't been kind, with Ryan Ludwick, Sean Marshall, Ryan Hanigan, and Johnny Cueto missing significant time on the DL. They've handled everything in stride, and after a nice little winning streak, they're right where they need to be right now.

AA: Homer Bailey has been outstanding through his first 9 starts this year, with a 2.86 FIP and a much improved strikeout rate. Has Bailey made any noticeable changes and do you think he can keep pitching at this level?

RR: I think Homer Bailey has really made some strides over the past few years, and has turned from a proverbial "thrower" to a "pitcher". He got to the big leagues on stuff alone, and when he got there, had a pretty rude awakening. The biggest change we've seen from him has been between the ears, as he's staying more focused and not allowing his emotions to get the best of him. He's been meltdown prone the past few years, but this year, the biggest change is his ability to focus after he gives up a run and not getting knocked out early.

AA: The Reds had talked of moving Aroldis Chapman into their rotation prior to the start of the year before sticking him back in the closer's role. Should Chapman be starting or are Reds fans okay with him dominating out of the bullpen?

RR: I think he should be starting, but he doesn't really fit into the Reds' current roster that way. With Tony Cingrani in AAA, the Reds have 7 guys who can be league average starters, and before Chapman was named closer, Jonathan Broxton was penciled in there, which is pretty scary. You're catching Chapman at a good time, as he's blown his last two saves, but I think I'd still rather have him in that role over Broxton. When he's on, he's untouchable.

AA: Offseason acquisition Shin-Soo Choo has been one of the Reds' best hitters so far but the defensive metrics don't seem to like him out in center field. How has he looked out there? Also, do you think Great American Ballpark has helped with his early power surge?

RR: He's been alright. Not spectacular, but he gets the job done. There's been a few instances where he's taken weird routes to fly balls and doesn't get good jumps, but we can manage.

His power has been an unexpected surprise, but 4 of his 9 homers have come on the road. Of the 5 that he's hit at GABP, 2 have been opposite field shots, so I really don't think he's taking advantage of the short porch in RF.

AA: Zack Cozart has struggled at the plate early on this season with a .245 wOBA after putting up just a .298 mark a year ago. What do you see as a realistic offensive ceiling for Cozart and will he reach it?

RR: I'm afraid that we may have already seen Cozart's offensive ceiling last year. So far, he's J.J. Hardy with better defense. Doesn't get on base a ton, has a little pop, and does nothing to justify the fact that Dusty Baker insists on batting him second in the Reds' lineup.

Thanks again to Brandon Kraeling for giving us a preview of the Reds! Here are the pitching matchups for this series:

Next Game

Cincinnati Reds
@ New York Mets

Monday, May 20, 2013, 7:10 PM EDT
Citi Field

Johnny Cueto vs Shaun Marcum

Partly cloudy. Winds blowing out to left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 70.

Complete Coverage >

Next Game

Cincinnati Reds
@ New York Mets

Tuesday, May 21, 2013, 7:10 PM EDT
Citi Field

Mike Leake vs Jon Niese

Complete Coverage >

Next Game

Cincinnati Reds
@ New York Mets

Wednesday, May 22, 2013, 1:10 PM EDT
Citi Field

Mat Latos vs. Matt Harvey

Complete Coverage >

This Date in Mets History: May 20 — Robin rocks Brewers for a pair of slams

2013-05-20T16:17:05Z

Nothing fosters a connection between a new acquisition and a new fan base quite like coming through in the clutch. Which is to say Robin Ventura and the Flushing faithful did quite a bit of bonding on this date in 1999. Ventura came to New York with a reputation for going into beast mode with the bases loaded (evidenced by his career 1.045 OPS with the bags juiced) and that's just what he did when the hapless Milwaukee Brewers, in town for a day-night twin bill, provided him the opportunity. With three ducks on the pond in the first inning of game one, Ventura pulled a fat 3-2 offering from Jim Abbott down the right field line for a grand slam. He victimized reliever Horacio Estrada in the exact same manner during game two, becoming the first MLB player to hit grand slams in both ends of a doubleheader. The historic (and foreshadowing?) power display, which elicited a "Robin's Quite the Bat Man" headline from the Daily News, helped the Mets take both ends of the double dip by scores of 11-10 and 10-1.

Birthdays

Third baseman Ken Boyer would have been 82 today. The Robin Ventura of his era, Boyer possessed good power, a keen eye, and an exceptional glove which he used to rack up seven consecutive seasons worth five-plus bWAR between 1958 and 1964. Unfortunately, the Mets acquired him in 1966. Though Boyer wasn't the perennial All-Star he was prior to joining the club, he still played the best third base the young franchise had seen so far, racking up 3.5 wins above replacement in a year and half.
Wayne Housie is 48. A forgettable outfielder for the forgettable 1993 team, Housie appeared in 18 games, mainly as a pinch hitter. It was in that capacity that he recorded his only Mets RBI, knocking home Todd Hundley with a ground ball single in a 8-7 loss to the Expos.
Wilson Valdez turns 35. As a member of the Phillies in 2011, Valdez became the first position player to earn a victory since 2000. In doing so, he ousted catcher Brent Mayne, another former Met, from the record books.

Game of Note
The '62 Mets also swept a doubleheader versus a Milwaukee team on this date, as Casey Stengel's crew took two from the Braves for the second time in eight days. Frank Thomas had the key hit in the day half, stroking a two-out, two-run single in the ninth to bring the Mets all the way back from a 5-1 deficit. Two batters later, Braves shortstop Roy McMillan, a three-time Gold Glover, gifted the visitors a pair of insurance runs by booting a grounder. Those would come in handy, since Milwaukee would make it a 7-6 affair before all was said and done.

As for the nightcap, the Mets again fell behind early, but came back in the game's latter frames. Charlie Neal, Felix Mantilla, and Frank Thomas each clubbed a seventh-inning homer to bust open a 3-3 tie and push the Amazins toward a 9-6 victory. The two sweeps would prove to be the high point of New York's inaugural season. They'd lose their next 17 games in a row and just 18 more total before year's end.

Amazin'-ly Tenuous Connection
The great Sadaharu Oh celebrates his 73rd birthday today. One person who likely won't be sending him well wishes is former Mets manager Davey Johnson. A teammate of Sadaharu's from 1975 to '76, Johnson was the first foreign-born player (or gaijin) to suit up for the Yomiuri Giants. He did not enjoy the experience. Davey suffered through two injury-riddled campaigns and declined to re-up for a third (at a 20% pay cut, no less), which prompted Oh to criticize the gaijin. Johnson, to his credit, remained complimentary of Oh's talent, telling Sports Illustrated, "He would be a good hitter anywhere in the world. Quality is still quality."

Mets Player Performance Meter: Position Players, Week 7

2013-05-20T16:00:07Z

On their seven-game road trip over the last week, the Mets scored a total of 23 runs, an average of 3.28 runs per game. The team continues to slide down the run-scoring rankings in the National League, now sitting 6th in the league at 4.24 runs per game this season. If the team's hitters don't turn things around soon, they'll soon be at or below the league average of 4.08 runs per game.

Player	Last Week	Comment
Rick Ankiel, OF	--	It's hard to figure out why the Mets signed Ankiel in the first place, but of course he had an excellent first week with the team. The guy hit 2 home runs and put together a 1.033 OPS.
Mike Baxter, OF		On-base percentage is Baxter's biggest strength as a hitter, but it was just .133 over the last seven days.
John Buck, C		Buck actually drew four walks in the six games he played, but he hit .211 and had no extra-base hits. He also got thrown out attempting to steal second base.
Marlon Byrd, OF		Byrd only started two games but played in four and hit very well. That he threw out a would-be tying rub at home plate in Chicago was a bonus.
Ike Davis, 1B		Shaun Marcum had more hits than Ike Davis on the road trip. Ike had a .122 OPS and looked shaky in the field at times.
Lucas Duda, OF		Duda has been one of the Mets' best hitters this year, but the putrid week he had the plate on this road trip was his worst all year.
Juan Lagares, OF		With Ankiel on the team, Lagares is slated to platoon in center field. His first big league home run was well timed, tying the game in Chicago yesterday.
Daniel Murphy, 2B		Following a long slump, Murphy had one of his best weeks of the year, posting a .500/.517/.857 slash line, including 2 HR and 4 doubles.
Anthony Recker, C		He went 0-for-4 in his lone appearance of the week.
Ruben Tejada, SS		Tejada played plenty on the road trip but hit just .125 with no walks and no extra-base hits. Among qualified shortstops, Tejada's .256 wOBA on the season is the second-worst in baseball.
Justin Turner, IF		Turner didn't so much as reach first base in 10 plate appearances, striking out 4 times in the process.
Jordany Valdespin, OF		Valdespin's consistently sub-.300 OBP is a lot less palatable when he's not hitting for power.
David Wright, 3B		Wright bounced back nicely from a pedestrian week at the plate with a home run and a .950 OPS.

Tracking Matt Harvey's Season: Start #9

2013-05-20T15:00:09Z

RESULTS

7.1 IP, 2 R, 6 K, 0 BB, 106 pitches (78 strikes), 66 Game Score

Matt Harvey's start against the Chicago Cubs on Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field didn't begin well, as he gave up two runs in the first inning. With runners on second and third and one out, Alfonso Soriano hit an infield single to plate the first run, but the second only came around to score on the play because Ruben Tejada's bounced throw to first base couldn't be handled by Ike Davis. Both runs were charged as earned runs, though the Mets appealed that ruling for the second run over the weekend.

From there, though, Harvey was excellent, allowing only two runners to reach base through the remainder of his seven-and-one-third innings of work.

PITCHf/x DATA (via Brooks Baseball)

Here's a breakdown of how Harvey mixed his pitches in the game:

Pitch Type	Avg Speed	Max Speed	Count	Strikes / %	Whiffs / %
FA (Fastball)	96.39	99.66	43	33 / 76.74%	1 / 2.33%
SI (Sinker)	96.49	97.33	3	2 / 66.67%	0 / 0.00%
CH (Changeup)	87.74	90.55	22	15 / 68.18%	4 / 18.18%
SL (Slider)	90.60	92.74	19	15 / 78.95%	3 / 15.79%
CU (Curveball)	83.44	86.84	19	13 / 68.42%	2 / 10.53%

Harvey used all three of his off-speed pitches frequently and with great results in the start, relying slightly more on his changeup than his slider and curveball. He's throwing the curve a lot more now than he did in the past. Just 9 percent of Harvey's pitches in 2012 were curveballs, but 17.9 percent of his pitches—nearly double last year's rate—were curves on Friday afternoon.

And here's the plot of Harvey's pitches from the game:

As usual, Harvey worked up in the zone plenty, but he didn't generate many swinging strikes in the upper half of the zone in this start. Instead, most of his whiffs came on pitches in the lower half or outside of the strike zone, which makes sense given the fact that he got just one whiff on a fastball and the rest on off-speed pitches.

WHERE HARVEY RANKS IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE

With seven weeks of the season in the books, Harvey's still right in the thick of the early race for the National League Cy Young Award. Here's how he compares to his peers.

	ERA	FIP	K%	BB%	SwStr%
Harvey	1.55	2.21	29.2	6.0	12.4
NL Rank	4th	2nd	2nd	14th	1st
NL Avg.	3.91	3.98	18.8	7.7	8.5

Harvey trails Clayton Kershaw, rookie Shelby Miller, and Patrick Corbin in ERA. In FIP, he trails only Adam Wainwright.

HARVEY IN METS HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Let's take a look at Harvey's first nine starts this year in comparison to the first nine starts of three of the Mets' previous Cy Young seasons.

Pitcher	IP	ERA	K	BB	GSc
Matt Harvey (2013)	56.1	1.55	68	14	71
R.A. Dickey (2012)	50.1	3.45	51	16	56
Dwight Gooden (1985)	69.1	1.69	66	18	69
Tom Seaver (1973)	65.1	1.57	61	19	73

Despite having the second-fewest innings pitched of the four seasons here, Harvey still leads in strikeouts. He still has the fewest walks, too. And even though Harvey's ERA went up a bit on Friday afternoon in Chicago, it's still the best of the bunch.

Mets Player Performance Meter: Pitchers, Week 7

2013-05-20T14:00:06Z

The Mets' pitching staff has been in a rut for over a month, and despite some positive signs from the starting rotation over the past week, the team's pitching staff has still been one of the worst in the game. Its 4.54 ERA ranks 26th in baseball, and its 4.17 FIP ranks 21st.

Mets starting pitchers have compiled a 4.41 ERA and 4.03 FIP, while the bullpen has a 4.77 ERA and 4.40 FIP. So the bullpen has been a bit worse than the rotation, but both have been below average. This week's player meter covers the Mets' seven-game road trip through St. Louis and Chicago, during which they won three games.

Player	Last Week	Comment
Scott Atchison, RHP		Perhaps the first victim of the Mets' overburdened bullpen, Atchison hit the DL with pain in his pitching elbow.
Greg Burke, RHP	--	Recalled to help an overworked bullpen, Burke made 4 appearances totaling 3.2 innings. He allowed just one hit, no walks, and had a pairs of Ks.
Robert Carson, LHP		He served up 3 home runs in just 4 innings of relief work. Yikes.
Jeruys Familia, RHP		There hasn't been an update on Familia, who hit the disabled list last week with biceps tendinitis.
Dillon Gee, RHP		He compiled an 8.00 ERA in two starts, but there's a little bit of silver lining as his fastball velocity was better and he struck out 11 in 9 innings of work.
Matt Harvey, RHP		Just another day at the office for Harvey: 7.1 IP, 6 K, 0 BB, 2 R.
LaTroy Hawkins, RHP		His lone one-inning appearance was eventful: 2 K, 2 BB, and 1 run allowed.
Jeremy Hefner, RHP		In a pair of starts, Hefner pitched a total of 10 innings, gave up 7 runs, walked 6, and struck out 5.
Brandon Lyon, RHP		He didn't pitch much but didn't do much of note when he did, either.
Shaun Marcum, RHP		After a string of terrible starts coming off the disabled list, Marcum finally put together a good one. If he's healthy, there should be more of those to come.
Collin McHugh, RHP	--	Making his first appearance with the Mets this year, McHugh gave up 5 hits and 3 runs in a two-inning relief appearance against the Cubs.
Jon Niese, LHP		If the Mets are going to turn things around this year, they'll need Niese to pitch like he did in his most recent start.
Bobby Parnell, RHP		Parnell has been nothing short of excellent this year, and this week was no exception.
Scott Rice, LHP		He's still making appearances at an absurd clip, and the results weren't so great this week as he gave up a couple runs in 3.1 innings.