Mets Morning News: Perhaps You Didn't Realize This But Things Are Not Going Well For The Mets These Days

Meet the Mets

If you watched any part of Tuesday evening's game against the Rockies, I commend you for your dedication. If you watched it in its entirety, as I (and apparently many others) did, I'm going to assume you must really hate yourself and your sanity. Things started off nicely, as Chris Young tossed 5 perfect innings to open things up and the Mets grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 4th. But then, from the 6th inning on, this game turned into the #LOLMets circus. Lackluster defense, poor fundies and a managerial ejection turned this one into an ugly 6-2 loss very quickly.

Choose Your Recap: MLB.com, ESPN NY, Daily News, New York Times, Associated Press, Star-Ledger

Can the Mets win a game against one of the worst teams in the major leagues? Tune in at 7:10 PM tonight to find out. Luckily for us, Matt Harvey takes the hill and he goes up against veteran lefty Jeff Francis. Perhaps there's actually a victory in store!

Terry Collins had a closed door meeting with the team after the game. While poor performance often can be mistaken for lack of effort, you can certainly question the effort of some players in last night's game.

The MRI results on Johan Santana's back injury are in but they will not be revealed until later today. Should Santana miss his Thursday start, 25-year old righty Collin McHugh will be available to start. McHugh, an 18th rounder taken by the Mets in the 2008 draft, has pitched for both Binghamton and Buffalo this season.

Jeremy Hefner was placed on the paternity list, as he's expecting the birth of his second child in the coming days. In his place, the Mets recalled Robert Carson, who pitched last night.

Around the NL East

Jonathan Papelbon allowed a tie breaking home run to Zach Cozart in the 9th inning, as the Phillies fell to the Reds 5-4. Oh, it was also Hunter Pence bobblehead night in Philly. Ha-ha! Stephen Strasburg returned after a nearly hour long rain down and managed to strike out 10, as the Nationals defeated the Braves 4-1. Finally, the Marlins defeated the Diamondbacks 6-5 and they're only a game behind the Mets. WHAT?!

Around the Majors

Over at Fangraphs, Bradley Woodrum has an excellent piece on how the Rays built their outstanding bullpen. What is so incredible about the Rays is how their pens are so consistent despite them cycling relievers in and out. Paging Sandy Alderson: please utilize some of these principles this offseason when you fix the Mets' pen.

Reds' prospect Billy Hamilton stole his minor league record 146th base last night for AA Penascola. Hamilton broke former Met "great" Vince Coleman's record.

These are always interesting for reflection and laughs: here are some of the worst long term contracts in recent history, using WAR.

Umpire Jim Joyce is well known for his botching of Armando Galarraga's perfect game. He's also known for his extremely loud strike call and his sweet mustache. But now, he should be known for the fact that he saved the life of a Diamondbacks' employee who was having a seizure. Well done, Jim.

Interesting stuff from Baseball America on the case of Rangers' international signee Jairo Beras, who was suspended by MLB after lying about his age. While Beras was suspended, his contract was not terminated, as MLB usually does in these situations and he's still allowed to workout at the Rangers' minor league complex, leading teams to claim that the Rangers are receiving preferential treatment.