New York Mets: Lucas Duda
Notebook: Baxter's grab, Ike & Duda
May, 26, 2012
May 26
12:26
AM ET
By Matt Ehalt | ESPNNewYork.com
Mike Baxter can't remember the last time he had a catch at the wall like he did in the first inning of the Mets' 6-1 win over the Padres Friday night.
"That's probably the first time at this level," the outfielder said.
Then again, it'd be hard for any prior catch to top Friday's acrobatic snare. Baxter's fantastic grab started an inning-ending double play in the first inning that proved to be a momentum-changing play that helped galvanize the Mets to their win.
"Held them to the one run in the inning instead of a multi-run inning and I think it really lifted Dillon (Gee) and everybody else," manager Terry Collins said. "It was a tremendous play."
With runners on first and third and one out in a scoreless game, Jesus Guzman hit a deep drive to left that Baxter snared with his right arm extended before crashing into the wall. While the runner from third scored, Baxter was able to get the ball back in time to nail Yonder Alonso at first to end the inning. Gee, shaky in the first inning, didn't yield another run.
Baxter said the ball carried and he was able to get a decent break on the ball and make the big play. He also contributed by driving in the go-ahead run with a double in the third, and he later came around to score. He's hitting .352 on the year.
"For him to have a play like that and get me out of the inning is huge," Gee said. "It gives me confidence going the rest of the game."
IKE AND DUDA PITCH IN: David Wright can't be the hero every night, so when he has 0-for-3 games like he did Friday, the team needs others to step up. Friday night, that support came from Lucas Duda and Ike Davis, who drove in three in the win.
"It's huge for our team," Collins said.
Davis drove in a pair of runs for the second straight day with his single in the fifth inning. Collins wondered if this is what Davis needs to get going offensively, as the team recently told him he won't be demoted to the minors despite his slow start to the year. He's 3-for-8 over the last three games and has boosted his average to .168.
"I've felt a little bit better, my swing feels a lot better," Davis said. "BP has been really good the last two days, it's just nice to contribute."
For Duda, his second-inning home run off the Subway sign in front of the second level of seats in right field snapped a span of 77 at-bats without a home run. Duda now has 23 RBIs, which is the second-most on the team behind Wright. He scored two runs in the win.
"I think for me to be a productive big leaguer I have to hit home runs," Duda said. "Just continue to battle and play the game hard."
"That's probably the first time at this level," the outfielder said.
Then again, it'd be hard for any prior catch to top Friday's acrobatic snare. Baxter's fantastic grab started an inning-ending double play in the first inning that proved to be a momentum-changing play that helped galvanize the Mets to their win.
"Held them to the one run in the inning instead of a multi-run inning and I think it really lifted Dillon (Gee) and everybody else," manager Terry Collins said. "It was a tremendous play."
With runners on first and third and one out in a scoreless game, Jesus Guzman hit a deep drive to left that Baxter snared with his right arm extended before crashing into the wall. While the runner from third scored, Baxter was able to get the ball back in time to nail Yonder Alonso at first to end the inning. Gee, shaky in the first inning, didn't yield another run.
Baxter said the ball carried and he was able to get a decent break on the ball and make the big play. He also contributed by driving in the go-ahead run with a double in the third, and he later came around to score. He's hitting .352 on the year.
"For him to have a play like that and get me out of the inning is huge," Gee said. "It gives me confidence going the rest of the game."
IKE AND DUDA PITCH IN: David Wright can't be the hero every night, so when he has 0-for-3 games like he did Friday, the team needs others to step up. Friday night, that support came from Lucas Duda and Ike Davis, who drove in three in the win.
"It's huge for our team," Collins said.
Davis drove in a pair of runs for the second straight day with his single in the fifth inning. Collins wondered if this is what Davis needs to get going offensively, as the team recently told him he won't be demoted to the minors despite his slow start to the year. He's 3-for-8 over the last three games and has boosted his average to .168.
"I've felt a little bit better, my swing feels a lot better," Davis said. "BP has been really good the last two days, it's just nice to contribute."
For Duda, his second-inning home run off the Subway sign in front of the second level of seats in right field snapped a span of 77 at-bats without a home run. Duda now has 23 RBIs, which is the second-most on the team behind Wright. He scored two runs in the win.
"I think for me to be a productive big leaguer I have to hit home runs," Duda said. "Just continue to battle and play the game hard."
WHAT IT MEANS: The Mets split a six-game road trip to Toronto and Pittsburgh with a 3-1 rubber-game victory against the Pirates on Wednesday afternoon along the shores of the Allegheny River.
Frank Francisco produced a 1-2-3 inning for a save for the second straight day.
HOW NICE: Coming off an outing in Toronto to open the road trip in which he matched a career high by allowing eight runs, Jon Niese took a scoreless effort into the sixth inning. He then allowed a leadoff double by Josh Harrison and one-out RBI single by Andrew McCutchen that pulled the Pirates within 3-1. Niese held the line there that frame, though, coaxing a 6-4-3 double play from Neil Walker.
Niese departed with two out and two runners aboard in the eighth after walking Gorkys Hernandez. Bobby Parnell entered to face McCutchen, and catcher Rob Johnson tried to catch Hernandez straying too far off first base. Johnson’s snap pickoff attempt was missed by first baseman Ike Davis, and an E-3 was charged as both runners advanced.
Parnell made it immaterial by striking out McCutchen on a 98 mph fastball to strand the two runners in scoring position and preserve a two-run lead.
Niese’s final line: 7.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. It was his longest outing since also going 7 2/3 innings on Aug. 11, 2011 against the San Diego Padres.
PIRATE CASTAWAY: The Pirates declined a $3 million option on Ronny Cedeno last offseason and instead signed Clint Barmes to serve as their shortstop. Cedeno then settled for a $1.1 million contract and backup role with the Mets. He got a little payback against his former club this week. Cedeno went 5-for-10 during the three-game series while manning shortstop in place of soon-to-be-returning Ruben Tejada. Tejada (quadriceps) appeared in his first extended spring training game Tuesday.
MR. .400: David Wright briefly dipped under .400 after being retired in his first two at-bats Wednesday. Wright then delivered an RBI double against Charlie Morton in the fifth inning that staked the Mets to a 3-0 lead. But after striking out in his fourth AB to finish 1-for-4, Wright’s average ended the trip at .399.
It’s the first time Wright completed a day under .400 since May 14.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis had preceded Wright’s fifth-inning at-bat with a sacrifice fly. The Mets had opened the scoring in the first inning on Lucas Duda’s RBI single.
IT’S A HIT: Davis, who entered the day mired in a 2-for-33 rut, singled in his first at-bat. He finished 1-for-4, striking out on a pitch in the dirt and well out of the strike zone in his final plate appearance.
WHAT’S NEXT: The Mets return to Citi Field for an 11-game homestand during which they face San Diego, Philadelphia and Carlos Beltran’s St. Louis Cardinals. Jeremy Hefner (0-1, 2.25 ERA), after two quality relief appearances, makes his first major league start in Thursday’s series opener against the Padres, opposite left-hander Eric Stults (0-0, 2.70). Hefner takes the slot formerly held by Miguel Batista, who landed on the DL on Sunday with a lower back or oblique strain.
Frank Francisco produced a 1-2-3 inning for a save for the second straight day.
Niese departed with two out and two runners aboard in the eighth after walking Gorkys Hernandez. Bobby Parnell entered to face McCutchen, and catcher Rob Johnson tried to catch Hernandez straying too far off first base. Johnson’s snap pickoff attempt was missed by first baseman Ike Davis, and an E-3 was charged as both runners advanced.
Parnell made it immaterial by striking out McCutchen on a 98 mph fastball to strand the two runners in scoring position and preserve a two-run lead.
Niese’s final line: 7.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. It was his longest outing since also going 7 2/3 innings on Aug. 11, 2011 against the San Diego Padres.
PIRATE CASTAWAY: The Pirates declined a $3 million option on Ronny Cedeno last offseason and instead signed Clint Barmes to serve as their shortstop. Cedeno then settled for a $1.1 million contract and backup role with the Mets. He got a little payback against his former club this week. Cedeno went 5-for-10 during the three-game series while manning shortstop in place of soon-to-be-returning Ruben Tejada. Tejada (quadriceps) appeared in his first extended spring training game Tuesday.
It’s the first time Wright completed a day under .400 since May 14.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis had preceded Wright’s fifth-inning at-bat with a sacrifice fly. The Mets had opened the scoring in the first inning on Lucas Duda’s RBI single.
IT’S A HIT: Davis, who entered the day mired in a 2-for-33 rut, singled in his first at-bat. He finished 1-for-4, striking out on a pitch in the dirt and well out of the strike zone in his final plate appearance.
WHAT’S NEXT: The Mets return to Citi Field for an 11-game homestand during which they face San Diego, Philadelphia and Carlos Beltran’s St. Louis Cardinals. Jeremy Hefner (0-1, 2.25 ERA), after two quality relief appearances, makes his first major league start in Thursday’s series opener against the Padres, opposite left-hander Eric Stults (0-0, 2.70). Hefner takes the slot formerly held by Miguel Batista, who landed on the DL on Sunday with a lower back or oblique strain.
R.A. Dickey struck out a career-high 11 batters before departing for a pinch hitter, Lucas Duda had a tiebreaking, two-out RBI single in the eighth and the Mets ultimately held on for a 3-2 win against the Pirates behind a three-up, three-down save from Frank Francisco on Tuesday night.
Wednesday's news reports:
• Dickey told Mike Puma in the Post that he would appreciate the front office already picking up his 2013 team option and talking about an extension beyond that. “I feel like the team is moving in the right direction, and I want to be a part of the solution," Dickey told Puma. "Now it’s up to them. If I’m in those plans, (addressing the contract) is one way to make it known." Dickey signed a two-year, $7.8 million deal during the 2010-11 offseason that includes a $5 million option for next year. The Mets signed Jon Niese on the eve of the season to a five-year, $25.5 million deal that includes two team options. Niese would not have been eligible for free agency until after the 2015 season.
• Terry Collins said it was not a comfortable decision to remove Dickey with the score tied at 1, but the Mets needed offense in the top of the eighth. Andres Torres ended up striking out as a pinch hitter to increase hit rut to 1-for-his-last-34, but the Mets scored two runs in the inning anyway. Dickey notched his MLB-leading sixth win, matching fellow National Leaguers Chris Capuano, Cole Hamels, Gio Gonzalez and Lance Lynn. Dickey did not record his sixth win until Aug. 29 last season. It's the earliest he ever has reached that mark. Read game recaps in the Star-Ledger, Times, Record, Newsday, Daily News and Journal.
• Ike Davis, who met with Collins before the series opener, described that chat to Puma in the Post as "the same (expletive) as I've been talking about for days." Davis went 0-for-4 Tuesday with two strikeouts as his average slipped to .156.
• Collins believes Torres, who did not start the game, is overswinging. Read more in Newsday, the Times, Record and Star-Ledger.
• Ruben Tejada (quadriceps) batted in an extended spring training game Tuesday, suggesting a return from the disabled list as soon as this weekend is realistic.
• David Wright went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts Tuesday. His average now stands at .403. Can he finish above that .400 threshold? Obviously it's not the likelihood, but Collins believes Wright has enough speed to get infield singles and complement his power that at least there's a shot. Read more in the Daily News.
• Collin McHugh took a scoreless effort into the seventh inning in another solid start for Double-A Binghamton before getting ejected and Double-A Binghamton lost to New Britain, 3-0. Read the full minor league recap here.
TRIVIA: What number pick do the Mets have in the first round of next month's amateur draft?
Tuesday's answer: Jose Reyes owns the Mets record for most runs scored with the organization, at 735. David Wright is closing in, though. Wright has 728.
Wednesday's news reports:
• Dickey told Mike Puma in the Post that he would appreciate the front office already picking up his 2013 team option and talking about an extension beyond that. “I feel like the team is moving in the right direction, and I want to be a part of the solution," Dickey told Puma. "Now it’s up to them. If I’m in those plans, (addressing the contract) is one way to make it known." Dickey signed a two-year, $7.8 million deal during the 2010-11 offseason that includes a $5 million option for next year. The Mets signed Jon Niese on the eve of the season to a five-year, $25.5 million deal that includes two team options. Niese would not have been eligible for free agency until after the 2015 season.
• Terry Collins said it was not a comfortable decision to remove Dickey with the score tied at 1, but the Mets needed offense in the top of the eighth. Andres Torres ended up striking out as a pinch hitter to increase hit rut to 1-for-his-last-34, but the Mets scored two runs in the inning anyway. Dickey notched his MLB-leading sixth win, matching fellow National Leaguers Chris Capuano, Cole Hamels, Gio Gonzalez and Lance Lynn. Dickey did not record his sixth win until Aug. 29 last season. It's the earliest he ever has reached that mark. Read game recaps in the Star-Ledger, Times, Record, Newsday, Daily News and Journal.
• Ike Davis, who met with Collins before the series opener, described that chat to Puma in the Post as "the same (expletive) as I've been talking about for days." Davis went 0-for-4 Tuesday with two strikeouts as his average slipped to .156.
• Collins believes Torres, who did not start the game, is overswinging. Read more in Newsday, the Times, Record and Star-Ledger.
• Ruben Tejada (quadriceps) batted in an extended spring training game Tuesday, suggesting a return from the disabled list as soon as this weekend is realistic.
• David Wright went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts Tuesday. His average now stands at .403. Can he finish above that .400 threshold? Obviously it's not the likelihood, but Collins believes Wright has enough speed to get infield singles and complement his power that at least there's a shot. Read more in the Daily News.
• Collin McHugh took a scoreless effort into the seventh inning in another solid start for Double-A Binghamton before getting ejected and Double-A Binghamton lost to New Britain, 3-0. Read the full minor league recap here.
TRIVIA: What number pick do the Mets have in the first round of next month's amateur draft?
Tuesday's answer: Jose Reyes owns the Mets record for most runs scored with the organization, at 735. David Wright is closing in, though. Wright has 728.
Recap | Box score | Photos
WHAT IT MEANS: Lucas Duda produced a two-out, tiebreaking RBI single and third baseman Pedro Alvarez's error on a would-be inning-ending grounder by Daniel Murphy resulted in another run in the eighth.
And the Mets ultimately held on to beat Pittsburgh, 3-2, Tuesday night at PNC Park.
Jon Rauch surrendered a one-out double to Jose Tabata in the bottom of the eighth. And Tabata scored when Murphy, racing backward into right-center from second base, could not hold on to the baseball on an over-the-shoulder catch attempt on Andrew McCutchen's flare.
With the Mets leading by a run, Tim Byrdak entered. And although McCutchen reached scoring position with a steal, Byrdak bailed the Mets out yet again by striking out the lefty-hitting Alvarez to preserve the one-run lead. It was appearance No. 28 for Byrdak, putting him on pace for 98 this season.
Frank Francisco closed it out in the ninth in unusual 1-2-3 fashion.
AARGH: R.A. Dickey nursed a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning, when Josh Harrison delivered a one-out triple. McCutchen then had a sacrifice fly to even the score.
Terry Collins opted to pulled Dickey from the tie game in the top of the eighth, with the knuckleballer’s pitch count only at 88. Andres Torres pinch hit and struck out, extending his skid to 1-for-his-last-34.
Dickey recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts. He limited the Pirates to one run on five hits with no walks in seven innings.
WRIGHT WATCH: David Wright went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts as his average dipped to .403. He left two runners on base in the eighth when he fanned against reliever Juan Cruz, before Duda came through with the two-out RBI single. Wright had struck out three times in a game on only one other instance this season -- April 30 at Houston against Bud Norris (twice) and Brandon Lyon.
NOT O-K: Ike Davis went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts -- both looking. He now has fanned 43 times in 141 at-bats. Davis is 2-for-his-last-33 with 11 strikeouts since homering against Miami's Mark Buehrle on May 11.
WHAT'S NEXT: Jon Niese (2-2, 4.85 ERA) opposes right-hander Charlie Morton (2-4, 4.35) in Wednesday's 12:35 p.m. series finale.
WHAT IT MEANS: Johan Santana could not protect a four-run lead and the Mets dropped the ball in the eighth inning -- literally -- en route to 5-4 loss against Pittsburgh in Monday’s series opener.
Santana served up a game-tying two-run homer to No. 8 hitter Michael McKenry in seventh inning.
In the eighth, after each pinch-hitting in the top half, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Mike Baxter headed to the outfield. They miscommunicated on Neil Walker’s leadoff fly ball to left-center and Nieuwenhuis dropped it for a three-base error. Walker then scored the decisive run on a sacrifice fly by Clint Barmes against Jon Rauch narrowly ahead of a throw from right fielder Lucas Duda.
It was the second time this season Nieuwenhuis had a high-profile drop while manning center field. Against the Giants on April 21, Nieuwenhuis overran a ball to prolong the game, although the Mets salvaged that one, 5-4, on San Francisco miscues.
NOT WRIGHT: David Wright went 2-for-4 with a walk and RBI to lift his average to .415, but he also committed his second and third errors this season.
Wright’s RBI single had lifted the Mets to a 4-0 lead against Pirates starter Erik Bedard.
Neither error proved costly. With the bases loaded in the fourth inning shortly after Wright’s throwing miscue to first base, Santana coaxed a 6-4-3 DP to preserve a two-run lead. In the seventh, after Santana served up the game-tying two-run homer and a walk, Wright misfielded a grounder that advanced the potential go-ahead run into scoring position. But Bobby Parnell struck out Andrew McCutchen and Tim Byrdak fanned Pedro Alvarez to keep the score tied.
LEADING MAN? Andres Torres went 0-for-4 with a walk. He twice struck out and also popped out on a bunt. Torres is now hitless in 14 at-bats and 2-for-38 in his last 11 games. His eighth-inning fielder’s choice stranded the go-ahead run at third in the eighth.
OUT: Scott Hairston was pulled for the bottom of the sixth inning, with Vinny Rottino moving from first base to left field and Ike Davis entering the game.
It was not immediately known if that was a strategic move or Hairston needed to be removed.
Davis and Lucas Duda consecutively were retired in the top of the seventh inning with two runners aboard while facing lefty reliever Tony Watson as the Mets failed to build on a 4-2 lead at the time.
AHOY: Ronny Cedeno returned to Pittsburgh, where he had been the starting shortstop last season and hit .249. He went 2-for-4.
WHAT’S NEXT: R.A. Dickey (5-1, 3.76 ERA) opposes right-hander James McDonald (3-2, 2.68) on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m.
Santana served up a game-tying two-run homer to No. 8 hitter Michael McKenry in seventh inning.
It was the second time this season Nieuwenhuis had a high-profile drop while manning center field. Against the Giants on April 21, Nieuwenhuis overran a ball to prolong the game, although the Mets salvaged that one, 5-4, on San Francisco miscues.
NOT WRIGHT: David Wright went 2-for-4 with a walk and RBI to lift his average to .415, but he also committed his second and third errors this season.
Wright’s RBI single had lifted the Mets to a 4-0 lead against Pirates starter Erik Bedard.
Neither error proved costly. With the bases loaded in the fourth inning shortly after Wright’s throwing miscue to first base, Santana coaxed a 6-4-3 DP to preserve a two-run lead. In the seventh, after Santana served up the game-tying two-run homer and a walk, Wright misfielded a grounder that advanced the potential go-ahead run into scoring position. But Bobby Parnell struck out Andrew McCutchen and Tim Byrdak fanned Pedro Alvarez to keep the score tied.
OUT: Scott Hairston was pulled for the bottom of the sixth inning, with Vinny Rottino moving from first base to left field and Ike Davis entering the game.
It was not immediately known if that was a strategic move or Hairston needed to be removed.
Davis and Lucas Duda consecutively were retired in the top of the seventh inning with two runners aboard while facing lefty reliever Tony Watson as the Mets failed to build on a 4-2 lead at the time.
AHOY: Ronny Cedeno returned to Pittsburgh, where he had been the starting shortstop last season and hit .249. He went 2-for-4.
WHAT’S NEXT: R.A. Dickey (5-1, 3.76 ERA) opposes right-hander James McDonald (3-2, 2.68) on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m.
Brandon Morrow tossed a three-hit shutout and the Mets lost to the Toronto Blue Jays, 2-0, Saturday at Rogers Centre. Dillon Gee starts Sunday's 1:07 p.m. game, trying to prevent the Amazin's from getting swept north of the border.
Regarding the Mets' offense, Terry Collins said, the Mets can't be patient to a fault in driving up pitch counts.
"We’ve got to start grinding out some at-bats," Collins said. "It goes back to exactly what we talked about a couple of weeks ago, and that's: It’s not about taking pitches. It’s about being patient, and when you get the pitch you want, hit it. Brandon was in the strike zone today. He was making good pitches early in the count. And we're down early, 0-1, 0-2. I don’t want these guys to think they've got to go up there and just take the good pitches they can hit."
Sunday's news reports:
• Miguel Batista was forced to leave Saturday's game after tossing two scoreless innings because of a pulled muscle in his lower back. Jeremy Hefner, promoted from Triple-A Buffalo, entered in relief and limited the Jays to two runs in five innings but was charged with the loss. Chris Schwinden will arrive Sunday in Toronto as a taxi-squad member, and presumably has a good chance of being activated as a hedge against Gee having a short outing, with Batista landing on the DL.
Jordany Valdespin had been demoted before Saturday's game to make room for Hefner. Valdespin will play second base with the Bisons. The Mets will promote a position player before Monday's game in Pittsburgh, Collins indicated. Collins said Hefner would start in Batista's place Thursday at Citi Field if the 41-year-old right-hander lands on the DL. Read more in Newsday, the Record, Star-Ledger and Post.
• Mike Baxter was ruled out at second base in the ninth inning on an apparent blown call. Had Baxter been credited with a double, the Mets would have had two runners in scoring position with one out in the ninth, trailing by two runs. Read more in the Post.
• Read game recaps in the Post, Times, Star-Ledger, Newsday, Record and Daily News.
• There's no indication Ike Davis is in imminent danger of a demotion. But the number of notable names getting demoted is, well, notable. First, the Braves sent Jair Jurrjens to Triple-A Gwinnett. First baseman Adam Lind is reportedly on waivers for the purpose of being removed from the 40-man roster and demoted by the Blue Jays. And, now, first baseman Gaby Sanchez, who was hitting .197 with one homer with Miami, has been demoted too. “We don’t think he’s a .190 hitter,” Marlins GM Michael Hill told the Miami Herald about Sanchez, an All-Star last season. “We think he’s better than he’s showing here. We think he’s pressing. We want to take some of the pressure off him, get him down to Triple-A, and get him right.” Davis is hitting .160 after going 0-for-3 Saturday in Toronto.
• Pedro Beato began an official rehab assignment Saturday night with Class A St. Lucie, tossing two scoreless innings. He is on the 60-day DL because of a shoulder issue that arose during spring training. Jenrry Mejia, meanwhile, allowed one run on six hits while striking out three and walking none in three innings for Double-A Binghamton. He threw only 48 pitches in his first Double-A start since Tommy John surgery, but Sandy Alderson said that roughly was the prescribed length. Mejia had higher pitch counts in two previous starts for St. Lucie. Also Saturday, Vinny Rottino had three homers for Triple-A Buffalo. Read the Saturday's full minor league recap here.
• David Wright was sicker Saturday than the previous day and was unavailable. Still, he already has informed Collins he wants to play Sunday. Read more in the Daily News.
• Anthony McCarron pens a feature in the Daily News celebrating Wright's leadership by example. Regarding Wright bickering with Collins in the dugout because he wanted to remain in Tuesday's game against Milwaukee to get drilled as payback for D.J. Carrasco hitting Ryan Braun, Ron Darling said: “I think there were probably people on the bench who didn’t understand what the hullabaloo was about at all and were taught a valuable lesson. 'What? Get hit? Who wants to get hit?’ He basically said, 'I know how the game is played and I know what we have to do in certain situations and I’m willing to do that.' David is one of those rare current players who could’ve played in any generation. There is a real courage in the way he plays the game. Guy played three weeks with a back that was broken last year, hits a homer with a broken finger because he knows his team needs him. I watch him play, and it makes me proud that I was part of the fraternity.”
• Collins believes Ruben Tejada (quadriceps) could be in a minor league rehab game as soon as Monday. Jason Bay (fractured rib) may take batting practice that day in Pittsburgh. Chris Young, who took a brief break with his wife due to give birth, is expected to resume his comeback with Class A St. Lucie on Friday. It will be Young's third minor league start with the Florida State League club since May 16, 2011 surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his right shoulder.
• David Lennon in Newsday reviews the early impact of the wall changes at Citi Field. He notes Gee's amusement at hearing during the trip to Miami's new ballpark about Marlins players already expressing discontent with the cavernous dimensions. As a result of the Citi Field changes, there have been 10 additional homers this season that would have remained in play under the old configuration -- six by opponents, four by the Mets (Kirk Nieuwenhuis 2, Lucas Duda, Wright). "I enjoy it," Wright told Lennon. "Obviously, it's smaller, so I enjoy that. But it's tough, I guess, to describe the effect that it has because it's still relatively early. A lot of how the ball carries has to do with the weather, and the weather has been chilly, rainy and windy."
Still, Citi Field has not become a homer haven. Writes Lennon:
Through the first 20 home games, there have been 26 home runs hit at Citi Field, and that frequency of 1.3 per game is tied (with Wrigley Field) for 13th-best in the National League . Only AT&T Park (0.84), PETCO Park (0.96) and Marlins Park (1.24) had produced fewer. Before Citi's changes are deemed inconsequential, however, consider this: According to ESPN Home Run Tracker, 10 home runs needed the new dimensions to clear the walls, and if there were only 16 home runs to this point, that drops the average rate to a minuscule 0.80 -- the lowest in either league. "It's only a small sample size," Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said. "But at the same time, that's still a dramatic impact."
Jeff Wilpon told Lennon: "It doesn't look like a sore thumb sticking out, in the terms of the changes that we made. I think it's been very successful in that sense. We knew it wouldn't make a huge difference -- we wanted it to be a moderate difference. ... I wish we were hitting more home runs, either with the benefit of the changes or without the benefits."
• Tyler Kepner in the Times pays homage to Chipper Jones, who is due to retire at season's end. Writes Kepner:
In Chicago, the Cubs gave him a Braves flag that flew above the scoreboard at Wrigley Field. In Denver, the Rockies gave him a camera to mount on his hunting bow. The Houston Astros gave him a cowboy hat, and the St. Louis Cardinals presented a jersey signed by Stan Musial. “It was really cool in St. Louis when he came up to bat,” Braves reliever Craig Kimbrel said. “They kind of stopped the game. They were already losing in the first inning, but he came up to bat and got a standing ovation.”
Jones told Kepner about last year's Braves historic collapse relative to the team's current success (25-16, first place): "It’s really gratifying because the guys went home in the offseason and used what happened in September as a motivational tool. I’ve said this all along: If we end up winning an Eastern Division championship or a National League championship or a World Series in the next couple of years, I guarantee you all these players will look back at September and say we learned a lot.”
• Critic Bob Raissman in the Daily News praises Collins as a straight shooter. Writes Raissman:
While The Prince of Darkness, John Tortorella, continues perfecting his mummified style, Terry Collins is out in Queens shedding light. The Mets manager will never be cast as Mr. Sunshine. He illuminates by speaking the truth. That’s why the media rarely has a discouraging word about him. Of all the head mouths in town, Collins is the straightest shooter.
• Columnist Jeff Bradley in the Star-Ledger compares the 1993 Yankees to the 2012 Mets in terms of success despite low expectations. Warning: extensive Paul O'Neill quoting.
TRIVIA: Who was the last Pittsburgh Pirate to have a multi-homer game against the Mets?
Saturday's answer: Mike Jacobs was traded to Toronto for a player to be named or cash in the last swap between the Mets and Jays, on July 30, 2010.
Regarding the Mets' offense, Terry Collins said, the Mets can't be patient to a fault in driving up pitch counts.
"We’ve got to start grinding out some at-bats," Collins said. "It goes back to exactly what we talked about a couple of weeks ago, and that's: It’s not about taking pitches. It’s about being patient, and when you get the pitch you want, hit it. Brandon was in the strike zone today. He was making good pitches early in the count. And we're down early, 0-1, 0-2. I don’t want these guys to think they've got to go up there and just take the good pitches they can hit."
Sunday's news reports:
• Miguel Batista was forced to leave Saturday's game after tossing two scoreless innings because of a pulled muscle in his lower back. Jeremy Hefner, promoted from Triple-A Buffalo, entered in relief and limited the Jays to two runs in five innings but was charged with the loss. Chris Schwinden will arrive Sunday in Toronto as a taxi-squad member, and presumably has a good chance of being activated as a hedge against Gee having a short outing, with Batista landing on the DL.
Jordany Valdespin had been demoted before Saturday's game to make room for Hefner. Valdespin will play second base with the Bisons. The Mets will promote a position player before Monday's game in Pittsburgh, Collins indicated. Collins said Hefner would start in Batista's place Thursday at Citi Field if the 41-year-old right-hander lands on the DL. Read more in Newsday, the Record, Star-Ledger and Post.
• Mike Baxter was ruled out at second base in the ninth inning on an apparent blown call. Had Baxter been credited with a double, the Mets would have had two runners in scoring position with one out in the ninth, trailing by two runs. Read more in the Post.
• Read game recaps in the Post, Times, Star-Ledger, Newsday, Record and Daily News.
• There's no indication Ike Davis is in imminent danger of a demotion. But the number of notable names getting demoted is, well, notable. First, the Braves sent Jair Jurrjens to Triple-A Gwinnett. First baseman Adam Lind is reportedly on waivers for the purpose of being removed from the 40-man roster and demoted by the Blue Jays. And, now, first baseman Gaby Sanchez, who was hitting .197 with one homer with Miami, has been demoted too. “We don’t think he’s a .190 hitter,” Marlins GM Michael Hill told the Miami Herald about Sanchez, an All-Star last season. “We think he’s better than he’s showing here. We think he’s pressing. We want to take some of the pressure off him, get him down to Triple-A, and get him right.” Davis is hitting .160 after going 0-for-3 Saturday in Toronto.
• Pedro Beato began an official rehab assignment Saturday night with Class A St. Lucie, tossing two scoreless innings. He is on the 60-day DL because of a shoulder issue that arose during spring training. Jenrry Mejia, meanwhile, allowed one run on six hits while striking out three and walking none in three innings for Double-A Binghamton. He threw only 48 pitches in his first Double-A start since Tommy John surgery, but Sandy Alderson said that roughly was the prescribed length. Mejia had higher pitch counts in two previous starts for St. Lucie. Also Saturday, Vinny Rottino had three homers for Triple-A Buffalo. Read the Saturday's full minor league recap here.
• David Wright was sicker Saturday than the previous day and was unavailable. Still, he already has informed Collins he wants to play Sunday. Read more in the Daily News.
• Anthony McCarron pens a feature in the Daily News celebrating Wright's leadership by example. Regarding Wright bickering with Collins in the dugout because he wanted to remain in Tuesday's game against Milwaukee to get drilled as payback for D.J. Carrasco hitting Ryan Braun, Ron Darling said: “I think there were probably people on the bench who didn’t understand what the hullabaloo was about at all and were taught a valuable lesson. 'What? Get hit? Who wants to get hit?’ He basically said, 'I know how the game is played and I know what we have to do in certain situations and I’m willing to do that.' David is one of those rare current players who could’ve played in any generation. There is a real courage in the way he plays the game. Guy played three weeks with a back that was broken last year, hits a homer with a broken finger because he knows his team needs him. I watch him play, and it makes me proud that I was part of the fraternity.”
• Collins believes Ruben Tejada (quadriceps) could be in a minor league rehab game as soon as Monday. Jason Bay (fractured rib) may take batting practice that day in Pittsburgh. Chris Young, who took a brief break with his wife due to give birth, is expected to resume his comeback with Class A St. Lucie on Friday. It will be Young's third minor league start with the Florida State League club since May 16, 2011 surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his right shoulder.
• David Lennon in Newsday reviews the early impact of the wall changes at Citi Field. He notes Gee's amusement at hearing during the trip to Miami's new ballpark about Marlins players already expressing discontent with the cavernous dimensions. As a result of the Citi Field changes, there have been 10 additional homers this season that would have remained in play under the old configuration -- six by opponents, four by the Mets (Kirk Nieuwenhuis 2, Lucas Duda, Wright). "I enjoy it," Wright told Lennon. "Obviously, it's smaller, so I enjoy that. But it's tough, I guess, to describe the effect that it has because it's still relatively early. A lot of how the ball carries has to do with the weather, and the weather has been chilly, rainy and windy."
Still, Citi Field has not become a homer haven. Writes Lennon:
Through the first 20 home games, there have been 26 home runs hit at Citi Field, and that frequency of 1.3 per game is tied (with Wrigley Field) for 13th-best in the National League . Only AT&T Park (0.84), PETCO Park (0.96) and Marlins Park (1.24) had produced fewer. Before Citi's changes are deemed inconsequential, however, consider this: According to ESPN Home Run Tracker, 10 home runs needed the new dimensions to clear the walls, and if there were only 16 home runs to this point, that drops the average rate to a minuscule 0.80 -- the lowest in either league. "It's only a small sample size," Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said. "But at the same time, that's still a dramatic impact."
Jeff Wilpon told Lennon: "It doesn't look like a sore thumb sticking out, in the terms of the changes that we made. I think it's been very successful in that sense. We knew it wouldn't make a huge difference -- we wanted it to be a moderate difference. ... I wish we were hitting more home runs, either with the benefit of the changes or without the benefits."
• Tyler Kepner in the Times pays homage to Chipper Jones, who is due to retire at season's end. Writes Kepner:
In Chicago, the Cubs gave him a Braves flag that flew above the scoreboard at Wrigley Field. In Denver, the Rockies gave him a camera to mount on his hunting bow. The Houston Astros gave him a cowboy hat, and the St. Louis Cardinals presented a jersey signed by Stan Musial. “It was really cool in St. Louis when he came up to bat,” Braves reliever Craig Kimbrel said. “They kind of stopped the game. They were already losing in the first inning, but he came up to bat and got a standing ovation.”
Jones told Kepner about last year's Braves historic collapse relative to the team's current success (25-16, first place): "It’s really gratifying because the guys went home in the offseason and used what happened in September as a motivational tool. I’ve said this all along: If we end up winning an Eastern Division championship or a National League championship or a World Series in the next couple of years, I guarantee you all these players will look back at September and say we learned a lot.”
• Critic Bob Raissman in the Daily News praises Collins as a straight shooter. Writes Raissman:
While The Prince of Darkness, John Tortorella, continues perfecting his mummified style, Terry Collins is out in Queens shedding light. The Mets manager will never be cast as Mr. Sunshine. He illuminates by speaking the truth. That’s why the media rarely has a discouraging word about him. Of all the head mouths in town, Collins is the straightest shooter.
• Columnist Jeff Bradley in the Star-Ledger compares the 1993 Yankees to the 2012 Mets in terms of success despite low expectations. Warning: extensive Paul O'Neill quoting.
TRIVIA: Who was the last Pittsburgh Pirate to have a multi-homer game against the Mets?
Saturday's answer: Mike Jacobs was traded to Toronto for a player to be named or cash in the last swap between the Mets and Jays, on July 30, 2010.
Pregame: Ill Wright to the bench Saturday
May, 18, 2012
May 18
6:12
PM ET
By
Adam Rubin | ESPNNewYork.com
David Wright is scheduled to sit Saturday, with Justin Turner starting at third base, despite Wright owning a .411 average entering the series.
Wright sitting in Toronto, at roughly the midpoint of a 20-games-in-20-days stretch, was decided by Terry Collins and Wright a week ago in Miami. Wright now can use the day off even more so. He's battling a head cold and sounds terrible, so much so that Collins would have given Wright off Friday had the Mets not been facing a left-hander, Ricky Romero.
Wright is not a fan of DHing, so do not look for that this weekend. "I like playing the field," he said.
Incidentally, Wright slid headfirst Thursday. He said he could not recall if that's the first time he did so since suffering a fractured right pinkie, but he continues to intend to slide feet first unless instincts take over.
• Scott Hairston is the extra bat in the lineup Friday, although he's playing left field and Lucas Duda is getting the break as the DH. Collins said Mike Baxter will be the extra addition to the lineup Saturday and Sunday.
• Ike Davis is off Friday, but Collins said he is not in a platoon and will start Monday against left-hander Erik Bedard in Pittsburgh. Daniel Murphy should get Monday day.
• Jason Bay, who ran and played catch Friday afternoon, has only swung a bat lightly while hitting off a tee so far as he works back from a fractured rib. Bay should begin swinging more forcefully when the Mets' trip continues in Pittsburgh after the weekend.
• Ruben Tejada, out with a right quadriceps strain, has taken grounders but is not yet baserunning.
• Josh Thole, cleared to resume activity after suffering a concussion, is doing cardiovascular work this weekend and may travel to Port St. Lucie on Monday.
• Chris Young, who has made two minor league starts with Class A St. Lucie, will not pitch on his regular turn Sunday. Pitching coach Dan Warthen said Young is with his wife, who is having a baby, and that the delay is not a complication from May 16, 2011 shoulder surgery. Warthen was unsure if Young's next -- and now delayed -- start will be with St. Lucie or Triple-A Buffalo.
• Collins bought 30 NHL jerseys and supplied them to many of the players, including Andres Torres, for the trip to Toronto. Because Torres was born in New Jersey, he was assigned a Devils jersey.
The center fielder did not understand why he was getting taunted by so many people while out in public -- presumably Rangers fans. Collins said "traitor" chants were directed at Torres. "He didn't know anything about it," Collins said. "People are screaming at him."
Johan Santana joked he ordered a Venezuelan national hockey team jersey but it never arrived. He represented the Minnesota Wild instead.
Wright is not a fan of DHing, so do not look for that this weekend. "I like playing the field," he said.
Incidentally, Wright slid headfirst Thursday. He said he could not recall if that's the first time he did so since suffering a fractured right pinkie, but he continues to intend to slide feet first unless instincts take over.
• Scott Hairston is the extra bat in the lineup Friday, although he's playing left field and Lucas Duda is getting the break as the DH. Collins said Mike Baxter will be the extra addition to the lineup Saturday and Sunday.
• Ike Davis is off Friday, but Collins said he is not in a platoon and will start Monday against left-hander Erik Bedard in Pittsburgh. Daniel Murphy should get Monday day.
• Jason Bay, who ran and played catch Friday afternoon, has only swung a bat lightly while hitting off a tee so far as he works back from a fractured rib. Bay should begin swinging more forcefully when the Mets' trip continues in Pittsburgh after the weekend.
• Josh Thole, cleared to resume activity after suffering a concussion, is doing cardiovascular work this weekend and may travel to Port St. Lucie on Monday.
• Chris Young, who has made two minor league starts with Class A St. Lucie, will not pitch on his regular turn Sunday. Pitching coach Dan Warthen said Young is with his wife, who is having a baby, and that the delay is not a complication from May 16, 2011 shoulder surgery. Warthen was unsure if Young's next -- and now delayed -- start will be with St. Lucie or Triple-A Buffalo.
• Collins bought 30 NHL jerseys and supplied them to many of the players, including Andres Torres, for the trip to Toronto. Because Torres was born in New Jersey, he was assigned a Devils jersey.
The center fielder did not understand why he was getting taunted by so many people while out in public -- presumably Rangers fans. Collins said "traitor" chants were directed at Torres. "He didn't know anything about it," Collins said. "People are screaming at him."
Johan Santana joked he ordered a Venezuelan national hockey team jersey but it never arrived. He represented the Minnesota Wild instead.
Wright redux, captaincy; other TC tidbits
May, 16, 2012
May 16
5:14
PM ET
By
Adam Rubin | ESPNNewYork.com
Terry Collins reiterated Wednesday that his relationship with David Wright is sound and that the third baseman was upset at the situation, not at the manager. Collins pulled Wright from an 8-0 game for a pinch-hitter a half-inning after D.J. Carrasco was ejected for drilling Ryan Braun.
Collins said he also received an assurance from Carrasco there was nothing purposeful about hitting Braun one pitch after Rickie Weeks homered for Milwaukee. The manager said he would not have been pleased if he believed Carrasco did it on purpose.
"I'm certainly going to believe him. I have no reason not to," Collins said. "If he did it on purpose, he put us in a bad situation. And I told him so. But I trust in what he says and I trust the way he told it, and we're putting it behind us."
Colllins said he had never been involved in a decision like that before in pulling a player to prevent him from being a target for retaliation.
"If the game was 3-3, he's hitting," Collins said about Wright. "That's just the nature of the beast. And he probably would have had to wear one for the club at that particular time. But what I didn't need was for him to get one in the middle of the back to where all of a sudden today he can't bend over, to where we lost him for two or three days."
Even though Wright and Collins had smoothed things out at the stadium, Wright texted his manager later that night just to make sure everything was OK between them.
"It's all done," Wright said.
Collins also was asked Wednesday if he has considered naming Wright the captain. The manager said he has not "recently" entertained that notion. He did consider it last offseason, but did not want to put too much on Wright's plate coming off a subpar, injured-filled 2011 season. Collins added that he never has had a captain before.
Collins said should he some day decide to name Wright captain, it merely would require passing along his desire to Sandy Alderson and Jeff Wilpon.
"I've thought about it," Collins said. "I thought about it this winter. I thought about it. But, again, when we were going into spring training, I think we were putting him in a tough situation. He's coming off a rough year with the injury, and you've got to put up huge numbers. And I don't want him to think that he's got to somehow be the guy that takes everybody else's complaint. He's got enough on his plate to play well. I work hard every day to make sure I communicate with each and every player. And if they have things they want to complain about, they can come to me. They don't need to go to David."
Would it be awkward or ill-advised to name Wright captain before he's locked up long term?
"It might be. It might be in Sandy's case," Collins said. "I've never had one. I've never been around one. The teams that I've been around have never had a guy named the captain of a team. So I don't know all the parameters of what it would take, and if I went to Sandy and said, 'I want to do this,' if he'd say, 'You better wait until we get this guy locked up,' if that's what the case is going to be."
Also Wednesday:
• While Jenrry Mejia's next minor league outing will be Saturday as a starter for Double-A Binghamton, Collins acknowledged a relief role probably is in the offing. The reason for starting right now is so that Mejia can work on his breaking ball and other secondary pitches while throwing 80-plus pitches.
"I don't have a lot to say about it," Collins said. "I don't think that's my job. I have enough problems here. But I think down the road you'll probably see Jenrry Mejia somehow get in that bullpen."
• Collins will probably use Scott Hairston as DH on Friday in Toronto against a left-hander, Ricky Romero.
• Lucas Duda took extensive groundballs at first base before batting practice. Does that mean Ike Davis could get bumped to the minors when Jason Bay returns? Collins insisted that was not the logic. The manager said now that Daniel Murphy at second base and Duda in right field have become acclimated to their new positions, he will be more inclined to move them on a double-switch to first base if that is the best defensive alignment as opposed to locking them into their new positions.
Collins said he also received an assurance from Carrasco there was nothing purposeful about hitting Braun one pitch after Rickie Weeks homered for Milwaukee. The manager said he would not have been pleased if he believed Carrasco did it on purpose.
Kathy Willens/Associated Press
David Wright grabs his bat at the end of Tuesday's 8-0 loss to Milwaukee. He was pulled in the seventh.
David Wright grabs his bat at the end of Tuesday's 8-0 loss to Milwaukee. He was pulled in the seventh.
Colllins said he had never been involved in a decision like that before in pulling a player to prevent him from being a target for retaliation.
"If the game was 3-3, he's hitting," Collins said about Wright. "That's just the nature of the beast. And he probably would have had to wear one for the club at that particular time. But what I didn't need was for him to get one in the middle of the back to where all of a sudden today he can't bend over, to where we lost him for two or three days."
Even though Wright and Collins had smoothed things out at the stadium, Wright texted his manager later that night just to make sure everything was OK between them.
"It's all done," Wright said.
Collins also was asked Wednesday if he has considered naming Wright the captain. The manager said he has not "recently" entertained that notion. He did consider it last offseason, but did not want to put too much on Wright's plate coming off a subpar, injured-filled 2011 season. Collins added that he never has had a captain before.
Collins said should he some day decide to name Wright captain, it merely would require passing along his desire to Sandy Alderson and Jeff Wilpon.
"I've thought about it," Collins said. "I thought about it this winter. I thought about it. But, again, when we were going into spring training, I think we were putting him in a tough situation. He's coming off a rough year with the injury, and you've got to put up huge numbers. And I don't want him to think that he's got to somehow be the guy that takes everybody else's complaint. He's got enough on his plate to play well. I work hard every day to make sure I communicate with each and every player. And if they have things they want to complain about, they can come to me. They don't need to go to David."
Would it be awkward or ill-advised to name Wright captain before he's locked up long term?
"It might be. It might be in Sandy's case," Collins said. "I've never had one. I've never been around one. The teams that I've been around have never had a guy named the captain of a team. So I don't know all the parameters of what it would take, and if I went to Sandy and said, 'I want to do this,' if he'd say, 'You better wait until we get this guy locked up,' if that's what the case is going to be."
Also Wednesday:
• While Jenrry Mejia's next minor league outing will be Saturday as a starter for Double-A Binghamton, Collins acknowledged a relief role probably is in the offing. The reason for starting right now is so that Mejia can work on his breaking ball and other secondary pitches while throwing 80-plus pitches.
"I don't have a lot to say about it," Collins said. "I don't think that's my job. I have enough problems here. But I think down the road you'll probably see Jenrry Mejia somehow get in that bullpen."
• Collins will probably use Scott Hairston as DH on Friday in Toronto against a left-hander, Ricky Romero.
• Lucas Duda took extensive groundballs at first base before batting practice. Does that mean Ike Davis could get bumped to the minors when Jason Bay returns? Collins insisted that was not the logic. The manager said now that Daniel Murphy at second base and Duda in right field have become acclimated to their new positions, he will be more inclined to move them on a double-switch to first base if that is the best defensive alignment as opposed to locking them into their new positions.
WHAT IT MEANS: Maybe that two-year, $12 million deal Frank Francisco received this offseason could have been better spent elsewhere.
For the second time in the series, Francisco botched a save chance as the Mets suffered another gut-wrenching defeat. This time it came Sunday, in an 8-4 loss in the rubber game against the Miami Marlins.
Asked to protect a 4-2 lead after a dramatic top of the ninth that included Justin Turner’s two-out, full-count, two-run double with the bases loaded, Francisco allowed all three batters he faced to reach, including one run to score.
And Francisco was not done even after being pulled for Manny Acosta.
Rather than head directly to the dugout, Francisco headed toward the plate, where he jawed with umpire Todd Tichenor. Even though Francisco was being pulled from the game, Tichenor made it doubly official by ejecting him. Terry Collins had to intercede so things did not get out of hand.
It was another miserable day all around for the bullpen.
Acosta surrendered a game-tying sacrifice fly to Jose Reyes, then eventually loaded the bases with two out by plunking Austin Kearns. Giancarlo Stanton ended it with a grand slam.
Earlier, Jon Niese tossed six scoreless innings, then got pulled at 99 pitches with the Mets leading 2-0, two out and two runners in scoring position in the top of the seventh. Ike Davis, who had been scratched because of the flu, grounded out back to Carlos Zambrano as a pinch hitter as the threat went for naught.
Then the bullpen immediately let the Mets down.
Two batters into the bottom half of the inning, Ramon Ramirez had surrendered a leadoff triple to Emilio Bonifacio and two-run homer to John Buck as the Marlins evened the score at 2.
TURNER CLASSIC: Turner stood to be the hero before the bottom-of-the-ninth meltdown.
Turner had walked against Heath Bell with the bases loaded in New York to complete a 13-pitch faceoff and force in a tying run. This time, Turner fouled off one full-count offering with the bases loaded and two out in the ninth and the score tied at 2. Turner, pinch hitting, sent the next pitch into right field for a two-run double.
Daniel Murphy began the ninth-inning drama with a one-out double. Ronny Cedeno followed with a walk. Both advanced on Jordany Valdespin’s groundout. The Marlins then chose to intentionally walk Mike Baxter with first base open and have Bell go up against the righty-hitting Turner.
WRIGHT WATCH: David Wright went 1-for-3 with a walk, dipping his average to .400. Wright’s fourth-inning single advanced Kirk Nieuwenhuis to second base. Both moved ahead a base on a passed ball. They then scored the game’s opening runs on Lucas Duda’s RBI groundout and Murphy’s RBI single.
Wright went 13-for-27 on the six-game road trip.
OFF TRACK: Andres Torres’ streak of reaching base in every game in which he has appeared ended Sunday at 12. Torres went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts.
WHAT’S NEXT: After a 4-2 road trip to Philly and Miami, the Mets return to Citi Field to open two-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers and then the Cincinnati Reds. Miguel Batista (0-1, 5.89 ERA) makes his second start in Mike Pelfrey’s former rotation spot Monday, opposite Brewers right-hander Yovani Gallardo (2-3, 5.35).
Asked to protect a 4-2 lead after a dramatic top of the ninth that included Justin Turner’s two-out, full-count, two-run double with the bases loaded, Francisco allowed all three batters he faced to reach, including one run to score.
And Francisco was not done even after being pulled for Manny Acosta.
Rather than head directly to the dugout, Francisco headed toward the plate, where he jawed with umpire Todd Tichenor. Even though Francisco was being pulled from the game, Tichenor made it doubly official by ejecting him. Terry Collins had to intercede so things did not get out of hand.
It was another miserable day all around for the bullpen.
Acosta surrendered a game-tying sacrifice fly to Jose Reyes, then eventually loaded the bases with two out by plunking Austin Kearns. Giancarlo Stanton ended it with a grand slam.
Earlier, Jon Niese tossed six scoreless innings, then got pulled at 99 pitches with the Mets leading 2-0, two out and two runners in scoring position in the top of the seventh. Ike Davis, who had been scratched because of the flu, grounded out back to Carlos Zambrano as a pinch hitter as the threat went for naught.
Then the bullpen immediately let the Mets down.
Two batters into the bottom half of the inning, Ramon Ramirez had surrendered a leadoff triple to Emilio Bonifacio and two-run homer to John Buck as the Marlins evened the score at 2.
Turner had walked against Heath Bell with the bases loaded in New York to complete a 13-pitch faceoff and force in a tying run. This time, Turner fouled off one full-count offering with the bases loaded and two out in the ninth and the score tied at 2. Turner, pinch hitting, sent the next pitch into right field for a two-run double.
Daniel Murphy began the ninth-inning drama with a one-out double. Ronny Cedeno followed with a walk. Both advanced on Jordany Valdespin’s groundout. The Marlins then chose to intentionally walk Mike Baxter with first base open and have Bell go up against the righty-hitting Turner.
WRIGHT WATCH: David Wright went 1-for-3 with a walk, dipping his average to .400. Wright’s fourth-inning single advanced Kirk Nieuwenhuis to second base. Both moved ahead a base on a passed ball. They then scored the game’s opening runs on Lucas Duda’s RBI groundout and Murphy’s RBI single.
Wright went 13-for-27 on the six-game road trip.
OFF TRACK: Andres Torres’ streak of reaching base in every game in which he has appeared ended Sunday at 12. Torres went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts.
WHAT’S NEXT: After a 4-2 road trip to Philly and Miami, the Mets return to Citi Field to open two-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers and then the Cincinnati Reds. Miguel Batista (0-1, 5.89 ERA) makes his second start in Mike Pelfrey’s former rotation spot Monday, opposite Brewers right-hander Yovani Gallardo (2-3, 5.35).
R.A. Dickey had a mark on his right wrist, but the knuckleballer said after Saturday's 9-3 win that he should not require X-rays as the result of being struck by a fifth-inning pitch from opposing starter Ricky Nolasco.
Dickey completed one more inning before departing.
"It's pretty sore," Terry Collins said. "My concern, obviously, was if the wrist stiffened up. He came off after the sixth inning and said it was really starting to throb. So I thought that was enough."
Said Dickey: "It hit me on the inside of my right wrist. ... Nothing serious. I'd say that I probably would have pitched a couple of more innings. I certainly felt OK [pitching-wise]. But it's better to be precautionary at that stage, I think. So we'll see how it feels in the morning.
"You don't know until the initial sting of it dissipates how bad it may really be with the wrist. And I was thankful it hit me in a meatier part of the wrist. But you just never know. I got feeling back in my hand pretty quickly, and I felt like I was going to be OK."
As for his outing on the mound (6 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K), Dickey said: "As far as the knuckleball goes, it was a real fight today. I threw a lot of tumbleweeds up there -- balls that were just kind of over-rotating on me. Fortunately, I didn't have my swing-and-miss knuckleball tonight, but they were hitting enough pieces of it to get me some groundballs in bigger situations, and I was able to make a big pitch occasionally when I needed it.
"But that's a good club over there. It's hard to compete against that club with less than your best stuff. And I didn't have my best stuff today. And I'm fortunate to get out of it the way I did."
• The Mets' Nos. 3-4-5 hitters had three-plus hits apiece for the first time since May 16, 2009 at San Francisco, when Carlos Beltran, Gary Sheffield and David Wright all did so.
Wright was 4-for-6. Lucas Duda was 3-for-6. Daniel Murphy was 3-for-4.
• Wright's .402 average is the second-best in franchise history on May 12 (min. 50 plate appearances). Cleon Jones was hitting .411 on May 12, 1969. Next on the list: Joe Torre (.393, 1976) and Mike Piazza (.389, 2000).
Dickey completed one more inning before departing.
Steve Mitchell/US Presswire
Terry Collins checks on R.A. Dickey's right wrist after the knuckleballer was plunked by Ricky Nolasco in the fifth inning.
Terry Collins checks on R.A. Dickey's right wrist after the knuckleballer was plunked by Ricky Nolasco in the fifth inning.
Said Dickey: "It hit me on the inside of my right wrist. ... Nothing serious. I'd say that I probably would have pitched a couple of more innings. I certainly felt OK [pitching-wise]. But it's better to be precautionary at that stage, I think. So we'll see how it feels in the morning.
"You don't know until the initial sting of it dissipates how bad it may really be with the wrist. And I was thankful it hit me in a meatier part of the wrist. But you just never know. I got feeling back in my hand pretty quickly, and I felt like I was going to be OK."
As for his outing on the mound (6 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K), Dickey said: "As far as the knuckleball goes, it was a real fight today. I threw a lot of tumbleweeds up there -- balls that were just kind of over-rotating on me. Fortunately, I didn't have my swing-and-miss knuckleball tonight, but they were hitting enough pieces of it to get me some groundballs in bigger situations, and I was able to make a big pitch occasionally when I needed it.
"But that's a good club over there. It's hard to compete against that club with less than your best stuff. And I didn't have my best stuff today. And I'm fortunate to get out of it the way I did."
• The Mets' Nos. 3-4-5 hitters had three-plus hits apiece for the first time since May 16, 2009 at San Francisco, when Carlos Beltran, Gary Sheffield and David Wright all did so.
Wright was 4-for-6. Lucas Duda was 3-for-6. Daniel Murphy was 3-for-4.
• Wright's .402 average is the second-best in franchise history on May 12 (min. 50 plate appearances). Cleon Jones was hitting .411 on May 12, 1969. Next on the list: Joe Torre (.393, 1976) and Mike Piazza (.389, 2000).
WHAT IT MEANS: The Miami Marlins turned the tables on Frank Francisco and the comeback kids.
Charged with protecting a one-run lead in the ninth, Francisco suffered a blown save after Giancarlo Stanton produced a leadoff double and Emilio Bonifacio plated him with a one-out single.
Bonifacio then swiped second -- his franchise-record 18th straight successful steal to open the season -- and scored the winning run in Miami’s 6-5 victory when Greg Dobbs singled with two out.
Francisco (1-2) suffered his second blown save in 10 chances.
To that point, the Mets had been poised for their MLB-high 12th comeback win of the season.
Pinch hitter Mike Baxter delivered a tiebreaking two-run double with the bases loaded against reliever Ryan Webb in a three-run eighth to give the Mets a 5-3 lead.
Instead, the loss snapped the Mets’ five-game winning streak.
RALLY RECAP: Ike Davis began the rally from an early 3-0 deficit, delivering a solo homer in the fifth against Mark Buehrle. It was Davis’ second straight game with a homer. He belted a mammoth three-run shot off the second-deck façade against Jose Contreras in the eighth inning Wednesday at Philadelphia.
In the seventh, Mike Nickeas’ one-out RBI double against Buehrle pulled the Mets within a run, prompting Terry Collins to pinch hit for Johan Santana. But Justin Turner flied out. And after a walk to Andres Torres prompted Ozzie Guillen to go to his bullpen, southpaw Randy Choate struck out Daniel Murphy and the Mets headed to the bottom of the seventh trailing 3-2.
In the eighth, David Wright (3-for-5) dropped a leadoff double inside the right-field line against Edward Mujica. Wright moved to third on Lucas Duda’s groundout. Kirk Nieuwenhuis pinch hit for Scott Hairston and delivered a game-tying double. After an intentional walk to Davis and unintentional walk to Ronny Cedeno loaded the bases, Baxter pinch hit for Nickeas against Webb and improved to 6-for-15 with five RBIs as a pinch hitter this season. Baxter’s two-run double gave the Mets a 5-3 lead.
THE NEW FELICIANO: Tim Byrdak appeared to save the day for the Mets yet again. In each of the first two games in Philly, the southpaw stranded an inherited runner at third base in the eighth inning. After Bobby Parnell surrendered a run in the eighth inning on Friday night as the Marlins pulled within 5-4, Byrdak entered with two out and Omar Infante on second base and struck out Logan Morrison to end the threat.
Byrdak is on pace for 96 appearances, which would break the single-season relief record set by Feliciano in his final three seasons as a Met (86, 88 and 92).
NO WAY, COURTESY JOSE: Jose Reyes quickly ensured game No. 8,000 would be the Mets’ 8,000th game without a no-hitter. Reyes, who went only 1-for-12 in New York last month, opened the bottom of the first inning against Santana with a triple narrowly beyond the reach of Torres, who awkwardly played the shot to center field.
Reyes (1-for-4) scored when the newly installed No. 2 hitter Infante dropped a single into shallow left field. Austin Kearns delivered a two-run homer later in the frame. Kearns had been a late replacement in left field for the scratched Morrison, after Guillen decided he liked Kearns matching up better against Santana.
Santana’s final line: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 K.
SHORT STORY: In his first action since April 20, Cedeno returned from the disabled list and went 1-for-2 with two walks. Cedeno will be in the regular shortstop until Ruben Tejada returns from the DL, Collins said.
FIELDING OF DREAMS: Santana and Wright, both former Gold Glove recipients, turned in fielding gems on consecutive plays in the fifth. Santana lunged to catch a bunt attempt from Buehrle in the air. Then, Wright barehanded a grounder from Reyes and threw to first in time to retire his former teammate. An inning earlier, Santana caught Stanton stealing with a pickoff move.
WHAT’S NEXT: Other than a postgame LL Cool J concert after Friday’s game at Marlins Park? R.A. Dickey (4-1, 3.76) opposes Ricky Nolasco (4-0, 2.72 ERA) on Saturday at 1:05 p.m.
Bonifacio then swiped second -- his franchise-record 18th straight successful steal to open the season -- and scored the winning run in Miami’s 6-5 victory when Greg Dobbs singled with two out.
Francisco (1-2) suffered his second blown save in 10 chances.
To that point, the Mets had been poised for their MLB-high 12th comeback win of the season.
Pinch hitter Mike Baxter delivered a tiebreaking two-run double with the bases loaded against reliever Ryan Webb in a three-run eighth to give the Mets a 5-3 lead.
Instead, the loss snapped the Mets’ five-game winning streak.
RALLY RECAP: Ike Davis began the rally from an early 3-0 deficit, delivering a solo homer in the fifth against Mark Buehrle. It was Davis’ second straight game with a homer. He belted a mammoth three-run shot off the second-deck façade against Jose Contreras in the eighth inning Wednesday at Philadelphia.
In the seventh, Mike Nickeas’ one-out RBI double against Buehrle pulled the Mets within a run, prompting Terry Collins to pinch hit for Johan Santana. But Justin Turner flied out. And after a walk to Andres Torres prompted Ozzie Guillen to go to his bullpen, southpaw Randy Choate struck out Daniel Murphy and the Mets headed to the bottom of the seventh trailing 3-2.
In the eighth, David Wright (3-for-5) dropped a leadoff double inside the right-field line against Edward Mujica. Wright moved to third on Lucas Duda’s groundout. Kirk Nieuwenhuis pinch hit for Scott Hairston and delivered a game-tying double. After an intentional walk to Davis and unintentional walk to Ronny Cedeno loaded the bases, Baxter pinch hit for Nickeas against Webb and improved to 6-for-15 with five RBIs as a pinch hitter this season. Baxter’s two-run double gave the Mets a 5-3 lead.
Byrdak is on pace for 96 appearances, which would break the single-season relief record set by Feliciano in his final three seasons as a Met (86, 88 and 92).
NO WAY, COURTESY JOSE: Jose Reyes quickly ensured game No. 8,000 would be the Mets’ 8,000th game without a no-hitter. Reyes, who went only 1-for-12 in New York last month, opened the bottom of the first inning against Santana with a triple narrowly beyond the reach of Torres, who awkwardly played the shot to center field.
Reyes (1-for-4) scored when the newly installed No. 2 hitter Infante dropped a single into shallow left field. Austin Kearns delivered a two-run homer later in the frame. Kearns had been a late replacement in left field for the scratched Morrison, after Guillen decided he liked Kearns matching up better against Santana.
Santana’s final line: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 K.
SHORT STORY: In his first action since April 20, Cedeno returned from the disabled list and went 1-for-2 with two walks. Cedeno will be in the regular shortstop until Ruben Tejada returns from the DL, Collins said.
FIELDING OF DREAMS: Santana and Wright, both former Gold Glove recipients, turned in fielding gems on consecutive plays in the fifth. Santana lunged to catch a bunt attempt from Buehrle in the air. Then, Wright barehanded a grounder from Reyes and threw to first in time to retire his former teammate. An inning earlier, Santana caught Stanton stealing with a pickoff move.
WHAT’S NEXT: Other than a postgame LL Cool J concert after Friday’s game at Marlins Park? R.A. Dickey (4-1, 3.76) opposes Ricky Nolasco (4-0, 2.72 ERA) on Saturday at 1:05 p.m.
WHAT IT MEANS: They’re the comeback kings.
For the MLB-leading 11th time this season, the Mets produced a comeback victory. It lifted them to a 10-6 win Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park and their first sweep of a three-game series in Philly since June 2006.
The Mets (18-13) moved five games over .500 for the first time since July 19, 2010, when they were 49-44.
The reeling Phillies, at 14-18, dropped four games under .500 for the first time since May 9, 2007 -- exactly five years ago. (Don’t look up how that season turned out in the NL East.)
The Mets had rallied from a 2-0 deficit in Monday’s series opener, then a 4-0 deficit Tuesday for victories. This time, they trailed 4-2 after six innings.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis opened the frame with a walk. Justin Turner and Ike Davis consecutively doubled. Rob Johnson walked to load the bases. Then Kendrick plunked pinch hitter Lucas Duda to force in the tying run and set up Torres’ at-bat.
It marked the Phillies’ fifth blown save in their past 10 games.
Kendrick remained in for the eighth and surrendered a leadoff double to David Wright, then broken-bat RBI double to Scott Hairston as the Mets claimed a two-run lead. Later that inning, after Hunter Pence dropped a routine fly ball in right field, Davis launched a mammoth three-run homer off the façade of the second deck in right field against Jose Contreras to give the Mets a 9-4 cushion. It was Davis’ first long ball since April 18, against Atlanta’s Jair Jurrjens.
The Phillies had taken a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth while chasing Dillon Gee on a tiebreaking double by Freddy Galvis and RBI single by Laynce Nix.
HEY THERE MR.: D.J. Carrasco pitched the ninth in his first 2012 appearance with the Mets. He allowed one run.
WHAT’S NEXT: A day off at South Beach for the Mets on Thursday. The Amazin’s then open a weekend series against Jose Reyes and the Marlins on Friday -- their first glimpse at Miami’s new stadium. The opener, which features southpaws Johan Santana and Mark Buehrle, is the 8,000th regular-season game in Mets history. And, presumably, the 8,000th game in franchise history without a no-hitter. Reyes went 1-for-12 during the series at Citi Field.
TC: Mets not conceding by tapping reserves
May, 9, 2012
May 9
5:46
PM ET
By
Adam Rubin | ESPNNewYork.com
Terry Collins said Wednesday's backup-laden lineup was not a product of winning the first two games of the series in Philadelphia. The manager insisted this is the route he would have gone even had the Mets not won Monday and Tuesday.
"We're playing tonight to win," Collins said.
The manager cited a handful of reasons for the lineup decisions, which include righty hitters Vinny Rottino and Scott Hairston as the corner outfielders over lefty hitters Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Lucas Duda.
Among the reasons Collins cited for those outfield assignments:
* After Thursday's off-day, the Mets play 20 straight days. So the backups will need to be sharp, and that means getting in the lineup.
* The Mets' lefty hitters have struggled against southpaws. Duda, despite crucial run-scoring hits against left-handed relievers in his final two at-bats Tuesday, is hitting .214 this season against southpaws. Nieuwenhuis is hitting .207. And while acknowledging Wednesday's Phillies starter, Cliff Lee, has been removed from Triple-A for a while, Collins noted Rottino's numbers against southpaws with Triple-A Buffalo were solid (.360 in 25 at-bats). Hairston, Collins added, is on the roster to face lefty pitching.
* Duda can use a two-day break with Thursday's off-day. He has lost roughly 10 pounds during his flu ordeal, according to Collins.
Incidentally, Wednesday's game against Lee will be the 14th time in 31 games the Mets have faced a left-handed starting pitcher. Collins believes that is just "happenstance" rather than teams purposely setting their rotations to line up southpaws for the Mets series -- at least right now. The Mets are 5-8 in games started by lefties and 12-5 in games started by righties.
They are on pace to see 73 left-handed starters this season. They faced 40 last year, 39 in 2010 and 43 in 2009.
• Ronny Cedeno, working back from a strained intercostal muscle on his left side, played nine innings in an extended spring training game Wednesday. Collins has mentioned Friday in Miami as a logical activation date from the DL, but hedged ever so slightly today on that being the precise day he joins the Mets. Collins said he would like to see Cedeno face -- and have successful swings against -- higher level pitching, since he will be plugged in as the regular shortstop once off the DL ... until Ruben Tejada returns.
• Jordany Valdespin worked early Wednesday afternoon with infield coach Tim Teufel on technique accepting pickoff and catcher's throws as the shortstop. The tutorial came a day after Valdespin committed an error at shortstop on an airmailed throw, missed a pickoff throw and couldn't handle another throw from Mike Nickeas that might otherwise have resulted in a caught stealing.
Collins said Valdespin had been positioning himself in front of the bag. Mets coaches would like Valdespin to straddle the bag and let the ball travel longer. That's because the ball moves faster than Valdespin accepting the throw in front of the base and then trying to swipe a tag.
• Jenrry Mejia will make three more rehab starts before team officials decide whether he is used as a starter or reliever for the remainder of the season, Mets personnel told the Star-Ledger. Mejia pitched five innings for Class A St. Lucie on Wednesday morning.
"We're playing tonight to win," Collins said.
Among the reasons Collins cited for those outfield assignments:
* After Thursday's off-day, the Mets play 20 straight days. So the backups will need to be sharp, and that means getting in the lineup.
* The Mets' lefty hitters have struggled against southpaws. Duda, despite crucial run-scoring hits against left-handed relievers in his final two at-bats Tuesday, is hitting .214 this season against southpaws. Nieuwenhuis is hitting .207. And while acknowledging Wednesday's Phillies starter, Cliff Lee, has been removed from Triple-A for a while, Collins noted Rottino's numbers against southpaws with Triple-A Buffalo were solid (.360 in 25 at-bats). Hairston, Collins added, is on the roster to face lefty pitching.
* Duda can use a two-day break with Thursday's off-day. He has lost roughly 10 pounds during his flu ordeal, according to Collins.
Incidentally, Wednesday's game against Lee will be the 14th time in 31 games the Mets have faced a left-handed starting pitcher. Collins believes that is just "happenstance" rather than teams purposely setting their rotations to line up southpaws for the Mets series -- at least right now. The Mets are 5-8 in games started by lefties and 12-5 in games started by righties.
They are on pace to see 73 left-handed starters this season. They faced 40 last year, 39 in 2010 and 43 in 2009.
• Jordany Valdespin worked early Wednesday afternoon with infield coach Tim Teufel on technique accepting pickoff and catcher's throws as the shortstop. The tutorial came a day after Valdespin committed an error at shortstop on an airmailed throw, missed a pickoff throw and couldn't handle another throw from Mike Nickeas that might otherwise have resulted in a caught stealing.
Collins said Valdespin had been positioning himself in front of the bag. Mets coaches would like Valdespin to straddle the bag and let the ball travel longer. That's because the ball moves faster than Valdespin accepting the throw in front of the base and then trying to swipe a tag.
• Jenrry Mejia will make three more rehab starts before team officials decide whether he is used as a starter or reliever for the remainder of the season, Mets personnel told the Star-Ledger. Mejia pitched five innings for Class A St. Lucie on Wednesday morning.
The Mets overcame a four-run deficit to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-4, on Tuesday. It was the Mets' 10th come-from-behind win this season, matching the Atlanta Braves for the most in Major League Baseball.
On Wednesday, Dillon Gee opposes Cliff Lee with the Mets aiming for their first three-game sweep in Philly since June 13-15, 2006. David Wright homered in each game of that series.
"When you've got a young team, they're going to at times make you pull your hair out," Terry Collins said. "But, for the most part, they fight back and they play nine innings."
Wednesday's news reports:
• Josh Thole landed on the seven-day DL with a concussion, although Sandy Alderson projected the catcher will nearly certainly miss more than that time, because doctors have advised Thole to remain idle for a week or more before doing any activity whatsoever. The Mets promoted catcher Rob Johnson from Triple-A Buffalo and transferred Pedro Beato to the 60-day disabled list. Beato has been working back from a shoulder issue at the Mets' complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Alderson said Mets doctors evaluated Ruben Tejada for a concussion as well because of Sunday's tumble at Citi Field, but the shortstop was cleared. Tejada landed on the DL on Monday with a strained right quadriceps.
Ty Wigginton, who delivered the blow that nailed Thole on Monday night, told Zach Schonbrun in the Times: "I didn’t even know honestly that I made contact with him. I get to the dugout and turn around and he’s just laying there. I saw the replay and realized my shoulder got him. I didn’t realize it was anything like that.” Read more in the Star-Ledger, Post, Daily News and Newsday.
• Jenrry Mejia is due to throw 75 pitches in a start for Class A St. Lucie on Wednesday. Chris Young is scripted to go that same length Thursday for the same Florida State League club. Both pitchers underwent surgery last May 16. Mejia is returning from Tommy John surgery. Young is returning from surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his right shoulder, which is the same procedure Johan Santana underwent the previous September.
• Collins said Miguel Batista will remain in the rotation for another turn in Mike Pelfrey's former slot. Batista was charged with four runs (two earned) in 5 1/3 innings, although he needed Manny Acosta to strand two runners in scoring position in the sixth to hold the damage to that level.
• Jordany Valdespin on Wednesday should receive the baseball from his first major league hit -- Monday's tiebreaking, ninth-inning homer off Jonathan Papelbon. The ball actually was thrown back onto the field after Valdespin's long ball, but a ball girl flipped it back into the stands to a child, who departed the stadium. According to Mets PR man Jay Horwitz, the father of that child heard Tom McCarthy mention it on the Phillies TV telecast and recognized it was his son whom McCarthy was describing. The man contacted the Mets, who have made arrangements for the entire family to come to Citizens Bank Park for the series finale. Read more in Newsday.
• The tying run in the four-run seventh Tuesday scored when Wright got caught in a rundown between first and second and Kirk Nieuwenhuis eventually scampered home from third base. Collins and Wright portrayed it as a heady play by Wright to prevent Nieuwenhuis from being nailed at the plate by right fielder Hunter Pence, but that seemed like a stretch. After all, Nieuwenhuis had started the play on first base and had only just rounded second when Pence fielded the ball. No matter. It worked out for the best as second baseman Pete Orr errantly flung the ball to third base, allowing Nieuwenhuis to scamper home to draw the Mets even at 4.
Nieuwenhuis and Lucas Duda each had RBIs in the seventh and ninth innings. Both of Duda's came against left-handed relievers -- Antonio Bastardo and Joe Savery. Duda entered the game hitting .154 (4-for-26) against southpaws this season. "I kind of struggled throughout the first part of the season with lefties," Duda said. "Luckily, the ball found some space and I got a hit. Guys got on, and I swung the bat and hit the ball, and it was a base hit."
Collins said he was considering pinch hitting for Duda in the seventh before Wright's rundown allowed Nieuwenhuis to score and make it 4-4. Duda followed with the go-ahead RBI hit against Bastardo.
Said Collins about Duda: "Those were big hits. As a matter of fact, we were sitting there today. Lucas has been struggling a little bit against lefties. But the fact that he had the flu so bad -- he's really been struggling -- I'm really concerned about the fatigue factor more than anything. We were talking about the possibility of, 'Hey, look, if the bases are loaded, we might have to hit for him here.'"
• Read game recaps from Tuesday's win, which lifted the Mets to four games over .500, in the Post, Times, Star-Ledger, Newsday, Record and Daily News.
• Columnist Ken Davidoff in the Post seems like he's starting to believe. Writes Davidoff:
It’s a typical Mets con job, right? Gotta be. No, no -- not that type of con job. They beat that rap. I’m talking about the Mets’ annual first-half surge that fires up their fan base, only to lead to second-half heartbreak and apathy. Well, after witnessing the Mets outlast and outwit the Phillies last night, 7-4 at Citizens Bank Park, it should be said: If this early charge proves nothing more than a mirage, then kudos to the Mets for putting on a particularly enjoyable sell.
• Matt Harvey tossed six scoreless innings in Buffalo's 3-0 win at Gwinnett, the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Read Tuesday's full minor league recap here.
TRIVIA: For which team did Omir Santos make his major league debut?
Tuesday's answer: Warren Spahn is the oldest player to have thrown a pitch for the Mets. He was 44 years, 78 days old when he faced Houston on July 10, 1965.
On Wednesday, Dillon Gee opposes Cliff Lee with the Mets aiming for their first three-game sweep in Philly since June 13-15, 2006. David Wright homered in each game of that series.
"When you've got a young team, they're going to at times make you pull your hair out," Terry Collins said. "But, for the most part, they fight back and they play nine innings."
Wednesday's news reports:
• Josh Thole landed on the seven-day DL with a concussion, although Sandy Alderson projected the catcher will nearly certainly miss more than that time, because doctors have advised Thole to remain idle for a week or more before doing any activity whatsoever. The Mets promoted catcher Rob Johnson from Triple-A Buffalo and transferred Pedro Beato to the 60-day disabled list. Beato has been working back from a shoulder issue at the Mets' complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Alderson said Mets doctors evaluated Ruben Tejada for a concussion as well because of Sunday's tumble at Citi Field, but the shortstop was cleared. Tejada landed on the DL on Monday with a strained right quadriceps.
Ty Wigginton, who delivered the blow that nailed Thole on Monday night, told Zach Schonbrun in the Times: "I didn’t even know honestly that I made contact with him. I get to the dugout and turn around and he’s just laying there. I saw the replay and realized my shoulder got him. I didn’t realize it was anything like that.” Read more in the Star-Ledger, Post, Daily News and Newsday.
• Jenrry Mejia is due to throw 75 pitches in a start for Class A St. Lucie on Wednesday. Chris Young is scripted to go that same length Thursday for the same Florida State League club. Both pitchers underwent surgery last May 16. Mejia is returning from Tommy John surgery. Young is returning from surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his right shoulder, which is the same procedure Johan Santana underwent the previous September.
• Collins said Miguel Batista will remain in the rotation for another turn in Mike Pelfrey's former slot. Batista was charged with four runs (two earned) in 5 1/3 innings, although he needed Manny Acosta to strand two runners in scoring position in the sixth to hold the damage to that level.
• Jordany Valdespin on Wednesday should receive the baseball from his first major league hit -- Monday's tiebreaking, ninth-inning homer off Jonathan Papelbon. The ball actually was thrown back onto the field after Valdespin's long ball, but a ball girl flipped it back into the stands to a child, who departed the stadium. According to Mets PR man Jay Horwitz, the father of that child heard Tom McCarthy mention it on the Phillies TV telecast and recognized it was his son whom McCarthy was describing. The man contacted the Mets, who have made arrangements for the entire family to come to Citizens Bank Park for the series finale. Read more in Newsday.
• The tying run in the four-run seventh Tuesday scored when Wright got caught in a rundown between first and second and Kirk Nieuwenhuis eventually scampered home from third base. Collins and Wright portrayed it as a heady play by Wright to prevent Nieuwenhuis from being nailed at the plate by right fielder Hunter Pence, but that seemed like a stretch. After all, Nieuwenhuis had started the play on first base and had only just rounded second when Pence fielded the ball. No matter. It worked out for the best as second baseman Pete Orr errantly flung the ball to third base, allowing Nieuwenhuis to scamper home to draw the Mets even at 4.
Nieuwenhuis and Lucas Duda each had RBIs in the seventh and ninth innings. Both of Duda's came against left-handed relievers -- Antonio Bastardo and Joe Savery. Duda entered the game hitting .154 (4-for-26) against southpaws this season. "I kind of struggled throughout the first part of the season with lefties," Duda said. "Luckily, the ball found some space and I got a hit. Guys got on, and I swung the bat and hit the ball, and it was a base hit."
Collins said he was considering pinch hitting for Duda in the seventh before Wright's rundown allowed Nieuwenhuis to score and make it 4-4. Duda followed with the go-ahead RBI hit against Bastardo.
Said Collins about Duda: "Those were big hits. As a matter of fact, we were sitting there today. Lucas has been struggling a little bit against lefties. But the fact that he had the flu so bad -- he's really been struggling -- I'm really concerned about the fatigue factor more than anything. We were talking about the possibility of, 'Hey, look, if the bases are loaded, we might have to hit for him here.'"
• Read game recaps from Tuesday's win, which lifted the Mets to four games over .500, in the Post, Times, Star-Ledger, Newsday, Record and Daily News.
• Columnist Ken Davidoff in the Post seems like he's starting to believe. Writes Davidoff:
It’s a typical Mets con job, right? Gotta be. No, no -- not that type of con job. They beat that rap. I’m talking about the Mets’ annual first-half surge that fires up their fan base, only to lead to second-half heartbreak and apathy. Well, after witnessing the Mets outlast and outwit the Phillies last night, 7-4 at Citizens Bank Park, it should be said: If this early charge proves nothing more than a mirage, then kudos to the Mets for putting on a particularly enjoyable sell.
• Matt Harvey tossed six scoreless innings in Buffalo's 3-0 win at Gwinnett, the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Read Tuesday's full minor league recap here.
TRIVIA: For which team did Omir Santos make his major league debut?
Tuesday's answer: Warren Spahn is the oldest player to have thrown a pitch for the Mets. He was 44 years, 78 days old when he faced Houston on July 10, 1965.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Mets overcame their largest deficit of the season -- four runs -- and produced their 10th come-from-behind victory of the season with a 7-4 win against the Phillies on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park.
The Mets (17-13) matched their high-water mark at four games over .500, which they also reached at 4-0, 6-2, 7-3 and 13-9.
A four-run seventh inning against Joe Blanton, Chad Qualls and Antonio Bastardo erased a 4-1 deficit.
Qualls entered with two runners on base and surrendered a single to right field by David Wright.
Andres Torres comfortably scored on the play, but Nieuwenhuis stopped at third base. That is, Nieuwenhuis stopped until Wright got into a rundown between first and second.
That’s when Phillies infielder Pete Orr intended to throw the ball to second base, but no one was covering. Orr regrouped and tried to fling a throw to third to catch Nieuwenhuis straying too far down the line. The throw missed its mark and ended up in foul territory as Nieuwenhuis trotted home to tie the score at 4.
Lucas Duda followed with a go-ahead RBI single against Bastardo.
Niewenhuis also scored in Denver from third base on a play in which Wright got caught in a rundown between first and second. That time a pickoff move by Drew Pomeranz initiated the rundown.
Nieuwenhuis and Duda added ninth-inning RBIs for a three-run cushion.
The Mets entered Tuesday night one shy of the major league lead for come-from-behind wins -- 10 by the Atlanta Braves.
TAKING THE FIFTH: Mike Pelfrey, lost for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, was more valuable than commonly understood.
Batista’s final line: 5.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.
Manny Acosta stranded two runners inherited from Batista in scoring position by coaxing a weak groundout from the opposing pitcher Blanton, then striking out Jimmy Rollins to hold the Mets’ deficit to 4-1.
In three starts in Pelfrey’s absence, fill-ins have now allowed 15 runs (12 earned) on 21 hits and five walks in 13 1/3 innings. Opponents have hit five homers.
WHAT A RELIEF: For the second straight game, Tim Byrdak inherited a runner at third base with two in the eighth and recorded the out. This time, he coaxed pinch hitter Ty Wigginton into a flyout to center field.
After saves on three straight days from Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch handled the ninth and recorded his first Mets save.
SHORTCOMING: Valdespin’s first major league start at shortstop got off to a rocky start. The rookie, fresh off a heroic ninth-inning homer against Jonathan Papelbon on Monday, airmailed a throw to Ike Davis for a two-base error to open the bottom of the second inning and also could not hold a throw from catcher Mike Nickeas on a potential caught stealing of Orr during that frame.
Terry Collins said pregame Justin Turner already is scripted to start Wednesday at shortstop, with Ronny Cedeno expected back from the DL for Friday’s series opener in Miami. Cedeno is due to take over the position until Ruben Tejada’s return.
WHAT’S NEXT: The Mets will aim for their first three-game sweep in Philly since June 2006 when Cliff Lee (0-1, 1.96 ERA) returns from the disabled list to face Dillon Gee (2-2, 4.50) in Wednesday’s 7:05 p.m. series finale. A sweep would send the Phillies four games under .500 for the first time since May 9, 2007.
At Class A St. Lucie, Jenrry Mejia is due to throw 75 pitches in a rehab start Wednesday. Chris Young, who should inherit Pelfrey’s rotation spot within a month, should be on the same pitch count Thursday for St. Lucie. Both pitchers underwent surgery on May 16, 2011 -- Mejia on his right elbow, Young on his right shoulder.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Adam Rubin
Adam Rubin has covered the Mets since 2003. He's a graduate of Mepham High School on Long Island and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He joined ESPNNewYork after spending 10 years at the New York Daily News.
Andrew Marchand
Andrew Marchand is a senior writer for ESPNNewYork.com. He also regularly contributes to SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight, ESPNews, 1050 ESPN New York and ESPN Radio. He joined ESPN in 2007 after nine years as a sports writer at the New York Post.
Mark Simon
Mark Simon is ESPN Stats & Information's Baseball Research Specialist. He's also one of several Mets historians working at ESPN and a co-host of the Baseball Today podcast. He joined ESPN in 2002 after 6 1/2 years as a sports writer at the Trenton Times.
TWITTER
UPCOMING GAMES
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDG | 17-30 | 12-16 | 5-14 | L1 | |
| NYM | 25-21 | 13-9 | 12-12 | W1 |
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDG | 17-30 | 12-16 | 5-14 | L1 | |
| NYM | 25-21 | 13-9 | 12-12 | W1 |
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDG | 17-30 | 12-16 | 5-14 | L1 | |
| NYM | 25-21 | 13-9 | 12-12 | W1 |
TEAM LEADERS
| BA LEADER | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
David Wright
|
|||||||||||
| OTHER LEADERS | ||||||||||||
| HR | D. Wright | 5 | ||||||||||
| RBI | D. Wright | 28 | ||||||||||
| R | D. Wright | 30 | ||||||||||
| OPS | D. Wright | 1.110 | ||||||||||
| W | R. Dickey | 6 | ||||||||||
| ERA | J. Santana | 3.24 | ||||||||||
| SO | J. Santana | 53 | ||||||||||
