Series Recap: Mets Lose 2 of 3 To Phillies, Drop 3rd Straight Series

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Mets

Series Recap, May 9^th – May 11^th

May 9th	Phillies 3	Mets 2
May 10th	Phillies 5	Mets 4
May 11th	Phillies 4	Mets 5

It was another rough series for the Mets, as the Phillies were able to come into Citi Field and take two of three in the series. Both teams were coming into the series after getting swept in their previous series played. It would have been a second consecutive series on the wrong side of a sweep for the Mets had their offense not bailed them out in the ninth inning on Mother’s Day. A rough May continued for the Mets, as they have lost all three series played, losing eight of 10 games played. Their record now sits at 17-19 on the season, with an uninspiring 9-10 record at home. The Phillies also have a 17-19 record, and are 11-10 on the road. Next up for the Mets is the Subway Series, four games against the New York Yankees

-Positives

Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images

Mets Losing Streak Hits 3 as Pitching Staff is Roughed Up

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Saturday, May 3^rd, 2014

New York Mets vs. Colorado Rockies

Post Game Recap

The New York Mets struggles in Colorado continued Saturday night, as they fell to the Colorado Rockies 11-10. It was a struggle for the Mets pitching staff tonight, as they blew two separate leads in the game. The loss gives the Mets three straight, as they have struggled mightily to keep up with the Rockies in the thin air of Denver. The Mets have struggled in Denver in recent memory, losing 21 of 29 games there since 2007. Tonight was the second straight season they blew a six-run lead to the Rockies there.

 

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Tonight the culprit was Jenrry Mejia. For the second consecutive start, Mejia struggled mightily. After cruising through the first four innings without many problems, Mejia ran into a road block in the fifth inning.

Series Recap: Mets Take 3 of 4 From Reigning NL Champion Cardinals

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

St. Louis Cardinals vs. New York Mets

Series Recap, April 21^st-April 24^th

April 21st	Cardinals: 0	Mets: 2
April 22nd	Cardinals: 3	Mets: 0
April 23rd	Cardinals: 2	Mets: 3
April 24th	Cardinals: 1	Mets: 4

Click here for Game 2 Recap

After a rough series against division rival Atlanta Braves, the New York Mets were able to bounce back nicely against reigning NL Pennant winning St. Louis Cardinals. For fans of offense, this one was a tough one to watch, but there was outstanding pitching throughout from both sides. Being able to take three out of four from the Cardinals is an impressive feat for the Mets, and should give them plenty of confidence heading into their weekend series with the Miami Marlins. The Mets record now sits at 12-10, with a 6-7 record at Citi Field.

-Positives

The pitching staffs, namely the starting pitchers, have continued to be dominant for the Mets. They are in the midst of an outstanding run in which they have allowed three or less earned runs, a streak that now sits at 10 games. During that 10-game span, the Mets starting pitchers have allowed only 13 earned runs in 63.2 innings, which equates to an ERA of 1.84. Only one pitcher over that span has failed to last at least six innings.

 

Mike Stobe/Getty Images

That one pitcher who was unable to go six innings was Jenrry Mejia, who was forced from his start against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a nasty blister. Mejia was not forced to miss any starts, which is a good thing for the Mets as he is dealing right now. Mejia pitched the series opener, and dominated the Cardinals over 6.2 innings. Mejia ran his season record to a perfect 3-0 with a sparkling ERA of 1.99.

Travis d’Arnaud is clearly the starting catcher for the Mets, but Anthony Recker is making a case to get some more playing time. d’Arnaud performed better at the plate against the Cardinals, but not to the level where it should keep Recker on the bench. Recker is not only hitting more than d’Arnaud, but he is also calling outstanding games behind the plate. In games Recker catches, the Mets pitching staff sports a 2.78 ERA and .204 batting average against.

It isnt much, but Curtis Granderson actually ended the series getting hits in the final two games. With how much he has struggled this season, anything positive like that needs to be pointed out. He reached base the final three games of the series, walking in the second game once. The Mets offense has been anemic all season, and a big reason for that is the lack of production from Granderson. The Mets need him to start producing consistently and help get the offense on track.

-Negative

 

Al Bello/Getty Images

After having his 12-game hitting streak snapped in the shutout loss Tuesday, Wright now is on a three-game hitless streak. After going 1-4 in Game 1, Wright was unable to give any production for the Mets the final three games. The Wright finished the series with an ugly 0-11 performance, with five strikeouts. The Mets just have not been able to get everyone on the same page offensively this season, further emphasizing just how impressive their pitching staff has been.

Mets Blank Diamondbacks For Second Consecutive Victory

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Tuesday, April 15^th, 2014

New York Mets vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

Post Game Recap

The New York Mets were able to continue their strong play out west, blanking the Arizona Diamondbacks Tuesday night 9-0. That makes it two in a row in the desert for the Mets, as the victory also puts the Mets record at .500; they failed to do so the first five times they had a chance to pull even in the win-loss column.

Christian Peterson-Getty Images

Tonight the Mets wasted no time, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. The Mets were able to get productive outs, as the first two runs of the inning came on a fielder’s choice and sac fly. The only run to come off a hit in the inning was a single from Kirk Nieuwenhuis that scored Lucas Duda.

The Mets then scored another six runs in the fourth inning, knocking Diamondbacks’ starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo out of the game at that point. Arroyo was roughed up, surrendering nine earned runs in 3.1 innings on 10 hits and one walk, only striking out one. The Mets were shut down otherwise, managing only two base runners outside of the first and fourth innings.

The biggest blow tonight came off the bat of Nieuwenhuis, who knocked a two-run homer in the fourth inning to give him a three-RBI game. This was Nieuwenhuis’s debut of the season, and he made a good case to not get sent back down to the minors.

He was not alone though, as Eric Young Jr. continued to give the Mets solid contributions at the top of their order. Tonight, Young got on base three times with three hits in his five plate appearances and also made the most of his run producing opportunities. He knocked in Travis d’Arnaud and Omar Quintanilla with a single in the fourth inning.

Daniel Murphy and David Wright each delivered two hits of their own, each in five at-bats. Murphy was knocked in twice. Andrew Brown only went 1-4 from the plate, but made the most of his at-bats as he knocked in an RBI in two of his three outs.

Christian Peterson-Getty Images

On the mound tonight was Jenrry Mejia, and he mowed through the Diamondback lineup. In five innings of work, Mejia gave up only two hits, while walking two, and striking out three. He was forced from the game after the fifth inning with a blister on his middle finger.

The Mets bullpen made sure to hold down the victory for Mejia, and the shutout, as Gonzalez Germen and Kyle Farnsworth continued to shutdown the Diamondbacks, combining for four shutout innings. The tandem allowed only one hit while striking out three.

The only players to break through for the D-Backs tonight were Paul Goldschmidt, Chris Owings and A.J. Pollock. Owings was also issued one of the two walks, as Gerardo Parra received the other. On the evening, the Diamondbacks had only three players get into scoring position.

Tomorrow the Mets will look for the sweep in Arizona, as Dillon Gee will take the mound looking for his first win of the season. He will be opposed by Brandon McCarthy, who will also be looking for his first win this season.

Mets Take Series Against Reds

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Cincinnati Reds vs. New York Mets

Series Recap, April 4^th-6^th

Results:

April 4th	Reds: 3	Mets: 4
April 5th	Reds: 3	Mets: 6
April 6th	Reds: 2	Mets: 1

The New York Mets were able to bounce back from a poor season opening series, taking two of three from the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend at Citi Field. It was a nice response for the Mets, as the opening series created more questions than answers for manager Terry Collins. It also gives them a little positive momentum as the Mets will embark on a nine-game road trip starting against the division rival Atlanta Braves.

-Positives

Elsa/Getty Images

After struggles in the first series, the Mets first basemen blasted the ball against the Reds. Receiving the start in the first game, Lucas Duda launched two homers, knocking in all four runs in a Mets 4-3. Ike Davis then hit a pinch-hit, walk-off grand slam in game two to give the Mets a 6-3 victory. Davis continued to hit well, going 2-4 in the series finale.

The bullpen was atrocious to start the season, but they had a solid series against a dangerous Reds offense. The Mets bullpen gave up only two runs in eight innings, both surrendered by John Lannan in 2/3 inning of work in the series opening game. Jose Valverde was able to lock down his first save of the season in the first game, also pitching a clean inning in the finale to keep his ERA at 0.00 to start the season. Kyle Farnsworth pitched 2.1 innings in the series, looking more comfortable after a rocky first appearance.