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 Blanked By Cardinals Behind Adam Wainwright

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Tuesday, April 22^nd, 2014

St. Louis Cardinals vs. New York Mets

Post Game Recap

William Perlman-The Star-Ledger

The New York Mets had the script flipped on them from Monday night’s game, when they shut the St. Louis Cardinals out 2-0 behind a strong performance from Jenrry Mejia. Tonight, the shut out was in the Cardinals favor, as they shut the Mets offense down behind a dominant performance from their ace Adam Wainwright.

Wainwright was dominant against the Mets, tossing seven shutout innings on only 79 pitches. He was forced from the game after he finished the seventh inning because of a hyper-extended right knee, but he had done more than enough to get his team the victory. Only four Mets reached base against Wainwright, and only one player even reached second base. The Mets had only two players get to second base all night.

This was the second straight lights-out performance for Wainwright, as he tossed a two-hit shutout against the Mets division rival Washington Nationals his last time out.

MLB Power Rankings: Week 17

forbes.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

MLB Power Rankings: Week 17

1.) St Louis Cardinals (62-40) – A tough weekend series for the Cardinals getting swept in Atlanta, but they still hold the best record in baseball, and they did also get Outfielder Matt Holliday back in the lineup which will help them as they continue a tough part in their schedule.

2.) Boston Red Sox (63-43) – Boston saw their AL East lead slip away for a day, but they were able to get it back on Sunday with a win against the Orioles, which was an impressive series win on the road against a division rival. David Ortiz was a big part of Sunday's win going four for four with a home run.

3.) Tampa Bay Rays (62-43) – The Rays are looking like one of the best teams in baseball, as they had a good week on the road against the Red Sox and Yankees. A makeup game on Monday in Boston could allow the Rays to be in first place in the AL East with a win.

4.) Pittsburgh Pirates (61-42) – A huge home-stand starts on Monday for the Pirates, as they will host the Cardinals who they are trying to catch in the NL Central for five games, and then have two three-game series against the Rockies and Marlins.

5.) Oakland Athletics (62-43) – The A's are in first place in the AL West behind some great pitching in the last few months, and an offense that is in the top-10 in runs scored. Bartolo Colon amidst possibly being suspended is having a great season going 14-3 with a 2.54 ERA.

Bold MLB Second Half Predictions

Barton Silverman/New York Times

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

The first half of the MLB season and All-Star break are officially behind us. The American League will have home field advantage in the World Series thanks to a 3-0 victory over the National League in the Mid-Summer Classic. With the second half set to get underway Friday here are some bold predictions for the remainder of the MLB season.

Alex Rodriguez will return and hit double-digit home runs for the Yankees…And they will still miss the post season and finish last in the AL East.

MLB First Half Power Rankings

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

With the MLB Season reaching its midpoint and the All-Star Break, let's take a look at where each team stands. Here are GothamCitySportsNews' First Half MLB Power Rankings:

1) St. Louis Cardinals (57-36) – Looking like the class of MLB again. The rotation is strong again with Adam Wainwright leading the way. The lineup is balanced with Carlos Beltran returning to form, and the team is loaded with All-Stars and seemingly with no weak spots. The Cardinals look poised for a strong second half and postseason run.

2) Pittsburgh Pirates (56-37) – The surprise team of the first half for the third year running. A dominant bullpen and some help for Andrew McCutchen in the lineup should end their streak of losing seasons. Would really benefit from adding a bat and another arm in the bullpen as Mark Melancon and Jason Grilli each appeared in over 40 games so far.

3) Boston Red Sox (58-39) – The best record in the AL at the halfway point is not something many people expected out of the Red Sox. Adding Matt Thornton to the bullpen before the break will help but expect more moves from Boston before the deadline passes.

4) Tampa Bay Rays (55-41) – The Rays are currently the hottest team in baseball. On June 23rd they were in last place in the AL East only two games above .500; since they have gone 16-4 and sit atop the wildcard standings. A tough start to the second half looms though with a 10-game road trip through most of the AL East with stops in Boston, Toronto and New York.

5) Oakland Athletics (56-39) – Oakland is getting it done this season uncharacteristically; it is the hitting not the pitching that has carried them thus far. Even more surprisingly it is not Yoenis Cespedes, fresh off his Home Run Derby victory. Cespedes has struggled in the first half but will look to use the momentum from his derby victory for a better second half.