New York Mets: Rise From Mediocrity

[jmcole33]

Hello, Everyone. I have been following on this site for quite some time and I love the work on here so I decided I would do my own. I am currently halfway through my Mets Franchise and will be keeping you guys updated from here on out (don’t worry I’ll give you a season recap up until now). I play every pitch, so I am very emotionally and mentally involved in this. I will be writing as a beat writer for the Mets, so that’s the perspective I’ll be trying to portray. Hopefully you all enjoy it.

[jmcole33]

Mets Logo.jpg


Mid-Season Round UP
July 18, 2014
Jack Cole

New York- Hello there Mets fans. I was just hired here at nymets.com and they have appointed me to get you caught up to what’s going on in Flushing as well as around the league. We got a lot to get to so lets get started!
First thing’s first. Here is a look at the standings around the league:

MLB Standings - Updated: Jul 18, 2014
AL EAST	W	L	GB	RS	RA
Baltimore Orioles	56	39		433	372
Boston Red Sox	62	43	4.0	430	389
Tampa Bay Rays	50	47	7.0	416	399
Toronto Blue Jays	49	47	7.5	395	397
New York Yankees	48	47	8.0	390	382
AL CENTRAL	W	L	GB	RS	RA
Detroit Tigers	54	40		397	350
Chicago White Sox	51	46	4.5	382	447
Kansas City Royals	47	48	7.5	418	430
Minnesota Twins	37	58	17.5	374	429
Cleveland Indians	31	65	24.0	379	463
AL WEST	W	L	GB	RS	RA
Texas Rangers	54	41		393	351
Oakland Athletics	52	43	2.0	462	413
Seattle Mariners	50	45	4.0	397	379
Los Angeles Angels	45	50	9.0	393	419
AL WILD CARD RACE	W	L	GB	RS	RA
Houston Astros* (AL WEST)	41	55	13.5	368	387
Boston Red Sox	62	43		430	389
Oakland Athletics	52	43		462	413
Chicago White Sox	51	46	2.0	382	447
Seattle Mariners	50	45	2.0	397	379
Tampa Bay Rays	50	47	3.0	416	399
Toronto Blue Jays	49	47	3.5	395	397
NL EAST	W	L	GB	RS	RA
Washington Nationals	64	31		426	266
Atlanta Braves	57	38	7.0	383	332
New York Mets	55	40	9.0	335	315
Philadelphia Phillies	43	52	21.0	331	360
Miami Marlins	39	56	25.0	322	414
NL CENTRAL	W	L	GB	RS	RA
Pittsburgh Pirates	50	45		395	359
Chicago Cubs	43	52	7.0	351	369
Milwaukee Brewers	43	53	7.5	368	412
Cincinnati Reds	41	54	9.0	351	413
St. Louis Cardinals	36	61	15.0	374	412
NL WEST	W	L	GB	RS	RA
Los Angeles Dodgers	58	39		457	398
San Diego Padres	49	46	8.0	365	349
San Francisco Giants	48	48	9.5	344	333
Colorado Rockies	46	50	11.5	380	408
Arizona Diamondbacks	43	53	14.5	317	369
NL WILD CARD RACE	W	L	GB	RS	RA
Atlanta Braves	57	38		383	332
New York Mets	55	40		335	315
San Diego Padres	49	46	6.0	365	349
San Francisco Giants	48	48	7.5	344	333
Colorado Rockies	46	50	8.5	380	408
Chicago Cubs	43	52	12.0	351	369

As you can see, the Mets find themselves in the division with the best team in baseball. The Washington Nationals are the only team with more than 60 wins, and there is no sign of them slowing down. Being 9 games out of first, the Mets are more than likely going to have to hope for a wild card spot. Lucky for them they are in control of the second wild card behind the Atlanta Braves. The toughest division in baseball this year, in terms of potential playoff teams, is clearly the NL East.
As far as the team itself is concerned. These are the players on the team as it’s constructed at the All Star break.

New York Mets Depth Chart - 2014

• Catcher
• Anthony Recker
• Travis d\'Arnaud

• First Base
• Lucas Duda
• Eric Campbell

• Second Base
• Daniel Murphy
• Ruben Tejada

• Third Base
• David Wright
• Eric Campbell

• Shortstop
• Starlin Castro
• Ruben Tejada

• Left Field
• Eric Young Jr.
• Chris Young
• Bobby Abreu

• Center Field
• Juan Lagares
• Chris Young
• Curtis Granderson

• Right Field
• Curtis Granderson
• Bobby Abreu

• Starting Pitcher
• Matt Harvey
• Zack Wheeler
• Noah Syndergaard
• Jon Niese
• Jacob deGrom

• Relief Pitcher
• Daisuke Matsuzaka
• Carlos Torres
• Vic Black
• Scott Rice
• Josh Edgin
• Jeurys Familia

• Closer
• Jenrry Mejia

• Disabled List
• Wilmer Flores- 60 Day

There have been a few major changes this year, especially to the pitching staff to make room for the young pitching in the farm system to blossom at the majors. Overall, the prospects have held their own, and Syndergaard has come on as one of the best pitchers on the staff. Sandy Alderson and the front office made room for these young pitchers by moving Dillon Gee and Bartolo Colon to the Dodgers. Separate deals were done a few weeks apart, but the main prize in the deal was the acquisition of young SS prospect, Stefan Mitre. He should be major league ready in three to four years and he finds himself in AA at the moment.
Another deal made as recently as two days before the All Star break was the acquisition of Starlin Castro. There have been significant struggles at Shortstop since the departure of Reyes. The platoon of Tejada and Flores grew even weaker when Flores was lost for the year to an achilles injury. Tejada took over the starting role and prospect Wilfredo Tovar was forced to play behind him for much of the season. The front office is hoping that they found their solution in Castro, but the move did not come without consequences. Rafael Montero, another young prospect who had been pitching in the bullpen all year, was moved along with Bobby Parnell and his expiring contract.

Below are the league leaders in both hitting and pitching:

MLB League Leaders - Updated: Jul 18, 2014
Batting Average NL		BA	Batting Average AL		BA
	1. Jayson Werth	.341		1. Shin-Soo Choo	.333
	2. Matt Kemp	.332		2. Salvador Perez	.331
	3. Wilson Ramos	.331		3. Miguel Cabrera	.330
	4. Hanley Ramirez	.328		4. Alberto Callaspo	.313
	5. Aramis Ramirez	.327		5. Chris Davis	.311
Hits NL		H	Hits AL		H
	1. Aramis Ramirez	115		1. Coco Crisp	123
	2. Adrian Gonzalez	112		2. Robinson Cano	118
	3. Hanley Ramirez	109		3. Dustin Pedroia	117
	4. Jayson Werth	105		4. Josh Donaldson	115
	5. Andrew McCutchen	105		5. Jose Reyes	111
Runs Batted In NL		RBI	Runs Batted In AL		RBI
	1. Adrian Gonzalez	64		1. Edwin Encarnacion	80
	2. Troy Tulowitzki	59		2. Chris Davis	78
	3. Jay Bruce	58		3. Josh Donaldson	71
	4. Matt Kemp	57		4. Adrian Beltre	67
	5. Paul Goldschmidt	55		5. David Ortiz	66
Home Runs NL		HR	Home Runs AL		HR
	1. Yasiel Puig	22		1. Chris Davis	31
	2. Adrian Gonzalez	20		2. Edwin Encarnacion	28
	3. Jay Bruce	19		3. Adrian Beltre	24
	4. Mark Trumbo	19		4. Robinson Cano	22
	5. Carlos Gonzalez	19		5. Evan Longoria	21

MLB League Leaders - Updated: Jul 18, 2014
Earned Run Average NL		ERA	Earned Run Average AL		ERA
	1. Francisco Liriano	2.34		1. Jered Weaver	1.81
	2. Kris Medlen	2.34		2. Brett Oberholtzer	2.03
	3. Stephen Strasburg	2.36		3. Yu Darvish	2.30
	4. Marco Estrada	2.46		4. Justin Verlander	2.41
	5. Tanner Roark	2.49		5. Anibal Sanchez	2.71
WHIP NL		WHIP	WHIP AL		WHIP
	1. Cliff Lee	0.98		1. Jered Weaver	0.93
	2. Marco Estrada	1.03		2. Justin Verlander	0.98
	3. Stephen Strasburg	1.03		3. Jon Lester	1.04
	4. Kris Medlen	1.04		4. Ubaldo Jimenez	1.06
	5. Tim Hudson	1.07		5. Brett Oberholtzer	1.06
Strikeouts NL		SO	Strikeouts AL		SO
	1. Lance Lynn	148		1. Yu Darvish	181
	2. Madison Bumgarner	131		2. Max Scherzer	139
	3. Gio Gonzalez	130		3. Brandon Morrow	135
	4. Clayton Kershaw	127		4. Ubaldo Jimenez	133
	5. Jose Fernandez	126		5. Justin Verlander	132
Wins NL		W	Wins AL		W
	1. Francisco Liriano	12		1. Brandon Morrow	13
	2. Hyun-Jin Ryu	12		2. Clay Buchholz	12
	3. Tanner Roark	11		3. Brett Oberholtzer	12
	4. Madison Bumgarner	11		4. Anibal Sanchez	11
	5. Gio Gonzalez	11		5. Jered Weaver	10

Not many Mets on the leader boards, but solid pitching and clutch hitting has given them the 55-40 record they are boasting at the all start break. The season began with four straight losses, and the team was looking at yet another lost season. Fortunately, they found some consistency and rounded into form at the end of April. A winning streak of 7 games in the middle of May didn’t hurt either and they were as much as 20 games above .500. Losing 8 of their last 12 before the break has left them at their current record.

2014 New York Mets Stats - Hitting
NAME	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	BA	OBP	SLG
Daniel Murphy	368	39	88	14	4	6	33	30	52	19	7	.242	.293	.348
Curtis Granderson	304	42	92	16	3	16	52	37	48	11	11	.303	.382	.533
David Wright	302	37	74	18	1	11	36	33	49	19	2	.245	.320	.421
Starlin Castro	297	31	66	12	0	7	20	25	53	8	3	.222	.285	.333
Juan Lagares	292	31	75	19	1	4	21	26	48	4	4	.257	.320	.370
Lucas Duda	273	32	66	15	1	10	32	29	48	1	1	.242	.316	.414
Eric Young Jr.	291	42	86	13	3	2	19	15	36	35	2	.296	.330	.381
Bobby Abreu	105	7	26	7	0	1	8	11	14	1	2	.248	.325	.343
Ruben Tejada	209	15	44	7	0	1	20	18	23	1	5	.211	.274	.258
Chris Young	148	21	38	8	2	8	19	13	31	4	6	.257	.321	.500
Travis d'Arnaud	197	13	35	4	1	1	20	14	34	1	0	.178	.229	.223
Eric Campbell	133	19	30	8	0	4	17	17	26	1	0	.226	.313	.376
Anthony Recker	134	12	33	5	2	4	13	7	42	0	0	.246	.284	.403
Wilmer Flores	72	7	17	3	0	1	8	9	15	0	0	.236	.317	.319

2014 New York Mets Stats - Pitching
NAME	GP	GS	W	L	SV	QS	HLD	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	WHIP	ERA
Scott Rice	36	0	1	0	0	0	10	28.1	27	5	0	7	26	1.20	1.59
Jenrry Mejia	32	1	2	1	24	1	o	38.2	27	6	0	4	27	0.80	1.40
Daisuke Matsuzaka	26	1	2	2	0	1	4	39.1	32	11	3	6	21	0.97	2.52
Jeurys Familia	25	0	2	2	1	0	8	25.2	25	10	2	7	17	1.25	3.51
Vic Black	21	0	0	1	0	0	6	19.0	21	11	4	4	12	1.32	5.21
Jon Niese	19	19	5	6	0	12	0	117.2	127	53	17	15	83	1.21	4.05
Zack Wheeler	19	19	10	4	0	14	0	123.1	115	43	9	23	103	1.12	3.14
Carlos Torres	19	0	1	2	1	0	3	23.0	18	10	3	3	16	.91	3.91
Matt Harvey	18	18	7	7	0	12	0	111.0	100	38	11	24	108	1.12	3.08
Jacob deGrom	17	17	6	6	0	8	0	84.2	82	30	5	21	66	1.22	3.19
Josh Edgin	17	0	1	0	1	0	6	14.1	10	3	2	2	20	.84	1.88
Noah Syndergaard	7	7	5	1	0	6	0	42.1	28	10	3	12	35	.94	2.13

There are two glaring problems within the Mets lineup that I’m sure you have noticed. Both Daniel Murphy and David Wright are having sub par seasons. Neither is hitting over .250, and Daniel Murphy especially has been struggling as of late. If the team wants to keep its playoff hopes alive they are both going to have to return to form. Matt Harvey, the supposed ace of the staff, has also had an up and down year, as well as Jon Niese. Luckily there have been some bright spots in the lineup and pitching staff that has kept the team within striking distance. Curtis Granderson, who was signed this off-season, leads the team in many categories, including home runs, average, and RBIs. Eric Young Jr. has been a bright spot at the top of the order. He has missed time due to a hamstring issue, but when he is on the field he is electrifying, stealing a league leading 35 bases. From a pitching standpoint, Zack Wheeler has come on strong this year, being the first Met to 10 wins, and Syndergaard, since being called up in early June, has been superb. Jenrry Mejia, the starter turned closer, has been lights out and earned his first all-star bid, along with Curtis Granderson.

2014 MLB All-Star Game Rosters
American League		National League
Manager: John Farrell		Manager: Mike Matheny
Pos	Starters	Pos	Starters
P	Jered Weaver	P	Francisco Liriano
C	Salvador Perez	C	Wilson Ramos
1B	Chris Davis	1B	Adrian Gonzalez
2B	Dustin Pedroida	2B	Brandon Phillips
3B	Josh Donaldson	3B	Aramis Ramirez
SS	Jose Reyes	SS	Hanley Ramirez
LF	Shin-Soo Choo	LF	Carlos Gonzalez
CF	Coco Crisp	CF	Andrew McCutchen
RF	Daniel Nava	RF	Michael Cuddyer
Pos	Pitchers & Reserves	Pos	Pitchers & Reserves
SP	Brett Oberholtzer	SP	Tanner Roark
SP	Yu Darvish	SP	Gio Gonzalez
SP	Justin Verlander	SP	Kris Medlen
SP	David Price	SP	Madison Bumgarner
CF	Craig Gantry	RF	Yasiel Puig
CF	Mike Trout	RF	Curtis Granderson
CF	Sam Fuld	RF	Jayson Werth
LF	Yoenis Cespedes	CF	Matt Kemp
SS	Alexei Ramriez	SS	Troy Tulowitzki
3B	Adrian Beltre	SS	Adeiny Hechavarria
3B	Evan Longoria	3B	Chase Headley
2B	Robinson Cano	2B	Chase Utley
1B	Edwin Encarnacion	1B	Paul Goldschmidt
1B	Mark Trumbo	1B	Joey Votto
C	Chris Herrmann	C	Yadier Molina
C	Kurt Suzuki	C	Wellington Castillo
CP	Matt Lindstrom	CP	Jenrry Mejia
CP	Koji Uehara	CP	Rafael Soriano
CP	Grant Balfour	CP	Craig Kimbrel
CP	David Robertson	CP	Jonathan Papelbon
CP	Greg Holland	CP	Rafael Betancourt
CP	Luke Gregerson	CP	Aroldis Chapman
RP	Mike Adams	RP	Jared Hughes

Overall, the first half of the season has been a success. The Mets are managing to play winning ball, even while holding the cellar in team home runs. They have done this by leading the league in stolen bases, thanks to EYJ, Murph, and David Wright. The pitching has been stellar all season and the staff ranks second in team ERA and Runs Against.

The Mets open up the second half of the season with a three game set against the Padres later this afternoon.

[Deuce2223]

Personally can't see the Cubs giving up Castro unless they get Wheeler and Syndergaard or atleast 1 of them plus DeGrom, as this has been heavily discussed on the trade forum thread.

So I am curious what you gave up to get him in your Franchise.

[jmcole33]

Quote: Originally Posted by Deuce2223

Personally can't see the Cubs giving up Castro unless they get Wheeler and Syndergaard or atleast 1 of them plus DeGrom, as this has been heavily discussed on the trade forum thread. So I am curious what you gave up to get him in your Franchise.

I gave up Montero, Parnell, and another high potential starting pitcher. Unfortunately, I was unaware of the OSFM rosters at the time I started, so the minor league players aren't the real life players. The ones with real names I had to create myself and try and be as realistic as possible.

[jmcole33]

Pissed David Wright.jpg


Mets Can’t Wright Ship
July 18, 2014
Jack Cole

San Diego – After the Mets came skidding into the All Star break losing 8 of 12; they were unable to get back on the right track, losing 6-1 to the Padres. The game featured young Noah Syndergaard (5-1, 2.13 ERA) matched up against Ian Kennedy (7-6, 3.85).

After a single in the first by Granderson, Duda drove him in with a double two batters later for an early lead. Unfortunately, the bottom of the inning would be a pre-cursor to a very sloppy night for the Amazins. The Captain, David Wright had two throwing errors in the first inning alone, and would add another one in the 6th. His three error night was accompanied by an 0-3 night at the plate. Not the best of performances from your captain.

The rest of the team followed suit with poor focus and bad decision-making. Recker added an error of his own and several times a hesitation by a fielder to make a throw resulted in a base runner for the Padres. The pinnacle of the sloppy play came in the 4th inning when Syndergaard walked in two runs in a bases loaded jam, including surrendering a walk to the opposing pitcher. An infield single that Recker failed to make an easy play split those two walks, and Maybin reached first safely.

The Mets weren’t much better on the base paths when Granderson tried to score on a hit to left by Duda that got through the third baseman. He was thrown out by a country mile, and the Mets never threatened again. Starlin Castro, who was recently acquired in a trade, has yet to register a hit with the team.

This game also marked the return of Eric Young Jr. from the DL. He went 0-4.

3 UP
Curtis Granderson- Two more hits and a stolen base for the Mets' most productive player this year.
Lucas Duda - Lone RBI for the team.
Vic Black- Only pitcher to not give up a run.

3 DOWN
David Wright- Three errors and a hitless night makes for an awfully lonely night in the hotel.
Noah Syndergaard- Control issues. Especially walking the pitcher in a bases loaded situation.
Starlin Castro- Has yet to record a hit for the Mets.

New York Mets at San Diego Padres
Jul 18, 2014	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York (55-40)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	4
San Diego (49-46)	1	0	0	3	0	0	2	0	x	6	9	1
W: Ian Kennedy L: Noah Syndergaard

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			NYM	SDG
NYM	1	Duda double to right center. Granderson score.	1	0
SDG	1	Alonso sac fly to center. Cabrera score.	1	1
SDG	4	Kennedy walk. Quentin score.	1	2
SDG	4	Cabrera infield single. Venable score.	1	3
SDG	4	Maybin walk. Gyorko score.	1	4
SDG	7	Venable home run to right. Quentin and Venable score.	1	6

New York Mets
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Eric Young Jr., LF	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.292
Curtis Granderson, RF	4	1	2	0	0	1	0	.305
Daniel Murphy, 2B	4	0	1	0	0	1	0	.239
Lucas Duda, 1B	4	0	1	1	0	0	0	.242
David Wright, 3B	3	0	0	0	1	1	0	.243
Starlin Castro, SS	3	0	0	0	1	1	0	.220
Juan Lagares, CF	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.253
Anthony Recker, C	2	0	1	0	2	0	0	.250
Noah Syndergaard, P	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.077
Bobby Abreu, PH	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.245
Carlos Torres, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Vic Black, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1.000
TEAM TOTALS	30	1	5	1	4	6	0
BATTING: 2B: Granderson (17), Duda (16) RBI: Duda (33) SAC: Syndergaard
BASERUNNING: SB: Granderson (12)
FIELDING: E: Wright 3 (13), Recker (3)

San Diego Padres
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Everth Cabrera, SS	4	1	1	0	1	0	0	.257
Cameron Maybin, CF	4	0	1	1	1	1	0	.206
Yonder Alonso, 1B	4	0	0	1	0	0	0	.207
Carlos Quentin, LF	4	2	2	0	0	0	0	.296
Will Venable, RF	4	2	2	2	0	2	1	.256
Chase Headley, 3B	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	.316
Jedd Gyorko, 2B	4	1	2	0	0	1	0	.228
Yasmani Grandal, C	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	.250
Ian Kennedy, P	2	0	0	1	1	0	0	.086
Seth Smith, PH	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	.225
Dale Thayer, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
BATTING: 2B: Maybin (15) HR: Venable (12) RBI: Kennedy (4), Venable 2 (39), Alonso (43), Maybin (25) SF: Alonso
BASERUNNING: SB: Cabrera (17)
FIELDING: E: Headley (2)

New York Mets
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Noah Sydergaard (L, 5-2)	6.0	5	4	3	3	7	0	2.42
Carlos Torres	1.0	3	2	2	0	0	1	4.50
Vic Black	1.0	1	0	0	0	0	0	4.95
TEAM TOTALS	8.0	9	6	5	3	7	1

San Diego Padres
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Ian Kennedy (W, 8-6)	8.0	5	1	1	3	5	0	3.67
Dale Thayer	1.0	0	0	0	1	1	0	1.85

[jmcole33]

Jon Niese.jpg



Niese Struggles, Mets Can’t Complete Comeback
July 19, 2014
Jack Cole

San Diego- A quick start for the Padres was too much for the Mets to overcome, losing 7-4 to their West Coast foes. Jon Niese’s (5-6, 4.05 ERA) struggles continued as he let the Padres jump out to a 2-0 lead in the first. Niese who is winless in his last 5 starts, has been a lone blip in an otherwise dominant starting rotation. As the veteran in the rotation, the younger pitchers are looking to him to lead the way, and his recent troubles are correlated to the downward turn the team is taking.

The Mets responded in the top of the second with a run of their own. Starlin Castro recorded his first hit as a Met with a bullet to left center. He reached second without a throw, and Lagares drove him in one batter later. A two run bottom half of the inning from the Padres extended their lead to 4-1. Granderson cut into the lead with a blast to right center in the 4th, but that was as close as they would get. The Mets threatened again in the 5th, but Granderson would fly out to right to end the inning.

“He left a slider hanging right in the middle of the zone. I just missed it.” Granderson shook his head standing at his locker after the game. You can tell the team as a whole is growing frustrated.

Niese ran into control issues in the 6th inning as he walked two straight batters and later threw a wild pitch that scored a run. Cory Luebke (5-8, 3.27 ERA) had his own problems in the 6th, but they were of the injury variety. He was forced to leave with elbow soreness and he would receive an MRI after the game.

The 7th inning marked the Mets last gasp at a comeback, started by a leadoff double from Lagares, which was his fourth hit of the night. Two walks followed that hit, and the Mets had the bases loaded with one out. Granderson singled to right bringing home two more runs, giving him three RBIs on the day. Murphy grounded into a rally ending double play on the next pitch. The Mets would go quietly the rest of the way.

Murph, who has been slumping for the last month was none too happy after the game. “I need to get out of this funk. I [freaking] suck right now.” Mets captain, David Wright, is also in a month long slump. He posted three strikeouts tonight, dropping his average below .240. “I put this one on me. I’m the captain; I can’t be playing like this. Three errors yesterday and three strikeouts tonight. It’s embarrassing.”


David Wright Strikeout.jpgWright strikes out three times as his slump continues

It’s tough to win when your two “best” hitters are slumping the way that they are. The Mets look to avoid the sweep tomorrow afternoon.

Everth Cabrera entered play with a 7 game hitting streak, which he extended in the first inning.

3 UP
Juan Lagares- Stat-sheet-stuffer game from Juan. 4-4, R, RBI
Curtis Granderson- 3 RBIs and a HR. Continues his steady play.
Starlin Castro- First hit as a Met and a run scored.

3 DOWN
Daniel Murphy- Grounded into a crucial double play. Failed to record a hit.
David Wright- 3 strikeouts for the big guy. Tough day at the office.
Jon Niese- Trouble right from the start. Ended with 7 ER, a season high.

New York Mets at San Diego Padres
Jul 19, 2014	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York (55-41)	0	1	0	1	0	0	2	0	0	4	7	0
San Diego (50-46)	2	2	0	0	0	3	0	0	X	7	13	0
W: Cory Luebke L: Jon Niese S: Huston Street

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			NYM	SDG
SDG	1	Denorfia double down left field line. Cabrera score.	0	1
SDG	1	Quentin sac fly to center. Denorfia score.	0	2
NYM	2	Lagares single to center. Castro score.	1	2
SDG	2	Luebke sac fly to right. Gyorko score.	1	3
SDG	2	Denorfia single to center. Grandal score.	1	4
NYM	4	Granderson home run to right center. Granderson score.	2	4
SDG	6	Maybin single to right. Headley score.	2	5
SDG	6	Denorfia sac fly to left. Gyorko score.	2	6
SDG	6	Maybin score on wild pitch.	2	7
NYM	7	Granderson single to right. Lagares score. Recker score.	4	7

New York Mets
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Eric Young Jr., LF	2	0	0	0	2	0	0	.290
Curtis Granderson, RF	4	1	2	3	0	0	1	.308
Daniel Murphy, 2B	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	.237
Lucas Duda, 1B	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	.238
David Wright, 3B	4	0	0	0	0	3	0	.239
Starlin Castro, SS	3	1	1	0	1	1	0	.221
Juan Lagares, CF	4	1	4	1	0	0	0	.263
Anthony Recker, C	3	1	0	0	1	1	0	.245
Jon Niese, P	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.290
Daisuke Matsuzaka, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.500
Bobby Abreu, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.243
Jeurys Familia, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Vic Black, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1.000
Travis d'Arnaud, PH	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.177
TEAM TOTALS	31	4	7	4	5	8	1
BATTING: 2B: Lagares (20), Castro (13) HR: Granderson (17) RBI: Lagares (22), Granderson 3 (55) GIDP: Murphy, Recker
BASERUNNING: SB: Murphy (20) CS: Lagares (5)

San Diego Padres
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Everth Cabrera, SS	5	1	2	0	0	0	0	.260
Chris Denorfia, RF	3	1	2	3	1	0	0	.294
Yonder Alonso, 1B	4	0	0	0	1	0	0	.205
Carlos Quentin, LF	3	0	0	1	1	3	0	.295
Will Venable, CF	4	0	1	0	0	1	0	.257
Chase Headley, 3B	4	1	1	0	0	0	0	.315
Jedd Gyorko, 2B	3	2	2	0	1	0	0	.233
Yasmani Grandal, C	4	1	3	0	0	0	0	.258
Cory Luebke, P	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	.257
Joaquin Benoit, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Cameron Maybin, PH	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	.208
Nick Vincent, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Tim Stauffer, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Seth Smith, PH	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	.236
Alex Torres, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Huston Street, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
TEAM TOTALS	32	7	13	6	4	4	0
BATTING: 2B: Gyorko (20), Denorfia (10) RBI: Luebke (3), Maybin (26), Denorfia 3 (29), Quentin (43) SF: Luebke, Denorfia, Quentin SAC: Luebke
BASERUNNING: SB: Cabrera (18), Maybin (24), Denorfia (9) CS: Gyorko (1), Denorfia (6)

New York Mets
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Jon Niese (L, 5-7)	5.1	10	7	7	2	2	0	4.39
Daisuke Matsuzaka	.2	1	0	0	1	1	0	2.48
Jeurys Familia	1.0	2	0	0	1	0	0	3.38
Vic Black	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	4.71
TEAM TOTALS	8.0	13	7	7	4	4	0

San Diego Padres
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Cory Luebke (W, 6-8)	5.0	4	2	2	3	3	1	3.28
Joaquin Benoit (H, 5)	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	3.14
Nick Vincent (H, 5)	0.1	2	2	2	2	0	0	2.63
Tim Stauffer (H, 6)	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0	3.75
Alex Torres (H, 13)	1.0	0	0	0	0	3	0	2.93
Huston Steet (S, 27)	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0	5.87
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	7	4	4	5	8	1

[jmcole33]

Breaking News (2).jpg

Blockbuster Deal Sends Texiera to Washington
July 19, 2014
Jack Cole

San Diego-The Washington Nationals and the New York Yankees have agreed to terms on a deal that will send first baseman, Mark Texiera, to the Nationals. In return the Yankees will be receiving two infield prospects in 24 year old third baseman, Manny Miranda, and 24 year old Shortstop, Stephen Tran.

This deal is a clear move to make the Yankees younger in the infield for the future, while the Nationals are making a push towards the World Series this year.

Miranda is a well-rounded, right-handed third baseman who will be relied on to take the spot of Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez's numbers have been in decline in recent years, and his future with the team is shaky after his most recent steroid issue. The Yankees are hoping that Tran, on the other hand, can be a serviceable replacement at Shortstop with Derek Jeter's career coming to an end. After almost 20 years of production and unparalleled leadership at short, the Yankees are finally having to turn elsewhere. Tran looks to be a switch-hitting, contact hitter in the majors with decent range and speed on the base paths. Both young prospects possess 'A' potential and could be up in the Majors as soon as the middle of next year.


Mark Texiera.jpg Texiera looks to add to his 59 RBIs in Washington


Texiera will be joining a MLB best Nationals squad looking to capture it's first World Series since moving to Washington. Texiera will be a huge addition to an already dangerous lineup. The first baseman is hitting .259 with 18 HR and 59 RBIs. He also can suffer from the strikeout bug at times, with 69 on the year.

This trade is obviously bad news for our Metsies. Washington is positioning themselves to put even more separation between them and the rest of the NL East. The Mets need to right the ship fast, or they are going to find themselves left behind and fighting for a Wild Card spot. Losing two in a row to the team chasing them, the Padres have moved within 4.0 games of the second wild card spot. Will Sandy and Co. make another move to strengthen the team, or will he sit back and hope that the bats start heating up?

[CBMerling]

Nice snag with getting Castro. Guessing the Tejada project is finished in your franchise. Tejada is better defensively IMO, but Castro has the bat. Also good to see a Mets franchise on these forums. Texiera to the Nationals is BEASTLY.

Gonna be a interesting wild card race at the end for these Mets. If they don't faulter of course! Ha, good luck, buddy. Seems like you've overachieved already, hopefully you can sustain it.