Today in Iowa, Zack Wheeler allowed three runs and five hits, with two walks and two strikeouts, over five innings.
Wheeler faced 22 batters and threw 67 pitches, 43 of which were strikes. He allowed two solo home runs and recorded nine fly outs and three ground outs.
Wheeler was throwing his fastball 97 mph, according to the Iowa Cubs’ broadcast.
Last night on SNY, Sandy Alderson suggested Wheeler would only need two or three more good starts at Triple-A, after which he could be considered for a promotion.
Michael Baron, Contributor
If he can throw 97 mph, I’d say Wheeler’s AC joint is fine.
Wheeler was clearly shaking off some rust after not pitching for ten days. He struggled with his command at times and was working up in the zone for much of the afternoon. He pitched to a lot of contact but was able to get some big outs and work out of some jams. It was a good outing all things considered and another positive step for Wheeler, and should go a long way towards easing concerns over his health and progress.
The Good: Marlon Byrd is hitting .343 with three home runs in the month of May, and Daniel Murphy is 15-for-his-last-36 at the plate, and has at least one hit in nine of his last ten games. David Wright is hitting .313 with three doubles, four home runs and nine RBI this month as well.
The Bad: The Mets are 2-10 in their last 12 home games, 9-14 at Citi Field overall. They have scored three runs or less in nine straight home games, and 14 of their first 23 home games.
The Game: Matt Harvey (5-0, 1.55 ERA) will start for the Mets. Harvey has allowed a league-low 4.5 hits per nine innings this year and owns a league-low 0.723 WHIP in his first nine starts. Harvey is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA at Citi Field this year in five starts. He’s allowed 15 hits and eight walks in 36.0 innings while striking out 40 batters. Harvey’s .126 batting average against at home is the best mark in the majors.
Mat Latos (4-0, 2.91 ERA) will start for the Reds. Latos has allowed three earned runs or less in eight of his first nine starts this season, is averaging nearly 6 2/3 innings pitched per start and has allowed just 69 base runners in 58 2/3 innings this season. Latos is 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA in five career starts against the Mets.
New York Mets
- Daniel Murphy – 2B
- Rick Ankiel – CF
- David Wright – 3B
- Lucas Duda – LF
- Marlon Byrd – RF
- Ike Davis – 1B
- John Buck – C
- Ruben Tejada – SS
- Matt Harvey – RHP
Cincinnati Reds
- Shin-Soo Choo – CF
- Zack Cozart – SS
- Joey Votto – 1B
- Brandon Phillips – SS
- Jay Bruce – RF
- Xavier Paul – LF
- Jack Hannahan – 3B
- Devin Mesoraco – C
- Mat Latos – RHP
Terry Collins told reporters this morning LaTroy Hawkins is unavailable to pitch in this afternoon’s game against the Reds.
Hawkins has appeared in the last two games in relief, and he’s appeared in 20 of the team’s first 43 games of the season – he has a 3.15 ERA and has allowed just four walks in 20 innings this season.
In addition, Collins said he will try and avoid using Scott Rice in relief today so to give him two days off leading into this weekend’s series against the Braves.
Rice leads the league with 26 appearances, and he’s pitched to a 2.91 ERA, holding left-handed hitters to a .133 average this season.
Michael Baron, Contributor
At some point, the Mets have to get production out of either Robert Carson, or some other left-handed reliever in the minor leagues. Without that, Rice is essentially the only left-handed reliever Terry can resort to, and that’s the main reason Rice has so many appearances under his belt already. Eventually, this will probably come back to burn the Mets, as Rice’s effectiveness will be diminished, at a minimum. But, as I’ve said over and over again, not having another effective left-handed arm limits Collins’ ability to manipulate matchups during the game, and that hurts this team too.
Sandy Alderson talked with SNY tonight during their broadcast of the Mets game, during which he said:
Travis d’Arnaud will be on the Mets this season, as soon as he is healthy enough to join the team;
Rafeal Montero will return to Double-A after making a spot start for Triple-A Las Vegas;
He is very disappointed in how this team is playing right now;
His staff is being patient, but not too patient, when it comes to making changes to the roster;
The Mets will take a look at the young players in their system, such as Montero, when considering ways to improve the big-league roster.
The Good: Rick Ankiel has a five-game hitting streak, during which he’s hitting .368. He’s 7-for-23 in seven games with the Mets.
The Bad: Mets starting pitchers are 3-8 with a 5.64 ERA in the month of May. Overall, they’re 10-18 with a 4.45 ERA, 10th worst in the Major Leagues.
The Game: Jon Niese (3-4, 5.40 ERA) will start for the Mets. Niese is coming off a strong start against the Cardinals in which he allowed just two runs in 7 1/3 innings. However, in 48 1/3 innings so far this season, Niese has walked 24 batters and also struck out 24 batters, allowing a total of 82 baserunners over that span. In four career starts against the Reds, Niese is 1-2 with a 5.61 ERA.
Mike Leake (3-2, 3.72 ERA) will start for the Reds. Leake is coming off a win against the Marlins in which he allowed nine hits and a walk in 6 2/3 innings. Leake has won two of his last three starts, and he’s pitched to a 2.79 ERA over that span. Leake is making his fifth career start against the Mets tonight, and he’s 1-1 with a 1.65 ERA against them.
New York Mets
- Daniel Murphy – 2B
- Mike Baxter – RF
- David Wright – 3B
- Lucas Duda – LF
- Rick Ankiel – CF
- John Buck – C
- Ike Davis – 1B
- Ruben Tejada – SS
- Jon Niese – LHP
Cincinnati Reds
- Derrick Robinson – CF
- Zack Cozart – SS
- Joey Votto – 1B
- Brandon Phillips – 2B
- Jay Bruce – RF
- Todd Frazier – 3B
- Donald Lutz – LF
- Devin Mesoraco – C
- Mike Leake – RHP
Today against the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, RHP Rafael Montero allowed just two runs on four hits with only one walk against five strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.
Montero was one out away from a complete-game (seven inning) victory in Game 1 of the 51s doubleheader with the Cubs, but after allowing a solo home run to Brian Bogusevic to start the seventh. Montero bounced back to strike out the next batter before walking Brad Nelson, the final batter he faced to run his pitch count to 86. Josh Edgin relieved Montero and allowed singles to Ian Stewart and Donnie Murphy to hand Montero the loss.
On Sunday, Lynn Worthy of the Binghamton News said Montero was to make a spot start for Las Vegas this week, and was expected to return to Binghamton afterwards.
Toby Hyde
Montero deserved better. His final line: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR – 60% strikes (52 of 86). Montero regularly ran strike percentages of 65% or more in Double-A.
It’s just one start, but he more than held his own and certainly earned himself another shot at AAA, giving lie to the “spot start” moniker.
For more thoughts on the Mets minor league system, read Mets Minor League Blog.
Michael Baron, Contributor
The Mets have used seven different players in the leadoff spot this season, all of whom are batting a collective .182 with a .250 OBP.
What’s worse, the team is hitting only .179 with a .238 OBP, two walks and 11 strikeouts when leading off a game.
This past Sunday, Terry Collins inserted Daniel Murphy into the leadoff spot for the first time this season. Murphy had not hit there since 2009.
“We were talking about how we needed to find somebody to lead off,” Collins said before Monday’s game. “And Bob Geren said, ‘Hey, how about we lead Murphy off?’”
Murphy is just 1-for-8 out of the leadoff spot so far. His one hit was a go-ahead solo home run against the Cubs on Sunday. However, Murphy is 10-for-31 with four doubles, three home runs and three RBI, with three walks, when leading off an inning this year. And, Murphy is 14-for-his-last-32 at the plate, although his eight-game hitting streak came to an end with his 0-for-4 at the plate on Monday against the Reds.
At this point, why not hit Murphy leadoff? He is a good contact hitter, he works counts, he can foul pitches off and – when he’s going right – he’s an on-base machine and a quality table-setter at the top of the lineup.
Is he a prototypical leadoff hitter? No, but nobody else on this team is either. At least Murphy has a consistent approach at the plate, which so far is working for him. Terry needs to ‘ride the hot hand,’ and see what offense he can generate from the top of the order. And, if that means batting Murphy leadoff, so be it…
Michael Baron, Contributor
Shaun Marcum pitched a lot better last night than his final line shows, and it appears he’s turned a corner over his last two starts.
Marcum allowed four runs in six innings with a season-high seven strikeouts, three of which came in the first inning and one in the last.
“I made four or five mistakes and they all got hit,” Marcum said after the game. ”104 pitches, five mistakes, I’m OK with that.”
Marcum fell to 0-5 for the season with a 6.59 ERA, though he’s lowered his ERA by two full runs over his last two starts.
Yesterday, he wasn’t helped by Ike Davis’ mental mistake in the first inning, which cost the Mets an extra base and potentially a run.
That’s not to say Marcum wasn’t struggling early in the game, because he was. And he was nibbling around the corners with his cutter and falling behind in the count. However, after the first inning, Marcum got more aggressive with his secondary pitches — especially his cutter and change-up — and he was able to throw them for strikes. He kept the Reds off-balanced in the middle innings, and he was able to pitch to weak contact and get some quick outs.
In his starts earlier this year, Marcum was clearly still building his stamina. He basically had no Spring Training, and he didn’t get much work in his rehab either thanks to relapses with a neck injury. However, he has been a different pitcher of late, throwing higher quality strikes and working with a faster overall tempo. If he continues to pitch like this, the wins should come, assuming he can get some run support and better defense.
The Least You Should Know…
Shaun Marcum allowed four runs in six innings, three of which came in the first inning – he is now winless in his first five starts with the Mets.
Marcum allowed a go-ahead home run to Jay Bruce in the sixth inning.
The Mets bullpen combined for three innings of scoreless relief between LaTroy Hawkins, Brandon Lyon, and Greg Burke.
Marlon Byrd hit a three-run home run in the third inning – Byrd now has three home runs and nine RBI in the month of May.
Ike Davis’ struggles continued with a costly error in the first and an 0-for-3 with two strikeouts at the plate.
Lucas Duda had two hits to the opposite field, but was left stranded on both occasions.
The Mets left six men on base, went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position, and only two men reached base after the third inning.
Following tonight’s game, Terry Collins said that sending Ike Davis down is something they have considered as they sit and talk about what’s best for Davis and the team; He also said it’s a bigger factor now because the Mets aren’t playing like they did last year at this time. Collins also stated they are trying to do something consistently with the line-up, because it is uneasy for Major League players to come in each day and not know where they’re hitting.
For a full recap and box score, check out SNY.TV.
Michael Baron, Contributor
Marcum got off to a real slow start tonight, but bounced back nicely and kept the Mets in the game for six innings. Marcum was hurt by boneheaded play by Davis at first base – Davis was called for interference at first base as Joey Votto rounded the bag, and Votto was awarded second base as a result. Marcum couldn’t overcome that error, he ultimately allowed a crooked number and put the Mets behind early. He got more aggressive with his off-speed beginning in the second inning and settled into a nice groove before allowing a solo home run to Bruce in the sixth. Overall, not great, but not terrible for Marcum – he kept the Mets in the game, and that’s all that can be asked after a rough beginning.
It was another game the Mets had their chances, especially early in this game thanks to Johnny Cueto showing no command at all. But outside of really one swing of the bat by Marlon Byrd, the Mets did nothing offensively in general tonight. This struggle by the offense wasn’t unexpected this season, but that doesn’t make it any easier to watch and endure on a daily basis.
As for Ike, when it rains, it pours for him. He cost the Mets with a mental mistake in the first inning, and did nothing at the plate afterwards to make up for it. He had a two-out opportunity in the first inning with the bases loaded, hit the ball hard but did not produce. His night ended after striking out in the bottom of the sixth and Terry Collins double switching him out for Justin Turner. What more can you say at this point? It’s been a horrific season for him so far, and it’s starting to impact his entire game. If he’s not going to be productive on defense, either – which has been the case over the last few days – it’s hard to justify a place for him right now.
The Mets will look to even their series with the Reds tomorrow night at Citi Field, with Jon Niese facing Mike Leake at 7:10 pm.
The Mets have promoted RHP Rafael Montero to Triple-A Las Vegas, according to the team’s beat reporters on Twitter.
According to Lynn Worthy of the Binghamton News, Montero is making a spot start for Las Vegas, and is expected to return to Binghamton afterwards.
In eight starts with Double-A Binghamton, Montero, 22, is 4-3 with a 3.47 ERA, having allowed 18 runs on 40 hits with just six walks and 54 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings.
Michael Baron, Contributor
This is exciting news, even if it’s only for one start. Who knows? Maybe he sticks with Las Vegas, much like Collin McHugh stuck with Triple-A Buffalo a couple of years ago after making a spot start.
Montero has had only one bad outing but has been otherwise brilliant in the Eastern League this year. The organization has been so impressed with Montero’s command – especially that of his secondary pitches over the last year – and he really has put on a show while with Binghamton over the first two months of the season. He’s going to the Pacific Coast League where he will have to adjust to both better hitters and difficult elements, but if he sticks and continues along this path while in Vegas, there will be a lot of buzz about him getting a cup of coffee with the Mets come September.
The Least You Should Know…
Dillon Gee allowed three runs, all of which came on a two-run home run by Travis Wood in the fifth inning and a solo home run by Ryan Sweeney in the sixth inning.
Greg Burke worked out of Gee’s jam in the sixth inning to record a scoreless inning of relief. Scott Rice made his league-leading 25th appearance with two scoreless innings, as well.
Daniel Murphy hit a go-ahead solo home run in the eighth inning. He is now 15-for-his-last-29.
David Wright drove in a run with an RBI single in the sixth inning and Juan Lagares hit a game-tying, two-run home run in the seventh, his first career home run.
Bobby Parnell earned his sixth save in eight opportunities.
The Mets bullpen did not allow a baserunner in four innings today.
For a full recap and box score, check out SNY.TV.
Michael Baron, Contributor
It was refreshing to see a little life from this offense today. They didn’t have it early, but they became sparked in the middle of this game, got a couple to fall in and hit two big home runs in the seventh and eighth innings.
Gee started off strong, featuring a nice mix of breaking balls and change-ups over the first few innings. But he faded once again in the fifth inning and couldn’t get an out in the sixth inning. I was probably equally as mad about the home run he allowed to Wood as I was when Jeremy Hefner allowed the double to Scott Feldman yesterday, but the win helped to lighten my mood this afternoon. It’s hard to figure out what Gee’s problem is in the middle innings, but this has been a consistent problem for him all year long. If he’s going to survive in the rotation, he’s going to have to figure out how to provide more than four stable innings.
Bobby Parnell was nasty in the ninth inning today. He was as dominant as I’ve ever seen him. He’s got great demeanor and mound presence, and starting to develop into an excellent closer, finally.
It wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win, and the Mets found a way to win this series in Chicago. Call it what you will, but I don’t care how they get it done as long as they win games.
W.B. Mason Post Game Extra
The Mets head home this afternoon and open a three-game series with the Reds tomorrow night at Citi Field, with Shaun Marcum facing Johnny Cueto at 7:10 pm.
