blueandorange4life snapped this picture from the Champions Club in Section 116, Row 7, Seat 19, during Thursday's nooner with the Cardinals.

(click to embiggen)

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Send the view from your seat to amazinavenue@gmail.com and if it's good we'll post it on the site. Include date of game and your section (or location) from when the photo was taken.

Not that a couple of games is ever the be-all end-all of things, but juxtapose Johan Santana's first-inning meltdown on Wednesday with R.A. Dickey's eight-plus-inning performance on Thursday afternoon and the debate over who is the Mets' best pitcher right now should end pretty quickly. Despite declining velocity and a sub-6.00 strikeouts-per-nine rate, Santana is still the king of Queens for the foreseeable future, but Dickey has almost certainly been the team's best starter this season.

Dickey's 2.32 walks-per-nine rate is the best among Mets starters and his strikeout rate is better than Santana's and Mike Pelfrey's. The walk rate in particular is stunning, as Dickey sported marks in excess of four walks a game in each of the last two seasons. What Angel Pagan has been to the lineup, R.A. Dickey has been to the starting rotation. The Mets are 6.5 games back of the Braves in the NL East, but they'd be far worse off without R.A.

• Mike Hessman looked pretty good at third, which could mean a bit more playing time down the stretch if the Mets look to give David Wright the occasional day off. Then again, if they wind up clawing their way into playoff contention they'll be understandably reluctant to rest Wright at all. Still, the defensive versatility can only help Hessman's chances of sticking around.
• Josh Thole went 1-for-2 with two walks. Rod Barajas getting injured was almost certainly for the best, as there was little chance Thole would get playing time otherwise what with Barajas having hit those dingers a few months ago.
• Ike Davis's 15th home run of the year ties him with Wright for the team lead. Davis only played half of April.
• Even the most shameless Jeff Francoeur apologists can't help but shake their heads when Frenchy comes to the plate these days.

The Diamondbacks come to Citi Field for a three-game series beginning on Friday, fresh off of getting swept by the Phillies.

Poem by Howard Megdal

With groundballs from knucklers and beard nonpareil
Dickey puts W where there had been L
And if it is massive home runs that you like
Well, may I present three-run bomb hit by Ike
Pujols and Holliday no match for Frankie
Remember this next time that he makes you cranky

SB Nation Coverage

* Traditional Recap
* Boxscore
* Amazin' Avenue Gamethread
* Viva El Birdos Gamethread

Win Probability Added

Big winners: R.A. Dickey, +30.1% WPA, Ike Davis, +17.5% WPA
Big losers: Jeff Francoeur, -7.1% WPA, Carlos Beltran, -6.8% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Davis three-run home run in third, +20.6% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Beltran fly out in third, -6.5% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: +33.4% WPA
Total batter WPA: +16.6% WPA
GWRBI!: Ike Davis

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by NetsMets4Life; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

Num Name # of Posts 1 NetsMets4Life 77 2 aparkermarshall 57 3 Syler 47 4 Lunkwill Fook 37 5 ljmilman 36 6 itsmetsforme 35 7 Prince 21 8 ZOT! 20 9 The Glider 20 10 Jadden Hopkins 17

Lineup

St. Louis Cardinals @ New York Mets

07/29/10 12:10 PM EDT

St. Louis Cardinals New York Mets Felipe Lopez - 3B Jose Reyes - SS Jon Jay - CF Angel Pagan - LF Albert Pujols - 1B Carlos Beltran - CF Matt Holliday - LF Ike Davis - 1B Ryan Ludwick - RF Mike Hessman - 3B Skip Schumaker - 2B Josh Thole - C Yadier Molina - C Jeff Francoeur - RF Blake Hawksworth - P Alex Cora - 2B Tyler Greene - SS R.A. Dickey - P R.A. Dickey #43 / Pitcher / New York Mets

Height: 6-2

Weight: 215

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Oct 29, 1974

W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP 2010 - R.A. Dickey 6-4 13 13 0 0 0 0 84.2 80 28 24 5 22 60 2.55 1.20 Blake Hawksworth #53 / Pitcher / St. Louis Cardinals

Height: 6-3

Weight: 195

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Mar 01, 1983

W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP 2010 - Blake Hawksworth 4-6 28 7 0 0 0 0 63.2 87 43 37 10 28 42 5.23 1.81

New York Mets Daily Farm System Report - Results from the night of Wednesday July 28, 2010.

The Usual Suspects

AAA - Buffalo (52-52)

• CF Jesus Feliciano: 1-5, R (.346/.390/.431)
• RF Fernando Martinez: 1-3, BB, K (.238/.300/.427)
• SS Ruben Tejada: 0-4 (.285/.333/.347); hitting .217 since his demotion
• LF Lucas Duda: 1-5, R, HR, 2 RBI, K (.309/.370/.683); 25 extra-base hits in 139 at-bats since promotion
• 1B Mike Jacobs: 1-3, R, 2B, RBI (.263/.317/.485)
• SP Dillon Gee: 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 10 H, 3 BB, 3 K, 1 HR (9-7, 4.92 ERA, 120.2 IP, 128 H, 30 BB, 118 K, 18 HR); didn’t have his best outing

AA - Binghamton (53-52)

• CF Kirk Nieuwenhuis: 0-5, K (.290/.337/.516)
• LF Sean Ratliff: 1-1, R, HR, 3 RBI (.337/.368/.613); pinch-hit three-run homer
• 1B Nick Evans: 1-5, R, K (.294/.367/.528)
• 2B Josh Satin: 1-3, R, 2B, 2 BB (.297/.407/.426); outstanding patience
• 3B Zach Lutz: 3-4, 3 R, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB (.291/.417/.575); back-to-back great games since returning
• SP Mark Cohoon: 2.2 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 0 HR (1-3, 7.24 ERA, 32.1 IP, 44 H, 10 BB, 26 K, 3 HR); terrible
• RP Roy Merritt: 2.1 IP, 0 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 0 K, 0 HR (3-4, 4.04 ERA, 62.1 IP, 61 H, 19 BB, 46 K, 4 HR); didn’t allow any runs but frankly deserved to

Hi-A - St. Lucie (50-51)

• CF Pedro Zapata: 1-4, 2 K (.250/.250/.313); the string of 1-4’s continues
• 2B Jordany Valdespin: 2-4, CS (.296/.336/.438); fresh off his suspension
• SS Wilmer Flores: 1-4, 2 K (.345/.354/.458)
• DH Stefan Welch: 2-4, R, HR, RBI, 2 K (.275/.345/.417); really needed that home run
• RF Juan Lagares: 1-3, 2 K (.233/.248/.316)
• SP Brad Holt: 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 5 BB, 5 K, 1 HR (2-4, 5.60 ERA, 35.1 IP, 36 H, 24 BB, 30 K, 2 HR); only allowed two runs but the five walks is more important
• RP Brant Rustich: 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 0 HR; first game back from the GCL
• REHAB ALERT: RP Sean Green: 1.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 2 K (0-0, 4.50 ERA, 4.0 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 6 K, 0 HR)

 

SHORT-SEASON LEAGUES

 

SS-A Brooklyn (23-11)

• CF Darrell Ceciliani: 2-5, R, 3B, K, CS (.390/.444/.558); would really like to see him moved up a level
• RF Cory Vaughn: 1-4, BB, 2 K (.309/.397/.570)
• SS Rylan Sandoval: 1-3, 2 R, BB, SB (.314/.397/.555)
• 3B Brian Harrison: 1-4, R, 2B, K (.290/.348/.597); also committed two errors
• SP AJ Pinera: 4.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 K, 0 HR (1-2, 2.22 ERA, 28.1 IP, 21 H, 7 BB, 17 K, 1 HR); solid outing

RK Kingsport (17-19)

• LF ZeErika McQueen: 1-5, R, 2B, K (.284/.333/.383); batting .163 over his last ten games
• CF Chase Greene: 2-4, 2B, BB, CS (.333/.373/.479)
• DH Aderlin Rodriguez: 0-5, K (.294/.346/.573)
• C Nelfi Zapata: DNP (.262/.327/.340)
• RF Javier Rodriguez: DNP (.316/.343/.493)
• SP Bret Mitchell: 3.1 IP, 7 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 4 K, 0 HR (2-2, 6.00 ERA, 27.0 IP, 30 H, 10 BB, 32 K, 3 HR); third-straight poor outing

RK GCL Mets (15-16)

• SS Randoll Santana: 1-4 (.252/.336/.320)
• LF Julio Concepcion: 1-3, RBI, BB, K (.311/.353/.519)
• C Jeff Glenn: 1-3, R, SB (.256/.304/.349)
• RP Akeel Morris: 4 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 4 K (1-0, 0.90, 10 IP, 4 H, 4 BB, 10 K, 0 HR) Looking really great so far
• REHAB ALERT: RHP Jenrry Mejia: 3.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 0 HR; made his first rehab appearance

Star of the Night

I gave it to him yesterday, but there’s no way I can avoid making Zach Lutz the star again, not with three hits, eight total bases, and a walk. Back-to-back stars? Sure doesn’t look rusty after returning from that injury.

The Goat is Bret Mitchell in Kingsport for allowing seven runs to have his third consecutive poor outing. And right as I had been feeling good about him.

System Roundup

• Lucas Duda hit yet another home run and every starter in the lineup except Ruben Tejada and JR House had hits, but it wasn’t enough as Buffalo lost to Columbus, 6-4. Dillon Gee was just too hittable, allowing ten hits and four runs over five innings of work, and Jose de la Torre sank the Bisons for good by allowing two runs in the seventh. Boxscore
• For the second straight night, the Binghamton offense really showed up. Unfortunately, so did Portland’s, as the Sea Dogs took the game, 11-9. Zach Lutz had an outstanding day once again, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and a homer, and Sean Ratliff also contributed a pinch-hit three-run homer. But Mark Cohoon continued to struggle since his promotion to Double-A, allowing seven runs in less than three innings. Boxscore
• Seton Hall product Danl Merklinger did a good job shutting down the St. Lucie Mets, who lost to Brevard County, 5-1. Merklinger threw six innings of one-run ball, striking out 13. Brad Holt, on the other hand, was not very good despite only allowing two runs in five-plus innings of work. He was wild once again, walking five hitters. Boxscore
• Savannah had the night off. Boxscore
• AJ Pinera and Wes Wrenn combined to throw eight innings of two-run ball, while the lineup produced five doubles and a triple to give Brooklyn the 7-2 win over Aberdeen. Catcher Juan Centeno had three hits, and Darrell Ceciliani provided the triple. Boxscore
• Kingsport lost to Princeton, 11-2. Starter Brett Mitchell gave up seven runs, and though the Mets had ten hits, only two batters crossed the plate. On the bright side, outfielder Charles Hinojosa hit his first home run of the season. Boxscore
• Luke Montz and Donnie Tabb had two hits each for the GCL Mets in a 3-1 victory over the GCL Cardinals. But most importantly, Jenrry Mejia made his first rehab start, allowing one run over three innings on four hits and a walk while striking out three.  Akeel Morris relieved him and was even better allowing no runs over four innings of 1-hit ball.  Boxscore

Minor League Logo of the Whenever

See kiddies? Even the angry seal knows to choke up with two strikes.

Meet the Mets

You may be able to take some solace from the fact that the Mets scored a bunch of runs as part of a major comeback, but it would be bittersweet at best and straight up infuriating at worst. 

As long as we continue having to watch Luis Castillo and Jeff Francoeur up in key at bats, we can't expect too much greatness. 

Jason Bay may be close to some DL time as his concussion has not improved greatly. Manuel has not called him out yet for being a wuss, so that's something. Baby steps.

Fernando Nieve gets to remain in the Met organization.

The Wall Street Journal examined what may be behind the rising SNY ratings and the shrinking Shi&^* Field attendance numbers.

Wally is happy any time that his picture in the newspaper is not a mugshot. 

Filip Bondy talks some sense in encouraging the Mets to basically stand pat through the trading deadline. I would tend to agree with Ted Berg, however, that with the hot market for elite relief pitching, maybe the Mets should dangle Pedro Feliciano out there.

Around MLB

Roy Oswalt to the Phillies is apparently a done deal with the two teams waiting for the pitcher's approval. FanGraphs takes a look at the latest proposed Ruben Amaro masterpiece. 

While he may or may not be included in the Oswalt trade, Phillie top prospect Domonic Brown made his debut last night.

On the totally opposite side of the talent spectrum, the Dodgers have acquired Scott Podsednik from the Royals.

It looks like Stephen Strasburg will be forced to miss another start. After getting booed by the Nationals' fans for being Strasburg's replacement, Miguel Batista has gotten into a verbal spat with Miss Iowa. Only way to understand the story is to read.

Ben Sheets is done for the year.

Twinkie Town writes a wonderful piece about the problems with sports journalism.

And, finally, Ted Berg talks with Brian Bannister about how statistics have improved his pitching. Can this guy just retire and become the Met GM already?

More photos » Kathy Willens - AP

Browse more photos »

Johan Santana dug a hole and pushed his teammates into it, giving up six runs on eight hits in the first inning. His ERA/FIP/xFIP at the start of the game was 2.79/3.47/4.64, so some ERA regression was expected, even for a guy like Johan who has historically outperformed his peripherals. Mets batters -- the good Mets batters, that is -- didn't pack it in, scoring seven runs in regulation to send it into extra innings. Unfortunately, the hits stopped coming in overtime, and Albert Pujols hit an RBI single in the top of the thirteenth to put the Cardinals ahead for good.

I'm listening to Bob Ojeda on SNY talk about how this game is a positive. On one level I agree -- the comeback was nice to see. (Although I'm confused as to how a team afflicted with Carlos Beltran and his negative vibes showed such resilience. I thought his mere presence brought the team down? No?) On another level, this was a game they needed to win. Walk machine Mike MacDougal pitched the twelfth inning for the Cards and sent the Mets down 1-2-3 without allowing so much as a line drive. Kudos to the following players tonight:

• Carlos Beltran -- 2-5 with a home run and a walk. It's his first bomb since last Sept. 26.
• Angel Pagan -- 2-5 with a home run and a walk. Just like his mentor.
• David Wright -- 3-6.
• Jose Reyes -- 3-6 with a walk.

When the Mets lose, it's less annoying if the best players come through. Such was the case tonight. 

Poem by Howard Megdal

For once, a Johan start is supported
Even though his great July was aborted
Mets rallied from six runs down, raising hopes
But fall short, making us fans feel like dopes
I love free baseball, but life sure is bleak
When Mets lose three marathon games in a week

Lineup

St. Louis Cardinals @ New York Mets

07/28/10 7:10 PM EDT

St. Louis Cardinals New York Mets Felipe Lopez - 3B Jose Reyes - SS Jon Jay - RF Luis Castillo - 2B Albert Pujols - 1B Angel Pagan - LF Matt Holliday - LF David Wright - 3B Yadier Molina - C Carlos Beltran - CF Colby Rasmus - CF Mike Hessman - 1B Brendan Ryan - SS Jeff Francoeur - RF Jaime Garcia - P Henry Blanco - C Skip Schumaker - 2B Johan Santana - P

Johan Santana #57 / Pitcher / New York Mets

Height: 6-0

Weight: 210

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Mar 13, 1979

W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP 2010 - Johan Santana 8-5 21 21 1 1 0 0 142.0 124 45 44 8 43 92 2.79 1.18

Jaime Garcia #54 / Pitcher / St. Louis Cardinals

Height: 6-2

Weight: 215

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Jul 08, 1986

W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP 2010 - Jaime Garcia 9-4 22 19 0 0 0 0 110.0 97 33 27 5 43 90 2.21 1.27

The last time Santana and Garcia squared off, this happened.

New York Mets Daily Farm System Report - Results from the night of Tuesday July 27, 2010.

The Usual Suspects

AAA - Buffalo (52-51)

• RF Jesus Feliciano: 2-5, 2 R, 2B (.349/.394/.436)
• CF Fernando Martinez: 0-3, BB, K (.237/.297/.429); three for his last 32
• 2B Ruben Tejada: 1-4 (.291/.340/.354)
• DH Lucas Duda: 2-4, R, HR, 3 RBI (.313/.376/.679); 12th homer (18th overall)
• 1B Mike Jacobs: 0-3, R, BB, K (.263/.318/.483); only two extra-base hits over his last ten games
• SP Bobby Livingston: 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 5 BB, 3 K, 1 HR (3-8, 5.34 ERA, 92.2 IP, 108 H, 39 BB, 58 K, 8 HR); has just been terrible this season
• RP Ryota Igarashi: 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 0 HR (0-1, 4.66 ERA, 9.2 IP, 13 H, 3 BB, 9 K, 2 HR); earned his first Stateside save
• RP Chad Cordero: 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 K, 0 HR; fairly uneventful first appearance
• RP Brian Bruney: 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 K, 0 HR (0-1, 4.50 ERA, 8.0 IP, 9 H, 7 BB, 7 K, 0 HR)

AA - Binghamton (53-51)

• CF Kirk Nieuwenhuis: 1-5, K (.294/.342/.523); hitting just .211 over his last ten games
• LF Sean Ratliff: 1-5, R, K (.333/.364/.593); has slowed up some
• 1B Nick Evans: 3-5, 3 2B, 4 RBI, K (.296/.369/.533); insert "Who?" joke here
• 2B Josh Satin: 2-3, 3 R, 2B, BB (.297/.401/.421)
• SP Josh Stinson: 2.1 IP, 7 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, 2 K, 0 HR (8-1, 3.62 ERA, 97.0 IP, 90 H, 42 BB, 65 K, 4 HR); terrible
• RP Dylan Owen: 3.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 2 K, 0 HR (4-1, 3.06 ERA, 53.0 IP, 35 H, 25 BB, 42 K, 5 HR); pitched great after Stinson bombed
• RP Eric Niesen: 0.2 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 0 HR (4-4, 4.24 ERA, 57.1 IP, 52 H, 48 BB, 44 K, 5 HR); hasn’t been much better since switching to relief
• INJURY UPDATE:  Most recent word out of the Mets is that Reese Havens is not doing well with the oblique he re-strained in late June and may miss the rest of 2010.  Awful news.

Hi-A - St. Lucie (50-50)

• LF Pedro Zapata: 1-4, K (.250/.250/.333); has gone 1-4 each of his three games in the FSL
• SS Wilmer Flores: 1-4, K (.348/.357/.464); 18:2 K/BB ratio is worrisome
• 1B Stefan Welch: 0-4 (.273/.344/.408)
• CF Juan Lagares: 0-4, K (.231/.246/.315)
• SP Jeurys Familia: 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 7 K, 1 HR (2-7, 6.13 ERA, 79.1 IP, 77 H, 60 BB, 78 K, 4 HR); solid start
• REHAB ALERT: RP Carlos Muniz: 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 0 HR (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 6.0 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 7 K, 0 HR)
• REHAB ALERT: RP Sean Green: 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 0 HR)
• Quick update, IF Jordany Valdespin will be re-activated tonight after a one week suspension.  He was pulled from the July 20th game after just one ab in which he grounded out.  My assumption has been that he dogged it and for a player who has already had this type issue before, that was probably the last straw.  Interesting note, the team is 0-7 since that game, a tidbit which I'm sure Valdespin isn't broken up over.

Lo-A Savannah (55-47)

• DH Robbie Shields: 2-5, 3 R, HR, RBI (.167/.167/.333); nice day
• 3B Jefry Marte: DNP (.264/.333/.401); sat out again
• CF Cesar Puello: 2-4 (.277/.363/.344)
• SS Wilfredo Tovar: 1-5, 2B (.301/.357/.379)
• SP Taylor Whitenton: 1.2 IP, 4 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 K, 0 HR (5-5, 4.52 ERA, 75.2 IP, 72 H, 48 BB, 74 K, 4 HR); second straight miserable start

 

SHORT-SEASON LEAGUES

 

RK Kingsport (17-18)

• CF Chase Greene: 1-5, K, CS (.318/.348/.455)
• 3B Aderlin Rodriguez: 1-4, R, HR, RBI, BB, K (.304/.358/.594); ninth home run
• C Nelfi Zapata: 1-4, K (.262/.327/.340)
• RF Javier Rodriguez: 1-4, K (.316/.343/.493); streak is at seven games
• SP Gonzalez Germen: 8.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 5 K, 0 HR (2-3, 4,83 ERA, 41.0 IP, 45 H, 9 BB, 35 K, 2 HR); pitching better lately

RK GCL Mets (14-16)

• SS Randoll Santana: 1-3, K (.253/.339/.323); hasn’t looked great as his skills have taken a hit across the board
• LF Julio Concepcion: 1-4, R, HR, RBI, BB, 2 K (.311/.348/.524); power is intriguing, but shoddy plate discipline may be his undoing at higher levels
• C Jeff Glenn: 1-3, R, SB (.256/.304/.349)
• SP Domingo Tapia: 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 4 K, 0 HR (1-3, 5.18 ERA, 24.1 IP, 32 H, 6 BB, 14 K, 0 HR); this start was almost indistinguishable from his last
• Expect to see 2010 5th rounder U. of Florida senior and center fielder extraordinaire Matt den Dekker join the club soon as he recently agreed to terms; details about the terms not yet available.

Star of the Night

I’m gonna go with Zach Lutz as yesterday’s star over honorable mentions Nick Evans and Gonzalez Germen. Lutz had three hits (including a homer), three runs scored, and three RBI for Binghamton yesterday in his first game back since injuring himself in late May. Lutz isn’t a young guy anymore at 24, and he’s only seen 150 or so plate appearances this season due to various injuries. It’s a good thing he’s hit a ton when he’s played and should be looking forward to opening 2011 in Buffalo.

Josh Stinson deserves last night’s Goat honors. Giving up seven runs will do that.

System Roundup

• Three first-inning runs courtesy of Lucas Duda’s 12th home run staked starter Bobby Livingston to an early lead, but Livingston just couldn’t command his pitches well enough and gave all three runs back by the end of the fourth inning. But Buffalo scratched out another in the fifth and brought home the winning run in the seventh on a Jorge Padilla sacrifice fly to beat Columbus, 5-4. Duda, Jesus Feliciano, and Luis Hernandez had two hits apiece for the Bisons. Boxscore
• The Binghamton offense really piled it on Portland, and it’s a good thing, too, because Josh Stinson was terrible, giving up seven runs over 2 1/3. But the lineup brought home 12, winning 12-8. Dylan Owen threw three-plus innings of scoreless relief after Stinson was bounced early. Nick Evans hit three doubles, Josh Satin and Zach Lutz scored three runs apiece, while Lutz, Jose Coronado, and Marshall Hubbard hit home runs. Boxscore
• St. Lucie was shut out by starter Darren Byrd and Brevard County, 2-0 which was their seventh loss in a row. Jeurys Familia had a successful start for a change, and it would have been nice if his offense could have rewarded him with a victory. Instead, he was saddled with his seventh loss. Hector Pellot had the Mets’ lone two-hit game and their lone extra-base hit, a double. Boxscore
• The Lexington Legends pummeled the Sand Gnats, 13-6. Taylor Whitenton was awful for the second-straight start and the relievers that followed were more gasoline than band-aids. On the plus side, Robbie Shields played well, going 2-5 with three runs scored and a solo home run. Cesar Puello and Travis Ozga also provided two hits apiece. Boxscore
• Brooklyn had the day off.
• Princeton edged out Kingsport, 3-2. Gonzalez Germen threw eight strong innings, and Kingsport managed to get 12 men on base, but they weren’t able to drive enough of them home to provide Germen support. Boxscore
• Luke Montz and Julio Concepcion hit home runs, as the GCL Mets scored seven runs to beat the GCL Nats, 7-5. Alexander Sanchez also chipped in a pair of RBI, while starter Domingo Tapia earned his first win in the GCL. Boxscore

'Baseball America' Executive Editor Jim Callis was kind enough to give me some time last week and answer some of the most burning questions surrounding the Mets minor league system. The following was our chat:

As an 18 year old currently batting .373 in Hi-A, has Wilmer Flores clearly moved into the overall #1 slot in the Mets farm system and has he done enough in your eyes to be considered a premium, Grade A prospect?

JC: If we were doing a Top 100 Prospects list now, Flores would rank around 50. I know he struggled last year in low A, but he was also 17. He has a chance to have a very good bat down the road. He's not going to be a shortstop, and he may be more of an outfielder than a third baseman, but he'll have enough bat wherever he winds up.

Seemingly the forgotten man this year, does Fernando Martinez still have what it takes to reach the lofty goals Mets officials and fans alike once had for him?

JC: I never understood why the Mets pushed him so aggressively, and he never has put up big numbers in the minors outside of a 46-game stretch in low Class A four years ago. I think it's time to revise expectations to solid regular at best, and even that's not a lock.

Kirk Niuewenhuis is certainly looking more and more like a major leaguer everyday, but what level of player do you currently project?

JC: Nieuwenhuis continues to boost his stalk, continuing to hit after the jump to Double-A. I think he's more of a solid regular than a future star, a corner outfielder with 20-20 upside. His strike-zone discipline is a concern, and I don't think he really covers enough ground to play a major league center field. But he's a good prospect, no question.

What's your take on the whole 'Mejia to the bullpen' thing? Does it affect his development or his long-term role?

JC: It shouldn't affect him long term unless the Mets start jerking around him, shuttling him back and forth from the bullpen to the rotation and from the minors to Triple-A. He could wind up being a reliever in the long run, but it would be silly not to try to turn him into a quality starter.

Finish this thought, "In 5 years, Josh Thole is..."

JC: A backup catcher. Thole is a good contact hitter but he doesn't do anything else well enough to project as a big league starter.

The system as a whole has seen a big step back in terms of it's top pitchers, how concerned are you about guys like Jeurys Famila, Kyle Allen & Eric Niesen?

JC: None of those guys was really an elite prospect coming into the year, though they were among the best in the Mets system. Familia is still throwing hard but he still hasn't come up with any consistency in terms of his secondary pitches or command. Allen and Niesen have seen their command really go backward, and that's more alarming.

And then there's Brad Holt; what happened? What sort of major league role (if any) do you see for him long term?

JC: Holt wasn't good in Double-A last year, perhaps because he hurt his ankle after his first start, but that can't be the reason he has been awful for most of this year, necessitating a demotion to Double-A. He has one of the better arms in the system, but he's more thrower than pitcher and still needs to learn there's more about pitching than velocity. I wonder if he's going to be more than a reliever in the long run.

What can you tell us about the hard-throwing young lefty Juan Urbina?

JC: If it all comes together, he'll have a plus fastball and changeup to go with a solid slider down the road. He has one of the higher ceilings in the system.

What was your feeling on the selection of Matt Harvey in the draft?

JC: My sense was that of all the guys on the board, the Mets liked Arkansas third baseman Zack Cox the best, but his extra leverage as a sophomore-eligible and his high asking price scared them off. That said, Harvey isn't the typical Mets slot draft pick, as he's advised by the Boras Corp. After an inconsistent first two years in college, he was much more consistent last year and was arguably the best college righthander in the draft. I'm not completely sold on him based on all that inconsistency, and I could see him winding up in the bullpen down the road, but it's nice to see the Mets take a guy based on more than just slotability.

The trio of Eric Campbell, Sean Ratliff & Lucas Duda have all seemed to figure it out this season, at or above Double-A no less; is it fair to expect any (or all) of these guys to be players in the major leagues? How about potential trade chips?

JC: I wouldn't go that far. They're all older guys having nice years, but none of them have hit like this in the past and all play positions with a big premium on offense. I'd want to see it again next year before I'd even call any of them solid regulars on a good team. They might be a piece to a trade, but more as a complement and not as guys who would be the centerpiece of a package for a big name.

I have to ask about A.A.'s favorite invisible man, Nick Evans; has he gotten as raw a deal as we seem to think he has?

JC: He's like those other guys you just mentioned, more of an older offense-only guy who doesn't really project as a regular. He has a better track record than Campbell, Duda or Ratliff, but he's a righthanded-hitting first baseman with average power, and there's not a huge market for that.

Can you give me the name of a sleeper in this system you like to climb the ranks, this year or beyond, as well as your most overrated Mets prospect?

JC: My sleeper coming into the year would have been Kyle Allen, but that's not working out too well. So let's go with third baseman Aderlin Rodriguez, who's tearing up the Appy League and hasn't gotten much hype yet. The Mets system doesn't really have a lot of guys get overhyped. If I have to pick an overrated guy, I'd say Fernando Martinez or Brad Holt. I don't know if either guy is ever going to figure it all out.

And finally, where would you rate the Mets farm system as a whole? Strengths? Weaknesses?

JC: It's mediocre. It ranks in the bottom third among farm systems, and that's the result of going cheap in the draft for so many years, which is just inexplicable considering the Mets' resources. They've also been less aggressive international than they were at the start of Omar Minaya's reign. The strength of the system is international players, as Flores and Mejia are the clear blue-chippers in the system. I don't think they've built up particular depth at any position, and they don't have much in the way of solid big league contributors who are ready to step in.

Well that about wraps it up. Thanks so much for your input on all things Mets minors Jim. I know you guys are always really busy over at BA so I really appreciate the time. As always, keep up the good work!

Meet the Mets

Carlos Beltran had some measure of revenge last night against Adam Wainwright and the Mets thumped the Cardinals 8-2 with bench coach Dave Jauss as the manager. 

Now that the bats awoke for one game Howard Johnson is a genius.

Having a brief glimpse of Dave Jauss as manager made Ian O'Connor yearn for another Joe Torre era. Ed Ryan is up for a managerial change, just so long as it's not Wally.

Kevin Kearns thinks the Mets might let Matt Harvey walk in order to land a better selection in a deeper 2011 draft. That is a pretty high level of thought for the Met management.

The Mets might sit back for a while and stand pat.

Around MLB

Stephen Strasburg was scratched in his hyped battle against Jason Heyward and the Braves, but the Nats still shut out Atlanta 3-0.

The Marlins have DFA'd Nate Robertson.

Washington GM Mike Rizzo gave Adam Dunn an earful for visiting Bob Uecker during the Nats' game against the Brewers. Killjoy.

The proposed trash trade with the Royals is done for sure as Gil Meche is now out for the season. The injury inspired Joe Posnanski to repost one of his favorite Meche posts.

MLB players have ranked Yadier Molina as by far the toughest catcher to run against.

Los Angeles Dodger and Cincinnati Red hats are the caps most affiliated with gangs across the nation.

And, finally, an injustice from 1961 baseball statistics has been remedied.

If I were the Mets I would probably appeal Jerry Manuel's suspension which came as a result of his ejection and histrionics in San Francisco. I would bring video evidence and eyewitness accounts of the events. I would solicit expert testimony from folks who understand the appeals process inside and out. I would march into Bud Selig's office and request, nay, demand that Jerry Manuel's suspension be reconsidered and, if at all possible, extended indefinitely.

Not that Dave Jauss actually made any decisions in tonight's game. At least, I hope he didn't. Oh, the win was great, no doubt, but somebody decided to bring Francisco Rodriguez in to an 8-2 game in the ninth inning, and it's the sort of move that has Manuel's fingerprints all over it. I suppose Rodriguez probably needed the work since he wasn't used at all over the weekend in situations of any consequence.

Jon Niese had an interesting outing tonight. He got tons of ground balls -- the majority of them finding David Wright, it seemed -- but he induced just three swinging strikes all night. Hardly dominant, but just one run allowed on seven singles and two walks in six innings. He gave up the run in the first inning, and considering how useless the offense has been of late, a 1-0 deficit to Adam Wainwright seemed almost insurmountable.

But surmount it the Mets did, as the lineup exploded for eight runs on nine hits and five walks. The six runs Wainwright allowed were more than in any previous start this season, with the biggest blow coming in the form of a Jeff Francoeur three-run home run in the fourth. Carlos Beltran's negative energy must have an inverse effect on Francoeur's performance.

The Mets look to make it two in a row when Johan Santana takes on Jaime Garcia on Wednesday night.

Unintentionally sexual quote of the game: "He has holes just like everybody else." -Jon Niese on Albert Pujols (or Poo-Holes). (h/t metsguy234)

Poem by Howard Megdal

After a West Coast trip that was crushing
Mets find their wins, and their runs, back in Flushing
Frenchy hit homer, as his bat went crack
A dozen stories started on how he is "back"
A trade of Niese for an ace you should be dreading
For all that would accomplish is some water-treading

SB Nation Coverage

* Traditional Recap
* Boxscore
* Amazin' Avenue Gamethread
* Viva El Birdos Gamethread

Win Probability Added

Big winners: Carlos Beltran, +17.5% WPA, Jon Niese, +14.9% WPA
Big losers: Jose Reyes, -3.8% WPA, Luis Castillo, -2.4% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Francoeur three-run home run in fourth, +19.3% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Ludwick RBI (infield) single in first, -9.5% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: +32.8% WPA
Total batter WPA: +17.2% WPA
GWRBI!: Jeff Francoeur

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by CTRefJay; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

Num Name # of Posts 1 CTRefJay 106 2 fxcarden 89 3 Gina 78 4 Michkin 70 5 deadspy3 67 6 Syler 67 7 aparkermarshall 52 8 Ballonthewall 46 9 Jadden Hopkins 41 10 NetsMets4Life 36

Lineup

St. Louis Cardinals @ New York Mets

07/27/10 7:10 PM EDT

St. Louis Cardinals New York Mets Felipe Lopez - 3B Jose Reyes - SS Jon Jay - CF Luis Castillo - 2B Albert Pujols - 1B Angel Pagan - LF Matt Holliday - LF David Wright - 3B Ryan Ludwick - RF Carlos Beltran - CF Yadier Molina - C Ike Davis - 1B Brendan Ryan - SS Jeff Francoeur - RF Adam Wainwright - P Josh Thole - C Aaron Miles - 2B Jon Niese - P Jon Niese #49 / Pitcher / New York Mets

Height: 6-4

Weight: 215

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Oct 27, 1986

W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP 2010 - Jon Niese 6-4 18 17 1 1 0 0 101.2 106 44 40 12 32 83 3.54 1.36 Adam Wainwright #50 / Pitcher / St. Louis Cardinals

Height: 6-7

Weight: 230

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Aug 30, 1981

W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP 2010 - Adam Wainwright 14-5 23 21 4 1 0 0 148.1 113 35 32 10 36 136 1.94 1.00

Jason Bay out with "mild concussion"

Probably out for this entire series, will be observed over next 2-3 days

More photos » Kathy Willens - AP

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One of the memes coming from the front office these days is that they aren't sure that someone like Ted Lilly is an upgrade, stuff-wise, over Hisanori Takahashi, their current fifth starter. They've also expressed reservations about Lilly's reduced velocity this year, which is just another way to say the same thing. This should be easy enough to judge using the current statistics at our disposal.

Starting at the surface, Tak-san is pitching to a 4.25 FIP and 4.34 xFIP by striking out 8.11 per nine and walking 3.49 per nine. But those numbers include his time in the pen, so as a starter, he's got a 5.02 FIP and 4.72 xFIP while showing a 6.75 K/9 and 2.91 BB/9. He's been pretty luck neutral, too, as neither his BABIP (.312) nor strand rate (71.8%) are far from the league benchmarks in those categories (.300 and 70%).

Those results shouldn't be too hard for Lilly to surpass - in a normal year, given his career 4.35 xFIP. This year, though, he's got a 4.55 xFIP (4.62 FIP) on the back of the worst strikeout rate of his career (6.55 K/9) despite his still-excellent control (2.10 BB/9, 2.81 BB/9 was his National League worst). So right now, the results don't show a clear enough upgrade to burn a prospect on, perhaps, but let's dig a little deeper.

The velocity dip was marked early on in the season, and coming off of surgery, concern was high. It is still an issue, but as you can see from this fastball velocity chart from FanGraphs.com, he's working his way back currently. At least, his four best games by fastball velocity came in his last eight games overall.

 

Also concerning has been Lilly's gradual conversion into an extreme fly ball pitcher. After sporting groundball rates in the high 30s back with the Blue Jays, Lilly now has a minuscule 29.4% groundball rate. That's the second-worst number for qualified starters in the major leagues, and it makes Takahashi's 36.1% number look robust. Even if you point out that #3 on the list, Matt Cain, succeeds by playing in a park that fits his style, you have to admit that Tak-san is also a fly-ball pitcher, and that a walk or so every fifth game is probably not worth the cost of a prospect.

To try and get a little closer to process, let's take a look at their Pitch Type Values, or a linear weights system at FanGraphs that tracks the results of each pitch on a game-state level. In other words, if there's a guy on second, and no outs, that's worth 1.189 runs across baseball. If Lilly throws a fastball, and the guy flies out to right, that same guy on second base with one out is worth .725 runs. These numbers are found by asking "how many runs are scored in this game state, on average."

Lilly's fastball is a double-digit pitch (15.4 runs, positive is good on FG) despite the drop in velocity. His normally robust slider (+36 runs career) is in the negative (-3.5) for the first time in five years, though. While the curveball may set up a lot of things, it's not a good out pitch judging by his career run value (0.3), so maybe it's not a big deal that Lilly is throwing it at a career-low level. It's too bad that he uses the curveball 23% of the time during 0-2 counts, and 19% of the time during 1-2 counts - he is trying to strike people out with it, and yet he's got the worst strikeout rate of his career and the the pitch is running at scratch level according to linear weights.

Takahashi, on the other hand, owns a negative fastball (-6 runs), but his second-most used pitch, the changeup, is actually pretty nice (+6.8 runs). So is his slider (+2.5 runs). The curveball and cutter are negative/scratch, but he only throws them 9.6% of the time combined if the BIS classifications are to be believed. His most-used out pitch is the changeup (38% on 0-2 counts; 39% on 1-2 counts), so it's nice to see a positive classification for his out-pitch.

Let's dig a little deeper and look at their whiff rates. Lilly is getting his career lowest swinging strike percentage (7.6%), while Takahashi has a nicer number even as a starter (10.2%). The average this year is 8.4%, so we have one guy above the mean, and one guy below. Somewhat surprising actually.

Lilly has the track record, but he doesn't look like a clear upgrade this year. Perhaps bullets should be saved to upgrade the bullpen, unless Lilly is actually cheaper than a bullpen option in terms of prospect costs. If that's the case, he could probably give a similar performance to Takahashi, who we know is pretty good in the pen. One last note of caution, though: In high-leverage situations this year, Lilly has been terrible (15.61 FIP), and he's been giving up close to three homers per nine in July.

He certainly doesn't look like a pitcher worth a good prospect, Omar. Please don't overpay.

More photos » Kathy Kmonicek - AP

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With the Mets having won just three times in their last 15 games -- including a 2-9 road trip to begin the second half of the season -- everyone is looking for answers. The players want answers. The fans want answers. Talk radio and the local papers want answers. Ownership, the front office, and the field staff, they want answers, too. Right now, though, nobody has answers.

Well, we do have one answer, to the question of what the coaching staff will look like on Tuesday: it probably won't look any different than it does now. That means stays of execution for Howard Johnson, Dan Warthen, Razor Shines, and certainly Jerry Manuel. Whether this is merely an electrical malfunction or an honest-to-goodness call from the Governor we may not know for a while.

When the axe does fall, many figure that Johnson will be the first to go, with the Mets having scored just 23 runs in their eleven games since the break and just 13 runs in the nine losses. To what extent Johnson is responsible for the most recent stretch of offensive uselessness is anybody's guess, but it's certainly less than "complete responsibility" and probably much closer to "no responsibility whatsoever". But what is a hitting coach's job if not to coach the hitters, and how else can he be reasonably evaluated except by the performance of those hitters, or at least by the rudiments of performance, i.e. the approach to hitting. In other words, even if the results are suboptimal, the process might be sound.

Or not. Here's where the Mets rank among National League teams in a few cherry-picked categories.

OPS: 13th
OBP: 14th AVG: 12th
SLG: 13th
BB: 14th
wOBA: 13th
LD%: 14th (i.e. they aren't hitting the ball hard, either)
O-Swing%: 15th (i.e. they're swinging at a lot of balls outside the strike zone)

On aggregate, this paints an ugly, woeful picture of the Mets' approach at the plate: They have been unproductive, impatient, light-hitting, and undisciplined. In short, the offense has been an utterly spectacular mess, and the Beyond The Boxscore Power Rankings, which have consistently listed the Mets well below their actual record this season, are beginning to look not-so-shockingly prophetic.

While the evidence against the Mets' offense belonging to anything but an also-ran is damning, I still have no idea if Hojo is to blame for it, and I'm not sure if I ever will. Much the way we (almost) invariably evaluate managers by the overall performance of their teams, hitting coaches are ultimately judged by the performance of their hitters. If the team is an offensive juggernaut, it's doubtless that the hitting coach will get far too much credit for making it so. Conversely, if the lineup is a bottomless pit of suck, more often than not culpability falls at the feet of the hitting coach and, at least as often, his job falls shortly thereafter.

If the Mets keep hitting as they have, Hojo is going to get the axe sooner or later whether or not this morass of ineptitude is at all his doing. If that happens, he'll be replaced by someone, perhaps a hitting guru, and maybe the Mets will immediately start hitting better. If they do, it might be because the new hitting coach is a wonderful teacher who "gets" hitters. Or maybe it'll be because the Mets just needed to shake something up. Or maybe it'll be because decent teams sometimes start hitting well for no reason at all.

Meet the Mets

After a truly horrific road trip, the Mets cleaned out their coaching staff. Wait, they didn't? Well, then the story here is clearly that the Met front office is in disarray, not our lackluster rumormongering. 

My favorite part of the managerial hot seat is getting to read how great a manager Wally Backman already is.

Looks like the Met-Royal trash swap is not going to happen.

Chris McShane is not totally broken up over the news that Rod Barajas is getting some DL time, he doesn't even mention the fact that it means Mike Hessman. 

Howard Megdal compares the Met non-pursuit of Dan Haren with the Mets' constant plugging leaks mentality.

Carlos Beltran did not kill the Met chemistry, but his anemic hitting in 30 ABs isn't helping either.

Remember when Bobby Bonilla was "already legendary"?

Around MLB

Matt Garza threw the Rays' first no-hitter, leaving only two franchises without one.

The Marlins' Chris Coghlin suffered a severe knee injury while pieing his teammate after the team's fourth walkoff win of the week. Just wow.

The Diamondbacks traded Dan Haren for Joe Saunders in part because of Saunders' high winning percentage.

Ted Berg talks with the smart one who got away.

It's looking more unlikely that Roy Oswalt will be traded before the deadline. I wonder if his unbelievable list of demands has anything to do with that.

Mike Piazza talks Italian baseball with Athletics Nation.

Fire Jim Bowden upgrades OBP by looking at the outs a hitter makes on the bases as well.

I posted this awhile back, but it's so good it's worth reposting. The New York Times did an amazing job of presenting Mariano Rivera's nastiness. 

New York Mets Daily Farm System Report - Results from the afternoon/night of Monday July 26, 2010

First, let's start off with some good news:  Jenrry Mejia is reportedly back throwing simulated games at the Mets ST complex in PSL.  And with Barajas hitting the DL, finally Big Hess will get his shot with the big club.

The Usual Suspects

AAA - Buffalo (51-51)

• CF Jesus Feliciano: 0-4 (.347/.394/.439)
• 1B Mike Hessman: 0-4, K (.274/.358/.583) See ya in Queens
• RF Fernando Martinez: 0-4, K (.240/.303/.446)
• SS Ruben Tejada: 1-2, CS(3), E(8) (.292/.347/.363)
• LF Lucas Duda: 3-3, 2 2B. RBI, BB (.308/.365/.659) Two of the three hits off of a lefty
• SP Pat Misch: 7 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 8 K, HB (9-4, 3.44, 131 IP, 135 H, 23 BB, 81 K, 11 HR)
• REHAB ALERT - RHP Ryota Igarashi: 1 IP, 2 ER (2 unearned), 3 H, 0 BB, 3 K, WP (0-1, 5.19, 8.2 IP, 12 H, 2 BB, 8 K, 2 HR)  He's been too hittable considering he's not even facing major leaguers

AA - Binghamton (52-51)

• CF Kirk Nieuwenhuis: 1-3, BB, K (.296/.343/.528)
• LF Sean Ratliff: 1-4, 2B, K (.338/.369/.605)
• 1B Nick Evans: 1-4, 2B, K (.291/.366/.523)
• 2B Josh Satin: 1-4, 2B, RBI, K (.289/.393/.408)
• SP Robert Carson: 4.1 IP, 8 ER, 8 H, 3 BB, 1 K, 2 HR (0-3, 9.60, 15 IP, 21 H, 6 BB, 8 K, 3 HR) Still getting used to the advanced level of hitters in Double-A
• RP Eddie Kunz: 3.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 0 K (4-4, 5.12, 84.1 IP, 79 H, 53 BB, 43 K, 4 HR)
• I must say, Binghamton certainly paces this organization in terms of their promotions as they will be holding 'A Tribute to Will Ferrell' tonight where fans can relive some of Ferrell's very best moments on the stadium's big board. Genius.

 

Hi-A - St. Lucie (50-49)

• Off Day

 

Lo-A Savannah (55-46)

• 3B Jefry Marte: DNP (.264/.333/.401)
• RF Cesar Puello: 1-4, RBI, R, K, SB(37) (.278/.362/.342) 
• DH Robbie Shields: 0-5, 2 K
• SS Wilfredo Tovar: 1-2 (.306/.364/.378) Came back mid-way through this one, probably had a minor injury issue
• 2B Alonzo Harris: 2-3, 2B, R, K (.233/.278/.350) 6 for his last 11
• SP Darin Gorski: 6.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K, E(3) (4-5, 3.50, 79.2 IP, 76 H, 27 BB, 71 K, 8 HR) 
• In more important news, # 13 seed C Dock Doyle pulled the first round upset in the 'Minors Moniker Madness' tourney over #4 seed Chorye Spoone.  However, he'll need every last vote to top Brett Butts this round so vote some more! 

SHORT-SEASON LEAGUES

 

SS-A Brooklyn (25-13)

• CF Darrell Ceciliani: 1-3, RBI, 2 BB, CS(5) (.389/.446/.550) That's four walks over his last ten plate appearances
• RF Cory Vaughn: 1-3, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, 2 K (.310/.396/.579) Had the only XBH for Brooklyn in this one
• SS Rylan Sandoval: 1-4, RBI, BB, 2 K, E(7) (.313/.395/.560)
• 3B Brian Harrison: 0-3, R (.293/.354/.603)
• C Blake Forsythe: 0-3, BB (.174/.286/.174)
• SP Angel Cuan: 6 IP, 0 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, WP (4-0, 1.50, 48 IP, 41 H, 9 BB, 31 K, 0 HR) That's two runs allowed over his last 25 IP

 

RK Kingsport (17-17)

• LF ZeErika McQueen: 0-5, 3 K (.287/.338/.382)
• 3B Aderlin Rodriguez: 1-5, RBI, 2 K (.306/.356/.582)
• RF Javier Rodriguez: 3-5, 2B, R (.318/.345/.500) After a brief lull J-Rod is 5 for his last 9 with hits in six straight
• CF Chase Greene: 3-5, 2B, HR(1), RBI, 2 R (.333/.366/.487) First pro homer for the speedy Greene; batting .429 over his last five games
• SP Jacob DeGrom: 4 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 1 BB (intentional), 4 K (1-1, 5.19, 26 IP, 35 H, 6 BB, 22 K, 2 HR) Scuffling lately

 

RK GCL Mets (13-16)

• 2B Randoll Santana: 1-5, RBI, K (.250/.340/.330)
• LF Julio Concepcion: 1-4 (.313/.350/.516)
• RF Gilbert Gomez: 0-1 (.226/.284/.337)
• 3B Marinus Vernooij: 0-3, R, BB, 2 K, E(4) (.146/.239/.195)

 

Star of the Night

If you're not going to be the Star after you hit your first pro homer then when will you be?  Fortunately for Kingsport CF Chase Greene he won't have to find out as he gets the nod today off a very strong 3-for-5 night which included a double and his first professional home run.  The power outburst was a welcome sign from the athletic yet diminutive outfielder who profiles more like a Brett Gardner-type, with gap power but a more speed-oriented offensive game.  The 2009 16th round selection out of a Boca Raton HS also played short before the draft and could almost certainly shift to second base if he doesn't have what it takes to play a major league caliber center field due to a very weak throwing arm.

Let's stay in Kingsport and tap another of their ultra fast outfielders for Goat of the Night honors, LF ZeErika Mcqueen off his 0-for-5 with three K's performance.  But remember, that doesn't make his name any less cool so after an easy first round win over Mike Piazza, keep voting for him!

System Roundup

• More of the same for Buffalo as they were held down by a strong pitching performance in this 5-1 defeat to Toledo, their seventh straight loss.  LHP Pat Misch deserved better as he was very strong over seven but unfortunately he matched up with another lefty who was dealing for the Mudhens and in the end it was Buffalo that blinked first.  RHP Ryota Igarashi was looking fine in the eighth until a wild pitch third strike allowed a baserunner.  Then an error on a missed catch compounded things and at that point the inning unraveled and the 'Hens scored four more to put this one out of reach and end the Bisons' long journey back to .500.  Boxscore
• The B-Mets lost their series opener with the Sea Dogs, 8-4.  The Binghamton bats were eh last night aside from a couple bombs from IF Jose Coronado & RF Raul Reyes.  A 2-for-15 from their 1-4 spots certainly didn't help, but it was the pitching that eventually doomed them.  Namely LHP Robert Carson who is still clearly adjusting to this level of play.  Basically I'm just looking for him to spend the rest of this year getting acclimated to Double-A, regardless of results.  Boxscore
• For the second straight night Savannah topped the Legends by the score of 3-0.  Though LHP Darin Gorski was solid, I'd say the Gnats were pretty fortunate to take this one so easily considering they managed just five hits and made three errors.  However, five walks compared to seven strikeouts from the notoriously free-swinging Gnats lineup certainly helped.  Boxscore
• The Cyclones managed a split of their four-gamer with the Yankees with a nice 3-1 win last night.  Like the Sand Gnats, the 'Clones were somewhat lucky as they compiled three runs on just four combined hits and were actually outhit by the Yankee lineup.  Fortunately lefty starter Angel Cuan and dominant reliever RHP Ryan Fraser combined to limit the SI hitters to a nice 0-for-7 with RISP.  Fraser has been masterful since beginning his pro career, allowing just a single run over 17 innings.  Boxscore
• Princeton jumped ahead early in this one but Kingsport's slow & steady scoring attack throughout the middle innings eventually delivered them the 6-4 victory.  Give a ton of credit to the K-Met bullpen who short-circuited the Rays bats with five no-hit innings to end this one.  And after starting the season in XST with an injury, CF Chase Greene looks like he's starting to get into the swing of things with a nice 3-hit night, including a double and his first bomb.  Boxscore
• Despite outhitting the Marlins (who featured Cameron Maybin), the GCL Mets dropped yesterday's game 5-4.  Aside from a three-run fifth inning, the lineup didn't really do much else and that would prove too little as Mets starter RHP Marcos Camarena was not on his game today.  Boxscore

Ready to have your minds boggled? In honor of the Amazin' Avenue charity strikeout drive (currently standing at over $1,400 pledged to CARE), today's mind-boggler is:

Mets 120 Strikeout Seasons For Batters

Time limit is seven minutes. Post your scores or time remaining in the comments.

...and somewhere in Binghamton NY tonight, Nick Evans weeps.