If there’s one thing we’ve learned from covering Collins over the last two seasons, it’s that he doesn’t change his ingrained habits. Nori Aoki, Jose Reyes, and Asdrubal Cabrera led off for the Mets. Cabrera is the youngest of those players at 31. Meanwhile, Dom Smith and Amed Rosario are “protected” from getting an additional developmental at-bat by hitting in the bottom of the order. Gavin Cecchini may not fit in the Mets’ future, but Collins won’t even give him a chance. Just like we saw with Michael Conforto, Collins is unwilling to play the rookies. Ironically, the one thing Collins did well his last year in Anaheim was play 22-year old Troy Glaus every day.

Seth Lugo pitched four innings and 76 pitches before getting pulled for a pinch hitter. Lugo had some command issues, but he didn’t walk anybody and only gave up two runs. Then we saw Collins’ typical bullpen management. Chasen Bradford came in for the fifth. Josh Smoker got two outs, hit a batter, and Collins turned to Paul Sewald to get a righty. Sewald struck out Makiel Franco, sat down for half an inning, then came back for the seventh. Naturally he wasn’t as sharp, getting a strikeout then walking the next three batters. Collins has developed a bad habit of using a second reliever for part of an inning, sitting that pitcher down, then calling that pitcher back up for more work.

At a certain point, most Mets fans probably just want the season to end, Unfortunately, the Mets couldn’t even get that right on Saturday, Rookie callup Jamie Callahan came in for Sewald with the bases loaded, one out and a 4-2 lead. He gave up a sacrifice fly to Aaron Altherr and then a hard single to Rhys Hoskins, trying the game at four. Both the Mets and Phillies went to some of their best relievers, and A.J. Ramos was actually able to throw a 1-2-3 inning. Hoskins drove a ball to deep left-center in the tenth but couldn’t get it out of the park with the wind blowing in. Reyes came up with two on in the 11th but swung at every 3-2 pitch out of the zone until he missed one. Finally Cabrera, hit a three-run homer to put more runs on the board and Jeurys Familia threw a 1-2-3 inning for the save.

Media Meltdown, Continued

Sandy Alderson met with reporters before Saturday’s game to take responsibility for what he called a breakdown of the team’s professional culture, saying, “I’m the leader of this group. I feel responsible for every aspect of this operation, particularly in those areas where they fall short.” However, Alderson did not deny Marc Carig’s reporting that owner Fred Wilpon prevented the front office from firing Collins. Alderson was probably smart to avoid directly commenting on Collins’ bullpen use, since Collins continued to make the same mistakes against yesterday. More than anything else, Alderson seemed upset that someone would talk to a beat reporter about the club’s many obvious problems.

The Mets will play their last game of the season today. Noah Syndergaard will throw 20-25 pitches. Then the Mets’ taxed bullpen will go one final game and every Mets fan will wait on Twitter to see if (when) Collins is officially told he won’t get a new contract.

Photo credit: Eric Hartline – USA Today Sports

“Only Ten More of These To Go,” I wrote. Apparently, it was the first thing I’ve ever done worth copying,  because the five game recaps since then have followed suit with their headlines, going in descending order, and now we’re at three.

But this time, I am overcome not by indifference, but instead by a strange sadness.

Now, I’m not upset because because I’m going to miss this season. God knows I’m not going to miss this season. No, my sadness stems from the same reason the Mets drew their largest weeknight crowd last night since the Subway Series in August. It was the reason the cheers sounded a little louder than they usually did. It was the reason fans chanted for a manger they’ve criticized nearly every day for years.

No matter how much you think you want something to end, sometimes you aren’t actually prepared for it to end. And when it does end, a sort of sympathy grows, and it’s usually followed by a realization; a kind of a “Hey wait, I actually still like these guys!” type of moment. We’ve spent the last 159 games in a perpetual state of anger at this team, but last night, the fans didn’t seem angry. They seemed supportive. When you go through a long, rough road with a team, you don’t realize until the end of that road how much you still appreciate them. This was the last chance for Mets fans to show their appreciation, and cheer on their favorite team at home one last time this year. So they took advantage of it, they savored their last game at Citi Field in 2017, and they made the most of it.

Those players out there went through this turbulent season with us. They wish it worked out better, too. We had the ability to turn our TV off or change the channel, but they didn’t. And they did their best. So we thank them for their efforts, and send them on their way, with one common goal in mind:

Inside the clubhouse pic.twitter.com/D4EaniqVBN

— Matt Ehalt (@MattEhalt) September 28, 2017

But before the players gave out treats to fans, and before SNY signed off to “Meet the Mets,” as they did their annual tradition of rolling their credits, there was an actual game that was played. Of course, it didn’t mean much, but cool stuff did happen. Robert Gsellman ended his season on a high note, tossing six innings of one-run ball, with four strikeouts. Terry Collins lauded Gsellman’s stuff in the post game, saying his pitches were moving quite a bit. Jamie Callahan, Chasen Bradford, and Paul Sewald all pitched scoreless innings in relief. Both Callahan and Bradford have looked much better in their last few appearances.

On offense, the Mets scored their first run in the fourth on an error by Dansby Swanson, and then scored two more on a Travis d’Arnaud RBI single in the fifth. The Mets led 3-1 at that point, and kept that lead until the seventh, when Dom Smith crushed a three-run homer—his eighth of the season—to propel the lead out to 6-1. Later in the inning, Jose Reyes doubled in another run, and it was 7-1.

And that was the final score, as the Mets walked off the field to a standing ovation despite being 69-90, and a really, truly bad team.

OTHER NEWS OF THE DAY

The Mets apparently are leaning towards letting go of their pitching coach, Dan Warthen, come Monday. In response to this, Warthen recieved vocal support from the likes of Noah Syndergaard, Seth Lugo, and Jeurys Familia.

TOMORROW

The Mets begin their final series of the year, as they take to Philadelphia for a three-game weekend set with the Phillies to finish it off. Matt Harvey makes his final start of 2017 against Ben Lively at 7:10 p.m.

Photo credit: Andy Marlin – USA Today Sports

Game 1

The Good

Frankly, there wasn’t much good to talk about from Monday’s first game. Juan Lagares gave us a pleasant surprise with a perfect day at the plate, going three for three with a run scored. The former Gold Glove center fielder seems to be finishing 2017 strong, with seven hits in 15 at-bats over his last four games. Any signs of life from Lagares are a welcomed sight, as there is still a fair amount of uncertainty regarding how this outfield is going to look in 2018. Other than Yoenis Cespedes, the rest is up for grabs thanks to Michael Conforto’s injury and subsequent surgery. Many are still holding out hope that Lagares can be the player he was in 2014, although I wouldn’t put too much stock in a guy who tends to wind up on the disabled list as often as he does.

The entirety of the Mets offense was fueled by Tomas Nido in this contest. Nido, the 23-year-old catcher from Puerto Rico, cracked a double in the bottom of the seventh to drive in Phil Evans and Lagares. The extra-base hit was the first of Nido’s career and the RBIs were his second and third. Given the inconsistency the Mets have shouldered at the catcher position, it’s safe to assume that the job is open in 2018 and with a strong finish over the last week of regular season play, Nido may just do enough to toss his name in the ring and be a dark horse candidate to win the job next spring.

The Bad

Receiving the spot start for this afternoon’s game was Chris Flexen, who last started on Sept. 3. The 23-year-old started well, limiting the Braves to one run (an Ozzie Albies solo home run) over his first five innings, but eventually ran into trouble in the sixth. After loading the bases, Flexen was pulled in favor of Josh Smoker, who allowed all three runners to score. Flexen finished with an unimpressive line of three hits, three walks, four strikeouts, and four earned runs.

The Ugly

Yesterday was just one of those games where the performance of the bullpen left you with nauseous feeling. Josh Smoker’s box score line looks pretty clean, but he was fortunate in that the three runs he allowed were charged to the starter. Every reliever who followed surrendered at least one hit and earned run. In total, Erik Goeddel, Kevin McGowan, and Jacob Rhame surrendered six hits, five earned runs, and three walks. It’s hard to blame the bullpen for the loss today given the lack of offense and rough effort from Flexen, but they certainly ensured the Mets wouldn’t fight their way back into this one.

If reading this hasn’t caused you enough pain already, every player in the Braves starting lineup recorded a hit, including their starting pitcher, Lucas Sims. Sims, a rookie from Lawrenceville, Georgia, shut the Mets out through the first six innings of this afternoon’s game, so feel free to add him to the list of no-name pitchers to dominate the Mets.

Game 2

The Good

As demoralizing as Game 1 of this doubleheader was, the Amazins rallied back in the second game, avoiding becoming a season-worst 25 games under .500. Seth Lugo put forth one of his best efforts of 2017 and notched his seventh win on the season, a sentiment that is even more impressive when you recall the fact that he has been battling a partially torn UCL in his pitching elbow. Lugo shut the Braves out over his six innings, allowing only two hits and no walks while striking out seven.

Jerry Blevins and Chasen Bradford contributed accordingly, keeping the Braves off the board for a combined two innings. Under normal circumstances their effort may seem a bit pedestrian, but when you contrast them to how awful the bullpen was yesterday afternoon, it’s nice to see the relievers do their jobs correctly.

Travis d’Arnaud had a night to remember (only because there are not too many to be had these days), knocking two hits in three trips to the plate and walking once. Following Asdrubal Cabrera’s RBI groundout in the third, d’Arnaud was able to extend the lead to 2-0 when he singled to center field to score Lagares. Facing Jose Ramirez (not to be confused with Cleveland’s MVP candidate), d’Arnaud launched one over the left-center field fence to extend the Amazins’ lead to 3-0. This would prove to be the deciding run after the Braves etched across two runs in the ninth. Monday night’s effort is a momentary sigh of relief for d’Arnaud in the midst of another disappointing season. Sit back and smell the roses, Travis, because you very well may not be a starter anymore come spring training.

Brandon Nimmo and Matt Reynolds each had a solid night at the plate. Nimmo cracked two doubles and a single in four plate appearances and Reynolds singled twice. While Reynolds ultimately has cemented his fate as a utility-man, Brandon Nimmo is starting to open some eyes on whether he can be an everyday player. Last night’s effort raised his batting average to .274 and his OBP to a .393 clip. Numbers like that are at least worth the discussion of whether Nimmo could have a starting job in 2018.

The Bad

2017 is just not Jeurys Familia’s year. Between the blood clot issue and his struggles on the mound, you can count on the fact that he’s eager to start the 2018 season and wipe the slate clean. Monday night’s outing was a textbook example, as he came very close to blowing a three-run lead. Despite surrendering an RBI single to Jace Peterson and an RBI groundout to Matt Kemp, Familia avoided a complete meltdown en route to his fifth save of the season.

Despite a measured level of success with the Las Vegas 51s, Travis Taijeron has failed to get it going at the Major League level. An 0-3 effort tonight lowered his batting average to a crisp .159. Not that Taijeron factored into the Mets’ long term plans at all, but his September cup of coffee put him in a position where he had more to gain than to lose. Unfortunately, some players are just stuck in the purgatory that is being too good for Triple-A, not good enough for the MLB.

What’s Next

The Mets take on a familiar face in R.A. Dickey tonight with a resurgent Rafael Montero toeing the rubber at 7:10 p.m.

Photo credit: Andy Marlin – USA Today Sports

In the latest installment of Mets-ian injury luck, Jacob deGrom was pushed back from his Friday night start against the Nationals with a stomach ailment. Instead, Robert Gsellman took the mound against the NL East champions. Gsellman had a great start in Atlanta his last time out, but has been very disappointing after a promising rookie cameo at the end of 2016. For the Nationals, Edwin Jackson and his 6.38 FIP took the mound. They also left literally every position player of note on the bench, running out what was very clearly a post-clinching lineup as they coast into a matchup with the Cubs in the NLDS.

Suffice to say that this series is far from what we all expected and hoped for at the start of the season. This could’ve been a high stakes, tension filled fight for the division late in the season, with both sides matching aces (think back to that three-game series where this happened on Sunday Night Baseball) as they attempt to lock up the division. Instead, rather than struggling to keep our heads on straight and our hearts in our chest for three games, we’ll have to struggle for reasons to watch.

2015 feels so far away, doesn’t it?

Game Recap

Gsellman got off to a good start against the Nationals’ reserve lineup, setting them down in order in the first inning with a strikeout. He lost his control in the second however, as two walks and a HBP (with a wild pitch mixed in) loaded the bases with nobody out. In one of the better displays of composure we’ve seen from a Mets pitcher of late, Gsellman bounced back to work out of it, inducing pop ups from Adrian Sanchez and Pedro Severino before striking out Edwin Jackson to leave the bases loaded.

Perhaps encouraged by their starter’s effort, the Mets got on the board immediately afterwards. Travis d’Arnaud lead off with the bottom of the second by yanking a fastball up around his shoulders down the left field line for a solo home run. Dom Smith followed with a single, but the bottom third of the Mets’ order couldn’t do anything with that baserunner. Nevertheless, the Mets had a 1-0 going to the third.

Unfortunately, Gsellman’s troubles returned in the third. With one out, former Met Alejandro de Aza lined a ball to center field that Juan Lagares misjudged, and it rolled to the wall for a triple. Gsellman then hit Howie Kendrick to put two runners on for Adam Lind, who launched a down-and-in fastball over the right-center field wall for a three-run home run. In a flash, a 1-0 lead was a 3-1 deficit.

The Mets put together a small rally in the bottom of the third as they were seemingly ready to respond. Nori Aoki singled on a bunt ground ball and stole second, and a walk to Asdrubal Cabrera two batters late put runners on first and second with one out. This is the 2017 Mets though, so of course Brandon Nimmo hit a ball hard to de Aza that was caught on the fly and turned into an inning-ending double play.

Gsellman bounced back after the home run, striking out two in a 1-2-3 top of the fourth. He pitched well in the fifth as well, but was undone by some poor defense and worse umpiring. de Aza reached on a fielding error by Amed Rosario with one out, and after a blatantly missed strike three call to Howie Kendrick, the Washington second baseman drove an RBI double to right-center field to stretch the lead to 4-1. Adam Lind was walked intentionally to give a righty-righty matchup against Victor Robles, but he launched a two run triple to left-center, increasing the deficit to 6-1. In an inning that should have been over in three batters, the Nationals scored three runs.

After this rally by the Nats, the Mets managed to answer. Lagares laid down a very nice bunt single, stole second, then scored on a single from Aoki. Jose Reyes and Cabrera followed with singles of their own, pushing another run across the plate and putting men at first and second with one out. Brandon Nimmo worked a six pitch at bat (shocking) but struck out, bringing Travis d’Arnaud to the plate. d’Arnaud got another fastball up in the zone from Jackson that he liked, and he lined a three-run home run to left-center to tie the game at six.

Chasen Bradford replaced Gsellman in the sixth and struck out one in a scoreless inning. In the bottom half, the Mets took the lead against Joe Blanton. Juan Lagares doubled to left with one out and moved to third on a wild pitch. Nori Aoki drove him in with a double to deep right-center over Victor Robles, who was playing quite shallow against the typically slappy outfielder. Lagares’s run gave the Mets a 7-6 advantage at the end of the sixth.

Paul Sewald replaced Chasen Bradford with 1.2 scoreless innings of work (with some help from Lagares on a diving catch), striking out one, and Jerry Blevins finished the eighth by inducing a fly out from Daniel Murphy. That set the stage for A.J. Ramos, making his first appearance since blowing a three-run lead in Miami on Tuesday. This outing didn’t start much better, as Ramos walked Wilmer Difo and gave up a hard line drive to de Aza. Aoki made his latest impressive contribution to the Mets to help out, making a fantastic diving catch to turn that line drive into an out.

Ramos wasn’t as lucky to Howie Kenrick, who dinked a single in front of Aoki to put runners on first and third with one out. That led Terry Collins to yank his struggling closer for Josh Smoker. Smoker did his job, inducing a pop up from Adam Lind for the second out, setting the stage for Jeurys Familia’s first save opportunity since returning from the disabled list. Familia did his job, striking out the only batter he faced to secure the win.

Thoughts from the Game

Victor Robles is really, really fast. Like, Billy Hamilton fast. I know that last tidbit is probably not true, but it certainly feels like it watching him fly around the bases.

I remain confident that the A.J. Ramos trade is a move the Mets will regret. Ramos is in line for about $10 million dollars next season, and he simply isn’t worth that much. His consistent issues with control have prevented him from registering an elite or even particularly good cFIP as a reliever over the last couple seasons, and his ERA has risen to match. Add in that the Mets gave up a pitcher who was probably better than any player they received in their “hard sell” and things look even worse.

The clear benefit to Ramos is that he is a one-year commitment, amtching the current front office’s long standing disdain for handing out long term contracts to relievers. When building a team for the long haul, this is a good strategy, as relievers are volatile and unreliable in addition to not being a huge chunk of value compared to other spots on the roster. This Mets team is headed for a downturn, however, and the Mets should be doling out big contracts to actually elite relievers, since the long term consequences don’t matter – the team is going to be bad in two or three years anyway.

But no, the Mets will continue to be cheap and delusional about their place on the win curve, and we’ll be stuck having a heart attack anytime Ramos enters the game.

Other Met News

Whisperings from Jon Heyman and elsewhere over the past week have hinted heavily that Terry Collins will not be back next season. Some with the team are convinced he wants to retire, while others simply won’t make any comments about his job security (never a good sign for any manager, let alone one with an expiring contract).

Needless to say, every Met fans should have Handel’s Messiah going off at 120 decibels in their head. Collins has managed the most games of any Mets manager and won the second most games, leading the team to two consecutive playoff appearances in 2015 and 2016 for only the second time in team history. Despite those credentials, Collins has been a detriment to the team more often than not, constructing questionable lineups, refusing to play young players, and making horrendous decisions with his pitchers. Any comments with regard to his ability to manage a clubhouse well seems moot as well given some of the issue the Mets have had (such as with Asdrubal Cabrera).

Where the Mets turn for their next manager is an open question. Smart money is with the usual suspects that have long been rumored to be next in line, such as Bob Geren, Chip Hale, and Dick Scott. Recent reports have suggested the front office wants to bring in someone more familiar with analytics, though bringing up Mike Matheny as an example of such a manager is concerning (Matheny consistently makes many of the same mistakes Terry does). Pedro Lopez has long been considered another internal candidate as a coach who has done well with Mets prospects at multiple levels of the minor leagues. Unfortunately, those of us hoping for a more new age, out-of-the-box hire (oh what I would do to make John Baker the manager for 2018) are probably not going to get our wish, but at the very least we should get an upgrade over Terry Collins’ particular brand of ineptitude.

In other news that I have less to rant about, Noah Syndergaard is scheduled to make a one inning start today, after which Matt Harvey will take over. It’ll be Thor’s first appearance since tearing his lat on April 30. Throwing him out there for an inning is about as low risk as things can get, so if it has a positive psychological impact, there’s very limited drawback.

Photo credit: Andy Marlin – USA Today Sports

The Mets went into last night’s Subway Series finale hoping to avoid only the second series sweep on the losing side in more than twenty years of the midsummer meet-ups. Better late than never: while it was still not to be, for eight innings the Mets seemed less in a rebuilding phase than in a contractually-obligated-to-appear phase, some late inning heroics — specifically, a ninth inning grand slam by Curtis Granderson — made the final score closer than the game ever really was.

Things got off to a bad start when Mets starter Steven Matz took 40 pitches to get through the first inning. The first batter of the game, Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, tapped a comebacker to Matz, who promptly threw the ball over Dominic Smith’s head into right field.

Matz, who had fallen behind Gardner 3-0, then fell behind the next batter, Aaron Hicks, 3-0, before eventually walking him, bringing Aaron Judge to the plate with two men on and no one out, just like they must have drawn things up in the pregame meeting. Matz got an overeager Judge to strike out on a check swing, but Gary Sanchez picked up his teammate with a three-run home run to left field, putting the Mets behind three or more runs in the first inning for the 16th time this year. Matz then walked Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius. Todd Frazier popped out to Dom Smith, and Tyler Austin singled, prolonging the agony. Ronald Torreyes then struck out.

Yankees ace Luis Severino coughed up a one-out double to Astrubal Cabrera in the bottom of the first, but Severino recovered to strike out Michael Conforto and Yoenis Cespedes to end the threat.

Matz straightened things out for a spell from the second, getting three quick outs in the second and stranding a runner in the third while striking Frazier out looking.

Severino, for his part, cruised through the first two-thirds of the second before Travis d’Arnaud deposited a two-out single to center. Matt Reynolds, recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas, then worked to a 3-2 count before striking out.

The teams traded zeros through to the fourth, when Austin and Torreyes singled back to back to lead off the top of the frame. Severino popped a sacrifice in the air towards  Smith, who lunged and could not reach it, awarding Severino with an ugly first major league hit. That brought Gardner to the plate with no one out. Gardner promptly laced a two-run double to the left field corner. After an Aaron Hicks groundout, Matz faced Judge, who he had struck out twice. After getting two strikes on the gargantuan outfielder, Matz glanced a fastball off Judge’s elbow protector, re-loading the bases.

After 76 mostly ineffectual pitches and with Gary Sanchez returning to the plate, Terry Collins had seen enough, yanking Matz in favor of Chasen Bradford. Sanchez turned Bradford’s first pitch with a two-run single. Bradford then coaxed a double play out of Didi Gregorius.

Bradford continued his admirable mop up duty through the sixth inning, his third consecutive day of work. Hansel Robles, a fireman straight out of the pages of a Ray Bradbury novel, took over in the top of the seventh inning and managed to hold the Yankees to seven runs through two innings of work.

Severino was dominant for this 10th win of the season, surrendering no earned runs with nine strikeouts over six and a third innings.

Despite his brilliance, Severino’s young defense started to betray him in his last inning. With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Aaron Judge misplayed a d’Arnaud fly ball into a two-base error. d’Arnaud then moved to third on a passed ball by Sanchez, and scored on an RBI bloop single by Matt Reynolds. Brandon Nimmo, a late defensive replacement then hit a single in his first at bat, and. after 106 pitches Severino’s night was over. He was replaced by left-handed reliever Chasen Shreve, who promptly struck out Curtis Granderson, but walked Cabrera, loading the bases for Conforto. Conforto would strike out.

Recent acquisition AJ Ramos pitched the top of the ninth, retiring the Yankees in order.

In the bottom of the frame, Bryan Mitchell came out of the pen for the Yankees, and d’Arnaud greeted him with a leadoff double. Reynolds then knocked a single the other way, putting runners on the corners with no one out. Mitchell struggled to throw strikes to Nimmo, who drew a walk to load the bases for Granderson. Granderson took the first pitch out for a grand slam, closing the score to 7-5, and prompting Yankees manager Joe Girardi to summon Dellin Betances from the bullpen. Betances retired Cabrera, Conforto, and pinch hitter Juan Lagares to slam the lid. The four-run rally in the ninth was impressive, but the hole they’d dug earlier in the game was just too deep.

Tonight the Marlins come to town; Nicolino (1-1) faces Flexen (2-1); first pitch will be at 7:10 p.m.

Photo credit: Brad Penner – USA Today Sports

The Mets!

WHAT HAPPENED, SUNDAY WHO:

Going into yesterday, the Mets had a six-game Sunday losing streak, made worse by a -69 run differential. Despite a first inning two-run homer by Michael Conforto, the Mets initially looked like they would continue this trend. The bottom half of the first featured a bases-loaded, no-out spot for Chris Flexen to face new Philadelphia Phillie Rhys Hoskins. But, just like we all predicted, Flexen was able to work out of the jam. He induced a groundout and two fly outs, surrendering just one run in the process.

This pretty much set the tone for Flexen’s outing. Guys on, work out of the jam. In fact, it wasn’t his only bases loaded, no-out scenario to start an inning. In the fifth, Freddy Galvis, Odubel Herrera, and Rhys Hoskins reached base with Nick Williams coming to the plate. Unlike the first inning, the process to get to out number three was quite unconventional. Flexen was able to work out of the tough spot an odd Odubel Herrera TOOTBLAN, in which he apparently though Galvis would tried for the plate on a shallow fly ball to Conforto in center. Surely an unconventional double play, but a double play nonetheless. So, with runners at the corners and two outs, Flexen was poised (again) to skirt major trouble.

Maybe Flexen’s subconscious felt that he deserved more runs than his ledger possessed, but the second pitch to the very next batter was a curveball that scooted away from Travis d’Arnaud and brought home Galvis for the second Philly run of the game. Though Flexen was able to get the batter, Maikel Franco, to groundout and end the inning, his day would be done. All-in-all a weird day. Flexen wasn’t great, but he was able to work out of trouble all day long and keep the Phillies off the board. Basically, Chris Flexen wanted to offer his best Rafael Montero impression before the man, the myth, the legend takes the mound against the Yankees tonight.

This is about where the Phillies offense ended on Sunday, as well, as the Mets bullpen nearly worked four perfect frames. The only man to budge, Jerry Blevins, gave up a leadoff double to Cesar Hernandez and walked Rhys Hoskins in the seventh inning. Chasen Bradford, Paul Sewald, and A.J. Ramos put up 1-2-3 innings, which is always nice to see.

WHAT HAPPENED, THE GRANDY MAN CAN:

If Curtis Granderson is trying to play himself into a playoff race, this would be the way do it. The 36-year old lefty was 3-5 with a double and a homerun. The Mets have hinted that they are still interested in trading some of their players, so it will be interesting to see if this performance will spark a Grandy hot-streak. Even if it does, the more interesting aspect might be whether he will get moved.

Maybe he has a fit with the Washington Nationals due to the Bryce Harper injury. maybe the renewed AL Wild Card race creates a potential landing spot.

Also, I mentioned it earlier, but Michael Conforto hit a dinger. Michael Conforto is good. There is plenty of ways to say it and ways to show it, but the best way is just to call a spade a spade. You don’t need to see his nearly-.968 OPS. You don’t need to see the highlight-reel throws. You don’t need to see the abundant power (though it’s hard to miss). Nope, all you need to know is these tried-and-true words: Michael Conforto is good.

WHAT HAPPENED, YESTERDAY:

The Mets broke a long Sunday losing streak, though at times it got sketchy. Chris Flexen allowed just two runs in five innings, but the outcome was certainly not indicative of the process. The bullpen looked great, Conforto and Grandy homered, and the Mets took three of four from the Phillies. But, as the kids say, It Is Always Sunnier In Philadelphia.

WHAT HAPPENS, TODAY:

The Subway Series gets underway as the Mets look to play spoiler against their American League counterpart, keeping their two-game losing streak alive. Rafael Montero squares off against Luis Cessa, which is truly a slate for the ages.

Photo credit: Eric Hartline – USA Today Sports

After losing two in Colorado, the Mets return to Citi Field with Jacob deGrom on the mound, who looks to bounce back after having his eight-game winning streak snapped in Seattle. Opposing the Mets were the behemoth Dodgers and their newly acquired ace, Yu Darvish. The Mets are bad. The Dodgers are historically great. You do the math on how this game is going to go.

Game Recap

Jacob deGrom ran into the monster that is the Dodgers’ lineup right out of the gate, as he lost a nine-pitch battle to the leadoff hitter Chris Taylor when Taylor deposited a solo home run onto the Party Citi Deck. deGrom ran into more trouble in the inning, giving up a double to Corey Seager and walking Joc Pederson, but he was able to strand runners at second and third and keep the deficit at 1-0. However, his pitch count was already inflated at 31.

The second inning wasn’t quite as arduous, but deGrom again allowed a solo home run, this time to Yasiel Puig. deGrom did manage to strike out two, but wasted six pitches on Yu Darvish and threw another seven pitches to Chris Taylor, pushing his pitch count to 49. Similar struggles dogged deGrom in the third, where he threw another 32 pitches. The Dodgers didn’t score, but all five batters who came to the plate saw at least six pitches.

It seemed like deGrom might be turning a corner after the top of the third. In the bottom half of the inning, he grounded a curveball to left field, an impressive bit of hitting for a position player, let alone a pitcher. Two batters later, deGrom swiped second base for his first career steal, though he’d be stranded at second. To follow that up, deGrom set the Dodgers down in order in the top of the fourth, striking out three on 10 pitches.

Unfortunately, that momentum wouldn’t last. Chris Taylor started the fifth with a single (he only saw four pitches this at bat), and Corey Seager followed that up with a ground ball that could have been a double play, but it went under the glove of the inexperienced first baseman Jay Bruce to put runners on the corners. Justin Turner grounded into a double play to force in a run and Cody Bellinger popped up the first pitch to end the inning, but the Dodger lead was 3-0 and deGrom’s night was done.

The Met ace finished with five innings of three run ball, striking out eight, giving up five hits, and walking three. He certainly didn’t have his best stuff tonight, struggling to command his pitches low in the zone, but this was also far from a bad night by normal pitcher standards. His struggles just exemplify just how much of a meat grinder this Dodger lineup is. It’s easy to see why they’ve gone 41-7 over their last 48 games.

Amed Rosario led off the bottom of the fifth with his first hit at home as a Met, which also continued his career-opening four-game hit streak. Rosario followed that up with his first major league steal, then moved to third on a ground out from Brandon Nimmo. Rosario was ultimately stranded when Michael Conforto struck out, however, and the score remained 3-0.

Josh Smoker entered for the sixth inning and started things off by inducing a dribbler from Joc Pederson. He then walked Yasmani Grandal to bring Chase Utley to the plate. Met fans everywhere probably felt what happened next coming, as Utley launched a two-run home run into upper deck in right to push the Dodger lead to 5-0. In case you wanted a refresher on just how much Utley has owned the Mets, that’s his 39th career homer against New York and his 14th at Citi Field, trailing only Giancarlo Stanton (20 homers at Citi Field). Smoker, a left-handed pitcher, oddly selected to throw a changeup to Utley, a left-handed batter. As SNY went to a break, Keith Hernandez accurately remarked “that’s just a stupid pitch.”

The top of the Dodger lineup tacked on some more runs in the top of the seventh. With Chasen Bradford on the mound, Chris Taylor walked, Corey Seager doubled, and Justin Turner lofted a sacrifice fly to extend the Dodger lead to 6-0. Bradford was able to keep Seager at third, and followed that up with a clean eighth inning. After an excellent outing in Colorado, Bradford tosses 2.2 innings with three strikeouts, allowing one run.

You’ll notice that I’ve made basically no mention of the Met offense so far, and you’re not wrong. There was just very little to comment on. After Conforto lined Darvish’s first pitch into right field for a base hit, the newest Dodger settled in to stifle the Mets. He finished with seven innings of shutout ball, striking out 10 and walking one. All three hits he allowed were singles. Conforto added a second hit in the bottom of the eighth against Josh Fields, but the Mets could make nothing of that baserunner either.

Erik Goeddel set the Dodgers down in order in the top of the ninth with some help from Neil Walker, who made a fantastic defensive play on a pop up over his head. Yoenis Cespedes managed a walk in the bottom of the ninth, but any remaining hope for a comeback was dashed when Joc Pederson ended the game with a leaping catch at the left center field wall to rob Walker of extra bases and end the game.

The loss drops the Mets to 49-58, pushing them to seventh in the reverse standings. Last time the Mets drafted seventh overall, they selected Matt Harvey in 2012. That sounded like a positive tidbit in my head, but then I thought about it a bit more. So it goes with the Mets.

Thoughts from the Game

For those of you wondering just how badly the Mets have been smashed by Los Angeles this year, they’ve now given up 18 home runs in five games. The collective score in those games is 11-42. The Mets have been shutout twice in those five games and have lost three games by six runs or more. The closest game was a 6-3 loss in the finale of their four-game set in June.

Will Little is an astoundingly horrific umpire. After throwing out both Russell Martin and Marcus Stroman in a span of about five seconds last week, both sides were continually frustrated with Little’s strike zone Friday night. Jacob deGrom and Yu Darvish both showed their displeasure at various points (though neither of them are as outspoken as Stroman), and it was easy to see why. Little started by calling the low strike, then seemed to start flipping coins with any ball towards either of the low corners the rest of the way. There’s a long diatribe about major league umpires, but suffice to say that I won’t look forward to the next time Will Little is behind the dish.

Other Met News

Jay Bruce has cleared revocable trade waivers, but that’s not particularly surprising given his fairly hefty salary and a general lack of demand for corner bats who can’t play defense. It still seems likely that Bruce will stick out the season with the Mets and receive a qualifying offer. There’s also every chance the Mets look to bring Bruce back next season, as they seem to be the only team left in baseball interested in the profile he offers.

Photo credit: Noah K. Murray – USA Today Sports

But, as we’ve learned through the years, no lead is ever safe in Coors Field. The Mets chipped away in the top half of the fourth when Yoenis Cespedes drove in a run on a double play, and then Jay Bruce hit a solo shot, his 29th of the season, to make it 5-2.

In the fourth, after Curtis Granderson reached on an error, Amed Rosario chopped a ball down the third base line that went under the glove of Nolan Arenado and bounced in the corner. It was a triple for Rosario, his first MLB extra-base hit, and it scored Granderson from first to lob another run off the deficit and make it 5-3. Rosario then scored on a Travis d’Arnaud groundout, and it was 5-4.

The Mets were back at it in the sixth, and that’s when things really took off. Asdrubal Cabrera led off with a single, and then Cespedes doubled him home to tie the game. After Bruce walked and Brandon Nimmo grounded out, Granderson stepped in and launched one into the right field bullpen. The three-run dinger gave the Mets their first lead of the game and made it 8-5.

Four runs were already home in that sixth inning, but the Mets still weren’t done. Later in the inning, d’Arnaud singled, Jose Reyes singled, Michael Conforto singled d’Arnaud home, and then Cabrera doubled Reyes in. Two more runs scored before the side was finally retired. It was a six-run inning for the Mets, and they led 10-5.

Meanwhile, the Rockies never scored again after the third inning. Here’s something you haven’t read much this year: the Mets’ bullpen was staunch all night long. Flexen was pulled after the five-run third, and the bullpen—even with its best pitcher now pitching for the Red Sox—had one of its best showings of the season. Chasen “Don’t Call Me Chase” Bradford entered in the fourth and delivered two shutout innings. Fernando Salas pitched a scoreless sixth. Paul Sewald handled the seventh and eighth innings without issue, and A.J. Ramos closed out the win with a scoreless ninth.

Imagine reading that paragraph in April.

The Mets are now 49-56.

ROSARIO REPORT

Let’s face it: the main reason to watch the Mets going forward is really to monitor the progress of Amed Rosario and, eventually, Dominic Smith. We already talked about Rosario’s RBI triple last night. Overall, that was Rosario’s only hit at the plate. He went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts and a groundout. He hasn’t looked totally comfortable at the dish yet, and even his two hits so far have been weakly struck balls. That said, it’s been literally eight plate appearances.

However, Rosario has looked totally comfortable in the field, aside from his misplay in the ninth inning Tuesday night. He’s made every play, he’s looked smooth, and even made a nice diving catch going to his left last night on a liner ticketed for center field in the third inning. There was also a base hit up the middle by D.J. LeMahieu in the third inning that Rosario couldn’t reach on a dive; he probably gets to that on a non-Coors Field infield. Through two games, we’ve seen the evidence of Rosario’s high floor; even if he doesn’t hit, he’s still got his glove, and he’s still got his speed.

OTHER NEWS OF THE DAY

ALERT: DAVID WRIGHT IS DOING BASEBALL THINGS IN PORT ST. LUCIE. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. DAVID WRIGHT IS DOING BASEBALL THINGS. 

Okay, this is probably nothing, and we don’t know how well this will go this time around. But it’s nice to see the captain still giving it the ol’ college try and doing his best to get back on the field to help the team. I could talk about the how wholly unfair it is that Jose Reyes is the one passing the metaphorical torch over to Amed Rosario instead of Wright, but we get good news on Wright so little nowadays that I refuse to put a negative spin on even the smidgen of positive developments we get.

TODAY’S GAME

Rafael Montero takes on German Marquez in the rubber game of this series. First pitch is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. ET.

Photo credit: Ron Chenoy – USA Today Sports

Worst Starting Pitcher Seasons In Mets History By ERA-:

Yes, before last night’s game, the 2017 Mets starters were tied with the 1963 Mets starters for literally the worst adjusted season at run-prevention in franchise history. The 1963 Mets went 51-111. The 1964 Mets, who this group is worse than, went 53-109. The 1982 Mets went 65-97. The 1965 Mets went 50-112. You’ll have to go all the way to No. 18 on that list to find a Mets team that finished with a winning record, and that was the 2006 Mets with an ERA- of 107. And that team was undone by its lack of pitching.

This is the worst case scenario, and then some. This rotation was a fresh, beautiful car. It had an 8-cylinder engine with a pristine paint job, and it even spat fire. We gave it a superhero nickname and everything. We flaunted it. And then we opened the door one day and found out that the car was infested with spiders. Then the spiders all jumped out at once and ate our face and ruined our lives.

But last night, Steven Matz gave us all a breath of fresh air. There haven’t been too many strong starts by the non-deGrom faction of the Mets’ rotation this year, but last night, the Long Island kid gave the Mets seven impressive shutout innings. He struck out four and walked only one in his best start of the season. Josh Edgin pitched a scoreless eighth and Chasen Bradford followed suit in the ninth, and the Mets won just their second shutout of the season, with their first coming May 19 against the Angels in a game started by—you guessed it—Jacob deGrom.

So thanks to Steven Matz, this Mets’ starting rotation is no longer tied for the worst single-season ERA- in Mets history. For now.

On offense, the Mets were rolling from the get-go as well. A two-run homer by Asdrubal Cabrera in the first inning got the Mets out to an early 2-0 lead, and an RBI single by Jose Reyes later in the inning put them up 3-0. The team then stagnated at just three runs, though, until the seventh when they exploded for three more. An RBI single by T.J. Rivera scored one, and that was followed up by a two-run bomb by Curtis Granderson, his third in as many days, to blow it open to 6-0. The Mets added two more in the eighth on a single by Brandon Nimmo, and that was that.

The win was the Mets’ fourth in their last five games, though they still might as well be a light year away from a playoff spot, and this team having moderate success against other bad teams shouldn’t really boost anyone’s confidence in them.

OTHER NEWS OF THE DAY

Robert Gsellman was placed on the 10-day disabled list after suffering a hamstring strain Tuesday night, and in his place comes yet another installment of the Matt Reynolds odyssey. Reynolds has now been recalled 37 times this season, which is an accurate number that you should definitely not fact-check.

TODAY

The Mets look to take the rubber game in Miami and take back third place in the division. Seth Lugo goes up against Jose Urena at 7:10 p.m.

Photo credit: Steve Mitchell – USA Today Sports

Chasen Bradford: Bradford, like the majority of invitees, is a pitcher whose presence suggests the Mets are looking to bulk up the bullpen. Originally drafted in 2011, Bradford has been with the 51s since 2015. Though his ERA spiked to 4.80 in 2016, his career overall of 3.42 is stronger, and he’s shown time and again that he can handle the pressure, earning five of six saves in 2016, and 36 of a possible 48 across his career thus far.

Xorge Carrillo: The only non-roster catcher to attend spring training, Carrillo was also a 2011 Mets’ draft pick. He began in Brooklyn, and spent 2016 in Binghamton and Las Vegas, where he batted .333 and .269, respectively, slashing .257/.328/.354 over his career.

P.J. Conlon: A 23-year-old Northern Ireland-native, Conlon is an intriguing prospect beyond his heritage. The lefty was the Mets’ 13th-round draft pick in 2015, and has already played with the Cyclones, St. Lucie Mets, and Columbia Fireflies. At 5’11,” Conlon is the shortest of the pitching invitees, but so far his performance suggests he’ll be a force to be reckoned with: he’s gone 12-3 with one save and an ERA of 1.47 across 41 games.

Phillip Evans: A 24-year-old infielder, Evans was drafted out of high school in 2011, and had his best season yet in 2016 split between Binghamton and St. Lucie, slashing .321/.366/.460 with eight of his 19 career home runs. Over his five-year career, Evans has hit .255/.318/.344.

Luis Guillorme*: A 10th-round draft pick in 2013, the infielder started in the Gulf Coast League and spent 2016 with the St. Lucie Mets, where he hit his first professional home run. Guillorme hit .285/.355/.326 across his career, with 34 stolen bases.

( * – Editor’s Note: Please email Jeff Paternostro with any and all questions about Guillorme.)

Kevin McGowan: The tallest invitee on the list, 25-year-old McGowan fits neatly between other leggy pitchers Syndergaard (6’6″) and deGrom (6’4″) at 6’5”.  A 13th-round draft pick in 2013, the righty spent 2016 moving between Las Vegas, Binghamton and St. Lucie, going 5-1 with two saves and an ERA of 2.35, the best of his career so far.

David Roseboom: This lefty was a 2014 draft pick and spent 2016 in Binghamton, where he managed 14 saves (in 15 opportunities) with an ERA of 1.87 across 52 games. Over his career, he’s gone 5-3 with 26 saves and an ERA of 2.26.

Ben Rowen: Originally a 2010 Texas draft pick, the 28-year-old made his major-league debut in 2014, in an eight-game run with the Rangers. He was called up for four games by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2016. Though both his stints in the majors have been middling (and short), his minor-league stats are impressive: 25-10 with 43 saves and an ERA of 1.85. Here’s hoping a spring training invite allows Rowen time to shake loose the nerves and show the majors some of his good stuff.

Paul Sewald: This righty pitcher was a 10th-round draft pick for the Mets in 2010, and spent 2016 in Las Vegas, where he went 5-3 with 19 saves and an ERA of 3.29. Over his time with Mets affiliates, he’s gone 16-8 with 66 saves and an ERA of 2.20.

Dominic Smith: Smith is the youngest of this year’s invitees—he’ll be 21 upon his arrival in Port St. Lucie. The infielder was drafted from his California high school by the Mets in 2013, their first round pick, and just finished off a great season in Binghamton, where he hit .302/.367/.457 with 14 home runs. I’ll be excited to see how this slugger holds up when he faces off against some major-league arms.

Champ Stuart: With a name like “Champ,” he’s gotta be good! Also an early draft pick from 2013 (the Mets’ sixth-round choice), this outfielder—given name “Jervis”—split time between Binghamton and the St. Lucie Mets in 2016. He hit .240/.314/.349 with eight home runs across the two teams, and he’s lightning fast; he’s managed 40 stolen bases in 114 games.

Corey Taylor: This 24-year-old righty pitcher was a seventh-round draft pick in 2015, and has done well in his time with the Cyclones and St. Lucie Mets. Over his two-year, 63-game career, he’s gone 5-6 with an ERA of 1.77 and 20 saves.

Logan Taylor: No relation to the aforementioned Taylor above, this 25-year-old, also a right-handed pitcher, was drafted by the Mets in 2012. He went 4-2 in Binghamton in 2016 and has a career ERA of 3.26 across 99 games.

Travis Taijeron: A 2011 draft pick for the Mets, this left fielder has spent the past two years in Las Vegas, where he hit 25 home runs in 2015, and 19 in 2016, batting slightly above his career average of .269/.370/.512. This slugger’s got power, and 110 career MiLB home runs to prove it; fingers crossed his swing is just as deadly in the big leagues.

Adam Wilk: At 29, Wilk is the oldest invitee on the list. (And yet still slightly younger than I am. Sigh.). Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, he’s already got his feet wet in the majors—he had runs in 2011 and 2012 with the Tigers, and two innings with the Angels in 2015. 2016 was not his best year—he went 2-8 with the Triple-A Durham Bulls, but I’ll indulge the Mets pitching staff here in the hope he can combine the mojo from his earlier days with his major-league experience and put his best arm forward for 2017. Wilk has a career ERA 3.59 across 153 games.

Photo Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA Today Sports