One of the prevailing memes of the latter portion of this 2016 MLB season has been that nobody seems to want to win the National League Wild Card spots. The New York Mets, who we counted out of the playoffs in a staff post less than a month ago, clawed their way back into contention […]
Tag: Jeurys Familia
Game recap September 17: Never say die
What Happened: After a long and painful day, the Mets got to celebrate a franchise-record 201 home runs in a season as Curtis Granderson hit a game-tying homer in the 11th and a game-winning homer in the 12th. Fans probably walked in to yesterday’s game a little bummed out. It was Jacob deGrom hair hat […]
Game recap September 16: Bartolo Colon, down-ballot Cy Young candidate
With the Giants and Cardinals, the Mets’ two primary challengers for the two Wild Card spots, squaring off in San Francisco, the Mets had a prime opportunity to solidify their hold on a playoff spot against the lowly Twins. Bartolo Colon and his 3.27 ERA (his lowest mark since 2013 in Oakland) was opposed by […]
Game recap September 13: The T.J. Rivera game
Rookie T.J. Rivera hit his first major league home run in the 10th inning to lead the Mets to a dramatic 4-3 victory in the nation’s capital on Tuesday night. After Washington scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to tie the score at 3-all, Rivera lined All-Star closer Mark Melancon’s 0-2 cutter into the […]
Game recap September 9: The Mets are never going to lose again
Though the Mets did not play on Thursday, they entered their Friday night game against the Braves (the start of their last ever series at Turner Field) with improved playoff position. Somehow, despite running single digit playoff odds a month ago, the Mets found themselves in sole possession of the second wild card after the […]
Game recap September 7: A little bit of talent and a lot of good luck
As someone who hadn’t watched the 2016 Reds before this series, I assumed they were a bad baseball team because they lacked talent. The matchup between hitters and pitchers is so individualistic that the whole is usually close to the sum of the parts (plus or minus luck). Players get years of professional instruction before […]
Game Recap September 6: Mets Continue Power Surge, Bullpen Bails Out Montero
The Mets hit four home runs and were backed by 4.2 innings of scoreless relief, defeating the Cincinnati Reds 5-3 on Tuesday night for their fourth straight win. Playing in front of a sparse crowd at Great American Ball Park, New York (73-66) remained one game behind in the NL Wild Card race following the […]
Game recap September 4: I’ll be there for you
After splitting the first two games of their three game set, the Mets and Nationals squared off on ESPN (collective sigh) in the finale. Seth Lugo, owner of the best curveball spin rate in baseball and a 3.12 FIP through three major league starts, was opposed by young Nationals flamethrower Reynaldo Lopez. Though the division […]
Game recap September 3: Russian roulette
Since the Mets called up three more hitters than Las Vegas, it made me think of how much Terry Collins gambles every time he fills out the lineup card. Will Yoenis Cespedes be healthy enough to play? He gets in. But what about the other outfield positions? Jay Bruce did well before the trade. Michael […]
Game recap August 26: Silver Slugger Bartolo Colon
Coming off a series win against the Cardinals in St. Louis that kept their wild card chances on life support (rather than in the grave), the Mets started a ten-game home stand against the Phillies on Friday. Bartolo Colon started for the Mets opposite Phillies lefty Adam Morgan. Morgan, you may remember, was on the […]