The Mets solidified their hold on second place in the NL East with a 5-2 win over the Marlins Wednesday night. It was the third straight win over Miami and New York is now two games up on the Fish. The Cardinals were trailing, 3-1, in the seventh inning and if that holds, the Mets would be just 1.5 games out of the second Wild Card spot.
- Originally, the Marlins were going to start a lefty, so Wilmer Flores was in the lineup. A late scratch put a righty on the mound but Terry Collins kept Flores in there. As the clock has struck midnight for James Loney, it was a good move. Flores made it a great move with a two-run homer.
- The Mets had chances to pad the lead but could not cash in on numerous opportunities early in the game. But in the eighth inning, Kelly Johnson delivered a three-run double that broke up a 2-2 tie.
- Bartolo Colon pitched seven solid innings. Addison Reed pitched a scoreless eighth inning and earned the win. Jeurys Familia came on for a 1-2-3 ninth for his 44th save, establishing a franchise record.
- The Mets have won nine of their past 11 games and finished the month of August with a 15-14 mark, just their second winning month in 2016. They are now 10-5 against the Marlins, their best record against any NL East team. They’re 9-2 in games when someone besides Jose Fernandez starts for Miami.
Oy-vey! MLB rumors says that Walker will opt for season-ending surgery….
Oh and we just acquired Fernando Salas.
Don’t want to get greedy or ahead of myself, but completing this sweep tomorrow would sure be nice.
Addition of Salas can’t hurt. Outside of Familia, Reed and Blevins I don’t trust anyone in our bullpen. Maybe Robles has turned a corner, but Henderson, Goedell, Gilmartin, Verrett, et al, blech.
If we lose Walker, it’s a blow, but the way Flores, Johnson, Reyes and Cabrera are all playing, the infield has not been a problem.
Question: Is it unusual for a player to elect for mid-season surgery for a herniated disk? It just doesn’t strike a familiar note with me. The Walker injury hurts.
As for the game:
* It is beginning to feel like something special might be happening.
* Solid game by d’Arnaud.
* Two head-scratching decisions on consecutive Colon ABs. Bases loaded and no one out, I was hoping he would strike out. First time up, he had to bunt. Bad hitter, doesn’t run, too easy to double up.
* Wilmer does it again. I’ve been wrong about him vs. RHP. My eye test told me that he was having too many bad ABs vs. RHP, but statistically of late he’s been delivering. Good lineup yesterday, keeping Loney on the bench. More of the same, please.
* T.J. Rivera gets back on Monday I think. He will need to make some spot starts these last four weeks. Hoping T C doesn’t opt for Reynolds. Love Johnson, don’t want him to become an everyday player. So good with rest, coming off the bench.
I also expected them to send Colon up with the bat on his shoulder.
The formula for arriving at the playoffs on a good roll with 2 hot Pitchers and a Hammer Closer might be in full force, if they get there.
They should have sent Colon up without a bat. But all’s well that ends well.
Looking around for the answer to this. Finding lots of medical information but not necessarily a list of MLB players. Regardless, I found this in regards to Clayton Kershaw and his back trouble this year:
“The most common procedure to fix a herniated disk is called a micro-diskectomy, explained Andrew Hecht, the chief of spinal surgery for Mount Sinai Health System and Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. It is necessary when the bulging disk compresses the nerves in the spine.
“In the absence of having a lot of buttock pain or leg pain, we typically counsel athletes not to have surgery for that problem,” Hecht said. “Because micro-diskectomy is most effective for people who have buttock and leg pain, not just back pain. We don’t usually do micro-diskectomy surgeries on people with back pain, only.”
For a patient dealing only with back discomfort, Hecht continued, the typical treatment involves administration of anti-inflammatories, physical therapy and general rest.”
http://www.truebluela.com/2016/7/20/12244146/clayton-kershaw-back-injury-surgery-possibility-dave-roberts-dodgers
When the pain radiates to the Buttock or even down to the foot and toes, it’s an indicator that the Nerve is being compressed and damaged. Walker is reportedly experiencing numbness and pain through his leg and foot.
This stuff quickly moves to loss of strength and function….long term, the compression of the nerve permanently damages it. After that, the long term recovery becomes very doubtful. Walker has been dealing with this for a couple years or so. It may be prudent for him to get the surgery now.
Good info, both of you. Have to respect the athlete here. He must be in a lot of pain.
At same time, I can’t help having small doubts. Oh well. The right move for him to make, long-term.
This last stretch reminds me
of the beginning of August last year when they just simply ran over opponents with strong pitching and timely hitting. Where’s Juan Uribe when we need him?
Bruce has actually started to hit and the Grandyman seems back on track with HRs and walks. If these guys can continue to take the pressure off
of Yo needing to carry the team Yo gets even more dangerous. And how can you not love Kelly? This time they need to sign him for next year and not let him get away. Agree on Bartolo-you can’t let him swing with the bags loaded. Bad managerial play. #LGM #filletthefish #dealtheCardsoutoftheplayoffs
And now there is just one left, or in this case 1.5 games to go. Lets get greedy and sweep. Make it a meal, Fish Fry with Frenchy Fried.
All things considered, last night’s lineup was the most competitive that TC could put out there. Tonight play Conforto and ride the hot hands with Flores over Loney and Johnson at 2B. I am beginning to think that Jay Bruce is not “a NY kind of guy” and maybe the spotlight is too much.
Nice pick up in Salas. They needed another relief arm.
Lets Go Mets
Yes on Salas. Well done, Sandy, and the cost seems appropriate.
When Mets got Bruce, I wondered how many big games he had played in Cin. His AB in 8th was a complete fail. Pitcher wild, throwing junk, Bruce flails at the 1-0 pitch, high and outside, to even the count. Just not composed, collected.it felt like trouble right there.
It was a tie game at that point., runner at 3b.
Maybe he’ll get hot. There’s still time for him to make a difference. OTOH, I hope TC makes him sit if he doesn’t hit.
I don’t think Conforto is going to get much of a chance.
Bruce is a Power Guy…and he’s in a very bad streak. I’m sure he’s feeling pressure…look at the starts that Piazza and Grandy had, and Bruce has the burden of expectation plus a pennant race.
Love him or not, he’s gonna be his baseball card for the next few years…and that’s a pretty good baseball player. Long term, it’s possible for him to be a good fit— his most similar comps(on the team) right now are Duda and Grandy—and he pretty much replicates them in many senses, although I believe he’s now better than those guys. The replication is driving me nuts!!!!!
Eraff is the first person on this blog (I believe) to take it easy on Bruce. Bruce is pressing, and nothing was more obvious than swinging at the 1-0 high fastball away. You saw him roll his head in dismay. A player that has played this many games and been in this many game ending situations wouldn’t get upset over merely swinging at a 1-0 pitch, it not like he struck out or fell behind. But, we are seeing a player in his first playoff push in a while and it may take time to relax.
We don’t have time.
I understand we gave up a lot to get him and I know that he had a terrific first half. But in the right here, right now — Bruce playing every day is hurting the club. And when he does play, he should bat lower in the order until he starts hitting.
In his last dozen games, Bruce has a .495 OPS with a .304 BABIP. He’s not hitting for any power and he’s not drawing any walks and that’s a sorry combo. Granderson has 8 BB and 6 XBH in the same stretch and a .994 OPS. Bruce should not play ahead of Granderson at this point.
He shouldn’t be buried. But he needs to get frequent seats on the bench until he stops pressing and starts hitting.
The Mets have 29 Games left…. they need to win 18, maybe more. You don’t do that with Replacement Level Players. This team needs Bruce to be Bruce…Yo to be Yo…and I believe it needs a major step from Conforto.
Yes…you play the “hot Guys”, but you err on the side of the fact that d’Arnaud is capable of an 850 ops over the next 29 games—Rivera is Not. DeAza is not…Bruce and Conforto are.
You can hang in the race with RL guys—closing the deal will only happen if you play guys who can carry the deal.
Yes….recognize a hot hitter—but you do need to default to guys who can deliver this situation.
That’s the ultimate question: how long do you go with a slumping player? And, yes, past performance is a factor in that decision. In the end, I think you’ve got to go with what you see. The quality of the ABs, the demeanor, the input from the hitting coach, the swings on the ball, and the matchups.
Terry is going to need a Ouija Board to get these decisions right on a nightly basis. Fortunately he has forgiving fans.
* On Granderson: Three very encouraging games in a row, after I might have left him for dead. A huge asset if he’s contributing, can run and field too.
* On Conforto: We’ve missed bat, a better overall hitter than any of the other options, but I don’t think he’s going to get much of a shot.
* On Bruce: Big power, game-changing power, appears to be slowly snapping out of it. TC has handled it well of late, think he’s played 5 of last 9 games. Can’t be buried, but can’t be automatic either.
* On De Aza: He’s played well, can’t be buried either.
I think there’s room for all four players. On some nights, it might be hard coming up with two/three we actually like. Cespedes will need some days off, can’t burn that quad.
As I’ve said before, I don’t think Conforto will get a real opportunity to play unless he is scalding hot every single game. Terry will be more forgiving with Granderson and Bruce. I think that’s understandable to a point, but if either strings together more bad games, they need to sit for a few. Conforto should be given opportunity to play through a couple of bad games himself.
It’s why I can never fully embrace the “hot hand” strategy (which I think was also what Eraff was saying). Very difficult for a player to produce when the rug can be pulled out from you at a moment’s notice. I think it’s bad juju when managers react to every single game that happens. Players need that steady hand. Need that support. But then, of course, there are times when the manager needs to act, boldly and decisively. I guess I prefer that than every single lineup being a Jenga contest. Interesting that Dusty Baker sat Harper for a full week.
“Terry is going to need a Ouija Board to get these decisions right on a nightly basis. Fortunately he has forgiving fans.”
I can’t stop laughing. I admire the Collins supporters.