Author: themetsgivemeagita

Jake Arietta throws five pitches well. Five.

He can throw everything from a 95 MPH fastball to an 81 MPH curve. There is no mystery about why this guy went 22-6 with a 1.77 earned run average. Just let those stats sink in. The guy is legit and will undoubtedly pose the greatest threat to the Mets in this series in terms of Cubs pitching. Unlike his Mets counterpart, he is a veteran. To that end, I would not be surprised if this game goes the Cubs’ way.

However, it’s not like the Mets’ starter is a slouch. Noah Syndergaard, whose regular-season line is not as impressive as Arietta’s for sure  — 9-7 with a 3.24 ERA —  boasting a 100+ MPH fastball and very nice assortment of breaking pitches. He is a big kid, and is an imposing presence on the mound. The Cubs’ batters strike out a lot. This plays to the Mets’ advantage with a power arm on the mound.

It’s a rematch of sorts for these two. Back on May 12, Syndergaard and Arietta faced one another in what would be a 6-1 win by the Cubs. It’s worth noting this was Noah’s Major League debut and to be honest, he was not terrible, but couldn’t get through the 6th after five pretty stellar innings. He would walk 4 and give up 3 ER in 5.1 innings. Arietta was excellent, striking out 10 and giving up 1 ER in 8 innings.

But, as has been brought up ad nauseum, this is not the same Mets team. This team has been fortified with talent and confidence since then, and while Arietta may yet silence the Met bats, they will have a much better lineup against him this time.

My thought here is it would be almost too easy to say to expect a low-scoring game, but that’s probably what will occur.

The Cubs’ Castro and Bryant hit Syndergaard in their first and only opportunity facing him, and Schwarber could very well hit one out of Citi Field with a 100 MPH pitch hitting his bat. Hopefully, a more polished Noah and 40-degree temperatures at game time will mean more missed bats.

In terms of Mets offense, Daniel Murphy can’t save the Mets every night. They need three key batters to WAKE THE HELL UP. Those are David Wright, 1-19 in the postseason, Lucas Duda, 2-18, and to a lesser degree, Yoenis Cespedes who, while batting .250 and has 2 HR and 4 RBI, also has 8 Ks in 20 ABs. Michael Conforto, undoubtedly back in the lineup against a righty, is only 1-7 in limited play. His bat is crucial to the Mets attack as well.

Curtis Granderson has been steady and productive, and Travis d’Arnaud looks to have woken up, judging by that monstrous 430-foot homer to dead center last night. Wilmer Flores is 3 for 10, not terrible at the moment, and even Juan Lagares has produced in his limited play.

Asking guys like Wright and Duda, who have looked totally lost to wake up against Arietta is a very tall order, but this is how playoff games and series are won.

The unexpected and rising to the occasion are what distinguishes champions from also rans.

Let’s Go Mets!

I’ll start out by saying I wish the Cubs were not playing the Mets in the NLCS, but not for the reason or reasons you may think.

Of course, I want the Mets to beat them and go on to the World Series, but if there were ever a team I’d like to see break their putrid, century-old stretch of futility, the Cubs are that team. As much as being a Mets fan has taken years off my life, I can’t imagine generations of fans — and Cubs fans are a very passionate lot — never witnessing their favorite baseball team winning a World Series, or even getting there. It’s been 70 years since they’ve appeared in the Fall Classic.

From the Billy Goat to Bartman, the Cubs have made a living by being also-rans and the poster children for sporting sympathies.

But, Theo Epstein and his staff have patiently built a nice little ballclub with young talent that can hit. It’s this group of guys and their 7-0 in-season record against the Mets that New York has to contend with. Let’s take a look at the matchup tonight.

Starting with pitching, the Mets will have Matt Harvey, well past his magical 180 inning limit (he’s at 194.1 innings) on the mound against John Lester. Harvey gave up a skinny run and struck out nine vs. the pre-Schwarber, pre-Bryant Cubs back in May. These guys, adding in Anthony Rizzo with his 30+ homers and 100+ RBIs are a formidable lot.

Jake Arrieta, the undisputed ace of the staff and a Cy Young candidate, won’t be starting this one and even got roughed up in his last outing, giving up four earned runs. Instead, Jon Lester will take the ball. The Cubs starter had a good year on the bump for the Cubbies, although I wouldn’t call it stellar. He was 11-12 with an ERA of 3.34.

This is Harvey’s moment. He has craved the spotlight, and tonight he will have it. Front and center. What he does with this moment is up to him and his reconstructed right elbow. He will be amped and will be throwing hard. He needs to reign in his emotions and pitch to his strengths. We will see if that happens.

Some lineup changes on the Mets side include sitting the Mets’ slugging first baseman Lucas Duda in favor of the aging and inconsistent Michael Cuddyer against Chicago’s southpaw. Typically I’d rail against the knee-herk, by the book lefty/righty matchup, but Duda has been lost for a while. He looks awful, and this move does give a better chance based on that alone. I will probably change my tune when Cuddyer flails at three straight pitches in the dirt, but I digress.

Now, there are some pundits from The Windy City (and some even in our city) citing the fact the Cubs won all seven games they played against the Mets. I would say that these are the new Mets. The Mets that played the Cubs earlier this season no longer exist, save for the pitching, and even those Mets are different in a short playoff series. Remember John Mayberry, Jr. hitting clean-up? I almost want to personally burn those memory brain cells from my body.

This is certainly a very visible series with a lot of drama built in before it even starts. I am betting we will be talking about it long after it ends, whatever the outcome.

Speaking of which, I pick the Mets in six games.

Let’s Go Mets!

Well, folks, it comes to this: a one game playoff.

I would be bubbling with confidence were it not for the fact this offense is either all or nothing these days, and the pitcher we are facing had an ERA of 1.66 during the regular season and we only scored 2 runs off him the first time around.

I have a lot of faith in Jacob. It is not him I am concerned about in terms of shitting the bed. Primarily, it’s David “I have one hit in the series” Wright, Lucas “I forgot how to hit again” Duda, and everyone else who isn’t pulling their weight in the lineup.

Why single out DW and LD? Well, first, they are in the middle of the lineup. And, when you are the captain of a team and are doing nothing, you stand out more than the average guy. And Lucas, well, he looks so bad up there and has the POTENTIAL to do so much damage, he needs special mention.

They need to show up on Thursday. They all do. Grienke is not perfect and can be gotten to. I recall a start against the Phillies this past season where he gave up 8 earned runs, 5 of them in the first inning or two. He CAN be gotten to, and the Mets’ lefty-heavy lineup — including Conforto — will give us our best chance, I believe. And I do, because, Ya Gotta Believe!!!

‪#‎LGM‬.

The “in-season” Subway Series has lost its luster over the years and a lot of its original excitement. Some of this is due to the fortunes of the Mets and Yankees as contending ballclubs, some of it due to its eventual lack of novelty.

Sure, it’s always a draw for fans who want to cheer on their team and sometimes get in the face of the opposing fanbase, but for the most part, it just isn’t what it once was.

Well, due to circumstance, this year’s Citi Field version of the series, held for the first time in late September, has some intrigue, some juice if you will.

The Yankees come into this series 3.5 games out of first place behind the surging Blue Jays. Although they still command a 4 game lead in the wild card race, I’d imagine the Bronx Bombers will not be satisfied with that with first place in their division still within their grasp and a series with Toronto following the Mets.

The Mets have had a hiccup on their steamroller ride to the pennant the last two games, showing pitching vulnerability and an almost full stop to their juggernaut offense. They still hold a healthy 8 game lead in the division, but anyone feeling this will be a cakewalk is deluding themselves. They want to put the pedal to the metal and get this division wrapped up, as well as establish themselves as “New York’s team.”

Yes, the Yankees are somewhat diminished. They are missing Mark Teixeira and will also not be able to start Alex Rodriguez due to the lack of a DH in the Mets’ home park. However, you can never count the Yankees out. Ever.

Missing in action these days on the Mets side is one Lucas Duda. Since his back issue put him on the shelf, he has returned as a non-entity. With other guys like Yoenis Cespedes possibly cooling off for a few days, this is when he needs to step out of the void and show up. It’s crunch time, dude. Abide already.

The series begins with Steven Matz on the mound for the Metsies countered by the undisputed ace of the Yankees staff Masahiro Tanaka. He is tough and if the Mets come out with the same bats as they had in the last two games of the Marlins series, they will have a long night. Matz has had a very nice return coming off a long stint on the DL for a minor lat tear, giving up just 3 ER in 10.1 innings.

The Saturday, middle-game match of Noah Syndergaard vs. Michael Pineda should be an interesting one. Thor has pitched fairly well lately and is coming off a nice outing last time out, giving up a skinny earned run over 7 innings. while striking out 8. Michael Pineda, on the other hand, has allowed 4 or more ER in 5 of his last 6 starts.

The Sunday night ESPN annoying game time of the week has CC Sabathia against 5 innings or so of Matt Harvey (or so we are led to believe). You’d think the last game would be in the Mets favor, but Sabathia has been very solid in this last 6 starts, giving up a total of only 10 ER in that span. And, with all the hoopla over innings limits, who knows what to expect when the lights are shining brightest on the young Mr. Harvey, who looked gassed in his last start and has allowed 11 ER and 17 hits in his last two starts. Ouch, babe.

Both teams have something on the line here, and I am pretty confident this will not be like more recent Subway Series events here in New York. This one counts, and I have a feeling it is going to be a great series to watch, no matter what the outcome.

Let’s Go Mets!

Ok, I have digested the last couple of performances from the Mets, the Nationals’ recent surge, and the Marlins’ role in this stretch drive.

First, the Nats winning tonight while the Mets are idle is not a given. The Marlins are NOT pushovers, and I am not saying that just because they played us tough. They played the Nats tough, too, and are 10-4 in September.

What I see as worrisome from the Mets side is the pitching is really starting to show some cracks. The young arms like deGrom and Harvey look tired and you can’t expect Bartolo Colon to throw shutouts every 5th or 6th day. He’s 42, c’mon.

Also, the last two games have hown diminished production from the bats. They were bound to cool down sooner or later, and it is probably temporary, but you start to wonder if these guys are starting to press, or, worse yet, are believing they can throw their gloves on the field and win.

The Yankees series may be a good thing for them — a little juice to restart their engines, so to speak. I honestly wish they didn’t have to play them right now because the Yanks are always a tough team and right now have a lot to play for. They will definitely come in all guns blazing (albeit without A-Rod, due to no DH in an NL ballpark).

Though, with all of this in mind, and the seemingly insurmountable lead the Mets have, statistics be damned. I cannot ignore this disgusting sensation of nausea in my stomach as it relates to the debacle that was 2007. Hell, a win by the Nats tonight and there will be only a ONE game differential between 2007 and now: 7 up with 16 to play. The only thing that is truly different is the Mets actually PLAY their pursuer three times at home to end the season.

Now, while some may find that comforting, I find it terrifying. If, through some horrible miracle, Washington makes it to NY on the final weekend of the season with a deficit of 3 games or less, Mets fans (like me) will be popping Xanax and chugging Jack Daniels simultaneously. It wouldn’t be the first time Mets fans were treated to a home-field, front-row seat to misery and dispatch from the playoffs.

Mets fans have long memories:

• In 1998, needing one mere victory to secure a wildcard spot, the Mets lost their final 5 games, three against the hated Braves, to miss the playoffs.
• In 1999, they ALMOST blew it, but for the grace of God and an el foldo from the Reds, they hung on and won the wild card in a 163rd game.
• No need to rehash 2007. Its infamy is well-chronicled.
• In 2008, this Mets team, up 3.5 with 17 to play, was knocked out of first by game 150 and eliminated from wild card contention on the last day of the season.

ON EDIT: Thanks to the Marlins, who are playing great baseball, the lead in the NL East going into the weekend series with their cross-town rivals is back up to “8 games up with 16 games to play.”

I shudder to think that last part will become the “new” Mets fan phrase to denote a flopping finale.

Agita, folks. Still plenty of agita.

Ok, they lost, and it kinda sucked. Why? This kind of game, the game that one of your studs starts and goes six strong, giving up only two hits in the process, is not the kind of game you want to lose.

Yes, they won seven in a row and we are all giddy and greedy for more, but this game should have been number eight. A game like this needs to be won, it’s that simple.

Let’s start with Harvey being pulled after 104 pitches and a spent pen after a 13-inning game. He just came off 12 days of rest. Start the damn guy in the 7th inning at the very least. See what he has in the tank before you deplete the Mets’ already-crappy bullpen. His arm won’t fall off, I promise. These are the little things that make me want to throttle Terry Collins.

And what of that middle relief? It looks like ass, and if this team has an unraveling, look no further than that as the culprit.

Now, the cavalry IS coming in the form of Steven Matz and others, and these reinforcements will be a welcome addition to a pen.

No, the Mets weren’t going to run the table, but tonight’s game wasn’t one they should have let get away.

Love him or hate him, Terry Collins begins his fifth season at the helm of your New York Mets in 2015.

He has a combined 304-344 record, and that isn’t too bad considering the talent the Mets’ front office has handed him.

I am one of his harshest critics, though. I actually think he is directly responsible for some of those 344 losses through sometimes inexplicable in-game strategies and moves. I can’t stand the way he handles the bullpen, and sometimes I feel he is just asleep at the switch in critical game situations.

All that being said, it has come time for him to helm a winner.

The Mets have, at long last, a legitimately good team. Not great, but good enough, given the competitive landscape out there to vie for a playoff spot in the National League. Because of this perception, he has zero room for error.

The Mets start off the year playing a lot of intradivisional games. In April alone they play twenty games against Eastern Division opponents! While I think if the Mets go anything less than .500 in their first 10 games Collins will come under fire (yes, it will happen), to come through that twenty game stretch anything less than .500, the bells may start tolling.

Yes, Sandy Alderson has already been quoted as saying Collins is safe. ESPN reported as much in this piece. But talk is cheap, and with the Mets internally handing their players Take the Damn Thing T-Shirts (referring to the division), expectations are already very, very high from within.

Hope your ass isn’t already sizzling, Terry.